Sachin and ICC
Sachin Tendulkar had written a letter to ICC CEO Lorgat asking for changes in ODI format. The Indian batting icon had also spoken about this new concept in television interviews in the past.
The ICC World Cup held in the subcontinent earlier this year had reportedly breathed new life into the 'tired' format of 50-over cricket. However, Sachin Tendulkar has issues with it. Tendulkar is the most prolific run-scorer in ODIs and so his words have weight. He wrote a letter to the ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat, seeking a radical switch from two 50-over innings to four digs of 25 overs each.
Tendulkar was one of the first cricketers to suggest that One-Dayers needed a bit of a revamp and should be split into two innings in order to compete with T20. Sachin feels once the players have tried out this format they will be in a better position to judge if the format works or not. He argued that four alternate innings of 25 overs for each side in an international would be a fair way to balance the advantages gained by the team which won the toss, especially in conditions (pitch, weather, floodlights) which ensure that a match can virtually be decided by the spin of a coin. Sachin had made many more interesting suggestions. When the master speaks, the world generally listens. But the ICC has decided to bury its head in the sand with the argument that the 2011 World Cup proved the health of the ODI format. Yes, the tournament was a success - but one swallow does not a spring make.
What the ICC has kept in mind is that cricket lovers want a genuine contest between bat and ball. And that can best be observed in the ODI format. According to them, the T20 format is a crude caricature of the game, as it simply requires the batsman to throw his bat at the ball. There's no place for the bowler to demonstrate his guile, nor any requirement for the batsman to preserve his wicket. They believe that ODI is a multidimensional test of skills and preserves the grace of cricket. It could be the game's future, outliving the other formats.
However, Tendulkar has cult status in Indian cricket and so his attempt to impose a market-driven agenda that promotes a slam-bang version of cricket should be appreciated.
Sachin Tendulkar had written a letter to ICC CEO Lorgat asking for changes in ODI format. The Indian batting icon had also spoken about this new concept in television interviews in the past.
The ICC World Cup held in the subcontinent earlier this year had reportedly breathed new life into the 'tired' format of 50-over cricket. However, Sachin Tendulkar has issues with it. Tendulkar is the most prolific run-scorer in ODIs and so his words have weight. He wrote a letter to the ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat, seeking a radical switch from two 50-over innings to four digs of 25 overs each.
Tendulkar was one of the first cricketers to suggest that One-Dayers needed a bit of a revamp and should be split into two innings in order to compete with T20. Sachin feels once the players have tried out this format they will be in a better position to judge if the format works or not. He argued that four alternate innings of 25 overs for each side in an international would be a fair way to balance the advantages gained by the team which won the toss, especially in conditions (pitch, weather, floodlights) which ensure that a match can virtually be decided by the spin of a coin. Sachin had made many more interesting suggestions. When the master speaks, the world generally listens. But the ICC has decided to bury its head in the sand with the argument that the 2011 World Cup proved the health of the ODI format. Yes, the tournament was a success - but one swallow does not a spring make.
What the ICC has kept in mind is that cricket lovers want a genuine contest between bat and ball. And that can best be observed in the ODI format. According to them, the T20 format is a crude caricature of the game, as it simply requires the batsman to throw his bat at the ball. There's no place for the bowler to demonstrate his guile, nor any requirement for the batsman to preserve his wicket. They believe that ODI is a multidimensional test of skills and preserves the grace of cricket. It could be the game's future, outliving the other formats.
However, Tendulkar has cult status in Indian cricket and so his attempt to impose a market-driven agenda that promotes a slam-bang version of cricket should be appreciated.
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