Speaking on the Wisden Cricket Weekly Podcast, Mark Butcher weighed in on Ravichandran Ashwin‘s decision to tactically retire out in the IPL.

Ashwin became the first cricketer to make such a call in the IPL, as he brought his innings to a halt with 10 deliveries still left in Rajasthan Royals’ innings against Lucknow Super Giants last Sunday. On 28 off 23 balls, Ashwin, who’d walked out to bat at No.6, gave Riyan Parag the opportunity to score quick runs and finish off the innings.

Ashwin’s retirement was hailed as a “seismic moment” in T20 history, but it has also come under criticism. The India off-spinner, though, likened tactically retiring out to the concept of substitutes in football and hoped that the “stigma” around it would end soon.

Butcher, though, found the novel move “bizarre” and an “unnecessary addition” to the game.

“I don’t think he [Ashwin] is the story here,” he said. “He is perfectly entitled to do it. The laws of the game in the tournament state that you can, so I’ve got no issue with it on a law-making or a moral level. I just find it a slightly bizarre addition to what is already a quite complicated sport.

“I find it just an unnecessary addition, particularly as there’s no equivalent for the fielding side. I suppose the one thing that might balance that out would be that you’ve picked your five bowlers and a safety valve in the XI, but then you’re allowed to sub out one, bring in a relief pitcher for somebody’s who is having a bad day, and that would perhaps balance it up on both sides.

“But again, I don’t really see the point. I don’t see the need. Of course, it’s created some brilliant headlines and a lot of discussion about the fact that it’s been used at all. I just don’t see that it is necessary.

“I go back to the fact that you can send anybody in any order you like already; if you stuffed up and you got yourself in at the wrong time, then you just have got to get yourself out and get somebody else in. I don’t think the fielding side should be penalised for bowling well at a batter who is in. Not unless a bowling side is able to do exactly same thing, whereby somebody is having a terrible day with the new ball, you hole him off after he’s bowled an over or five deliveries and then you get to replace him with somebody who can bowl his other three [overs]. That for me would then be a fair balance and something that stacks up to the football comparison.

“I mean, the other thing with that is, it’s not football! I don’t know if anybody has noticed, but it’s a completely different sport, and it already has a million and one tactical dimensions to it. Does it need another one? I don’t think it does. Well, at least not one that doesn’t have the yin and the yang of being able to do something that’s beneficial to both the batting team and the bowling team. At the moment, it’s all skewed one way.”

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