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Cricket is a game like none other. Even after fighting it out for 102 overs and no runs separating the teams, England managed to lift their maiden ODI World Cup in 2019 simply because they had scored more boundaries. Such is the dynamics of the game that the rules governing them may sometime look silly. And after the World Cup final winners were adjudged on the basis of the boundary count rule, there was a major discussion which led to certain amendments. As per the new rules, teams will continue the Super Over as long as there is no clear winner.
There are several other debatable issues in the game and such are the fine margins of the sport that even what seems to be a minor clause in the rule book, sometimes goes on to have a massive impact on the game. Former India opener Aakash Chopra has made his list of 10 cricket rules which he thinks should change. While he wants only one ball for the entire 50 overs of an ODI game, a rule which was prevalent earlier, to restore some parity between bat and ball and reverse swing to come into the picture, he also wants a bouncer given wide to be not counted as one for the over.
In addition, Chopra has made a big call saying there shouldn't be any leg byes. He stated that cricket remains a game between bat and ball and thus leg byes do not make sense. In another interesting opinion, the cricketer-turned-analyst stated that the umpires should wait for the ball to become dead before giving their decisions. He reasoned that sometimes the ball could in fact go for a boundary after hitting the bat but if the umpire has given it out, thinking it hit the pad first, the decision can be reversed through DRS but those runs can cost the team a big match like the World Cup final.
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8 runs for 100+ metre sixes
Although most of his rules talk about bringing parity in a game which is becoming more and more batting friendly, here is one for the batters. Chopra argued that sixes that cover a distance of over 100 metres should fetch the batter 8 runs. The 43-year further suggested that for every two wickets that a bowler takes in limited-overs cricket, he should be entitled to bowl an extra over.
Chopra comes up with an interesting suggestion to maintain over rate
Meanwhile, the former Delhi cricketer came up with an interesting suggestion to maintain the over rate. He said that overs after the stipulated time in limited-overs cricket should force captain to have one less fielder outside the circle, which means an added restriction as a penalty for not completing the overs in time. In another possible rule change, Chopra suggested that if the LED stumps light up, it should be deemed as bails off and one must not wait for the traditional bails to dislodge completely in these cases.
Further, the cricket expert said that the umpires should not give a soft signal for catches outside the 30-yard-circle as it becomes difficult for the umpires to sight the ball clearly from a distance. Lastly, Chopra said that the on-field umpires should be able to able to take assistance from the third-umpire in case of a doubt and vice-versa.