Mike Atherton, the former England captain, has called for less batsmen-friendly laws in the sport. His comments come after the Grenada ODI earlier in the week, when West Indies fell just 29 runs short of a chase of 418.
There were a record 46 sixes in the match, with England’s 24 sixes breaking the record of 23 set by West Indies in the first ODI in Barbados. Chris Gayle alone hammered 14 sixes in Grenada, as West Indies responded with 22 in all.
There were three centurions – Jos Buttler scored a 77-ball 150, Eoin Morgan an 88-ball 103 and Chris Gayle a 97-ball 162 – and it all made for a run-fest.
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Atherton wants less batsmen-friendly rules in ODIs[/caption]
But that isn’t Atherton’s idea of entertainment. “Six hitting alone does not guarantee entertainment and the balance between bat and ball is legitimate grounds for debate and concern in ODIs,” Atherton wrote in The Times.
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“To provide a good spectacle, the balance in ODIs need not be skewed to the bowler as far as in Tests. This does not mean that bowlers should be denuded entirely.
“Some swing, at the start with a better ball or at the end, by using one rather than two, would allow for a greater variety of skills.”
It’s been a long battle for the bowlers. In 2011, the ICC decided to introduce two new balls – one from each end – and the consensus was that it had further alienated bowlers in a format already skewed in the batsmen’s favour.
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There were a record 46 sixes in the Grenada ODI, with Gayle hammering 11 of them[/caption]
There isn’t enough time for the two balls to be old and generate reverse swing, and Sachin Tendulkar, the India legend, had earlier called for the rule to be amended or scrapped altogether.
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“Tendulkar backed up my call for one white ball, rather than two, to be used again in ODIs, the better to encourage some reverse swing towards the end of an innings,” Atherton wrote.
“Everything is loaded in favour of the bat: short boundaries, limitations on field settings; pitches that don’t deteriorate … and white balls that do not swing at the start and, because two are used, do not swing at the end.”
