Sachin Tendulkar reckons two new balls in ODIs is âa perfect recipe for disasterâ
Sachin Tendulkar has criticized ICCâs decision to use two new balls in One Day International cricket and has asserted that it is âa perfect recipe for disasterâ. Tendulkar also added that new balls have diminished reverse swing's role in the game which was used to be an integral part of the game.
England posted a world record 481 for 6 against Australia in the third ODI, bettering their own record of 444 against Pakistan. In the next ODI, England chased down a target of 312 inside 45 overs. Concerned by the number of high scoring games recently, Tendulkar has criticised the use of two new balls in ODIs, saying it is âa perfect recipe for disasterâ. The ICC had introduced the usage of two new balls from two ends after amending its playing rules back in October 2011.Â
Having 2 new balls in one day cricket is a perfect recipe for disaster as each ball is not given the time to get old enough to reverse. We havenât seen reverse swing, an integral part of the death overs, for a long time. #ENGvsAUS
â Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) June 21, 2018
Gone have those times when there used to be a fair battle between bat and ball.
Tendulkarâs view was endorsed by Pakistanâs legendary master of reverse swing Waqar Younis. Younis got a lot of his wickets with his reverse swinging deliveries in the 1990s and if it wasnât for reverse swing, Younis wouldnât have had got close to 800 wickets in International cricket. Â
Reason why we donât produce many attacking fast bowlers..They all very defensive in their approach...always looking for change ups..totally agree with you @sachin_rt reverse swing is almost vanished.. #SAD https://t.co/hPHoMXujcr
â Waqar Younis (@waqyounis99) June 21, 2018
Interestingly, BCCI was one board that protested the move questioning the diminishing role of spinners due to this new rule tweak. However, ICC has stuck to it in its efforts to make the game batsman-friendly. The logic given was the
Therefore, unlike earlier era, the ball doesnât get soft, which would make it difficult for the batsmen to hit through the line like they do nowadays at the back-end of the innings. The chance of reverse swing has decreased even further with two new balls being used.