Shane Warne : Why has the ball not changed over the years?
Speaking at a festival, Shane Warne has asked some important questions about the future of the game. Warne has questioned why the ball has not changed over the years, while the bats have improved and fielding restrictions have become stringent and insisted on proper marketing of Test cricket.
"The ball we bowl with is still the same as it was 100 years ago. Size and seam, and while bats became bigger and heavier, boundaries brought closer and fielding restrictions introduced but the ball is still the same as it was.
"Why has ball not changed over the years? The ball manufacturers should do something with the ball. Maybe put some swing into the ball," Warne said at the inaugural sports literature themed festival 'SporTale', reported PTI.
Why has ball not changed over the years? The ball manufacturers should do something with the ball. Maybe put some swing into the ball.
Warne
Warne, who has retired from cricket in 2007, has also questioned the field restrictions that have been introduced into the sport. He said, "Leave it to the bowling side captain to decide where to put his fielders. Let him have all the nine fielders on the boundary. Rules should not restrict who stands where.”
He went on to add, "In a T20 game, there should be just four bowlers bowling four overs each. We should have better quality bowlers rather than
Warne has also rated Indian skipper Virat Kohli far above his contemporaries. He said, "No Joe Root and no AB de Villiers. It's only Virat Kohli who makes me take notice.”
He, however, did not agree that the current Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which went underway at Pune on Thursday, will be a one-sided affair.
"I don't agree with what some of the pundits of the game have made
"Australia's mindset in this series is to attack. We are going to take it to India. It will be interesting to see what they do even as India definitely are
At the end of day 2 of the Pune Test, Warne appears to have been the only pundit who got it right. India
The former leggie is also intrigued by how the battle between Steve Smith and Ravichandran Ashwin will develop in this series considering the Aussie will lead Ashwin’s franchise in the upcoming IPL 2017. He said, "Smith is going to be his captain in the upcoming IPL so we have to see how he approaches this Test
Warne has also stressed on the need to market Test cricket properly.
"If we don't market Test cricket properly it is not going to be there because the Rock-an-roll cricket, the T20 cricket, will take over in some years," he said before signing off.