In the end I'd be happy to cherry pick out of test cricket
If they are taking a minute minimum to bowl one ball and you are almost certain that bowler/batsman are not even looking to take a wicket or score off that minutes play then its rather dull.
5minutes of throwing balls down a channel that the batsman happily leaves and plays at 2 and over is dishwater dull.
Bazball for all its obvious flaws goes at 4 to 5 an over and you tune into see the batting on full attack.
You tune in to see the bowling at full attack for the closing phases.
I think personally there are certain aspects of the thing that need to change, but not in the way that ODI and T20 have made the sport into a driving range where you might as well put a machine to do the bowling.
90 overs in a day. hardly ever enforced. no punishment for not getting them in.
80 overs for a ball. The best of the ball is gone after 20 overs. then spin is coming into it later.
What we do not want to do is to kill the skill of bowling but we should be attacking the time wasting element.
Possible examples:
1. Give each side a set number of overs to bat in. Not limited like 50 overs cricket. say you have 90 overs max to score as many as you can.
Would that not change to whole approach to the game?
If you get skittled in 50 or 30 or whatever then the next side comes out and starts their 90 overs.
2. Make 5th day a reserve day. Put it on a Monday. Start tests on Thursday and have the weekend for 3rd and 4th days.
3. penalise slow play. give free hits to batsmen if over rate is slow form bowlers. If batsmen are standing off their crease then dock an over from their 90.
4. Perhaps enliven the game with faster change of the ball. say 50 overs per ball max.
5. bring science into the pitches. What is needed? quick bouncy, hard pitches or grippy pitches or whatever. Develop a standard test method and if a pitch is not up to it then dock the home side 10 overs. (you'd be amazed how this would get grounds peoples attention)
6. honestly at some point the type of fields has to maybe be looked at. negative fields may naturally go away if you've 90 overs to defend but if not then enforce the odi ring perhaps just to force some change but you have the be allowed set a trap and pump in bouncers for the pull or have 6 slips or whatever you like still. Everyone on the ropes defending and the ball whizzing down miles away form the stumps is boring.
I don't know what's best but i do know that any limits on the bowling would be the death of test cricket. we have enough close their eyes and slog away forms of the game. We need the best bowling skills on show.
If they are taking a minute minimum to bowl one ball and you are almost certain that bowler/batsman are not even looking to take a wicket or score off that minutes play then its rather dull.
5minutes of throwing balls down a channel that the batsman happily leaves and plays at 2 and over is dishwater dull.
Bazball for all its obvious flaws goes at 4 to 5 an over and you tune into see the batting on full attack.
You tune in to see the bowling at full attack for the closing phases.
I think personally there are certain aspects of the thing that need to change, but not in the way that ODI and T20 have made the sport into a driving range where you might as well put a machine to do the bowling.
90 overs in a day. hardly ever enforced. no punishment for not getting them in.
80 overs for a ball. The best of the ball is gone after 20 overs. then spin is coming into it later.
What we do not want to do is to kill the skill of bowling but we should be attacking the time wasting element.
Possible examples:
1. Give each side a set number of overs to bat in. Not limited like 50 overs cricket. say you have 90 overs max to score as many as you can.
Would that not change to whole approach to the game?
If you get skittled in 50 or 30 or whatever then the next side comes out and starts their 90 overs.
2. Make 5th day a reserve day. Put it on a Monday. Start tests on Thursday and have the weekend for 3rd and 4th days.
3. penalise slow play. give free hits to batsmen if over rate is slow form bowlers. If batsmen are standing off their crease then dock an over from their 90.
4. Perhaps enliven the game with faster change of the ball. say 50 overs per ball max.
5. bring science into the pitches. What is needed? quick bouncy, hard pitches or grippy pitches or whatever. Develop a standard test method and if a pitch is not up to it then dock the home side 10 overs. (you'd be amazed how this would get grounds peoples attention)
6. honestly at some point the type of fields has to maybe be looked at. negative fields may naturally go away if you've 90 overs to defend but if not then enforce the odi ring perhaps just to force some change but you have the be allowed set a trap and pump in bouncers for the pull or have 6 slips or whatever you like still. Everyone on the ropes defending and the ball whizzing down miles away form the stumps is boring.
I don't know what's best but i do know that any limits on the bowling would be the death of test cricket. we have enough close their eyes and slog away forms of the game. We need the best bowling skills on show.
