Australia have adopted a novel idea to decrease their chances of being penalised for slow over rate by placing players from the bench around the boundary rope, who can then throw the ball back into play quickly.
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Australia used the tactic during the recent T20 Internationals series against England. They placed their reserve players around the boundary rope so they could fetch the ball. This included even David Warner, who sat out for the third T20I and was one of many Australia players entrusted with the duty of picking up the ball that went to the boundary and throwing it back into action quickly.
It is a well-thought-out plan according to Ashton Agar. According to him, it quickens up the game and prevents the team from being penalised for slow over-rate: “In the powerplay, obviously the ball flies around, and you lose time when players have to go and fetch the ball, which is a part of cricket. The time thing is a really difficult thing to manage, so I guess, stationing the guys on the bench around the ground – does it save you ten second here and there? Potentially. That all adds up at the end of the day.
“It’s not really giving you an advantage. It just makes sense, it’s common sense to do that in the powerplay because you don’t have guys out there fielding on the fence.”
Of course, Australia are not the first to come up with this idea. A famous recent instance took place during the fourth innings of the Rajkot Test of 2016/17. As Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja were trying to save the match, the England camp used their substitute fielders in similar fashion to hasten up proceedings.
A clever ploy from the Aussies who are keen to avoid the fielding restriction penalty if overs aren't bowled in time during this #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/5e73KABQcd
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) October 19, 2022
Earlier this year, the ICC announced an in-game penalty for slow over rates in men’s and women’s T20Is. Teams are now allotted a stipulated time to finish their 20 overs. If the fielding side does not start their final over by the cut-off, they will have be allowed one fielder less outside the 30-yard circle for the rest of the innings.
A similar strategy during the T20 World Cup will have its benefits. With bigger boundaries in Australia, fielders will not only save valuable time but also energy the ball is thrown to them. This reduces their chance of getting docked fielders for slow over rate, which may become crucial in important games. The only question worth asking is why the Australian camp made known their novel ploy before the event, opening doors for more teams to implement it, instead of enforcing it silently to gain a clever advantage.
