ODI rules - going back to the basics

[War]

Reading Dhoni's comments below about him suggesting a change in the ODI rules again, before our wonderful ICC cricket authorities try to confuse us & give batsmen any further advantage, id suggest going back to one of the original ODI rules.

India v Australia, 6th ODI, Nagpur : Time to 'think about' new ODI rules - MS Dhoni | Cricket News | India v Australia | ESPN Cricinfo

From 1992-2005 we had a very simple rule of:

- 1st 15 overs, 2 fielders outside the circle
- Next 35 overs, 5 outside the circle

Then suddenly in 2005 the ICC came to the conclusion that ODI were too "boring" . I personally never favoured this rule, because the ICC reasoning that the "middle-overs 16-40" was too boring never made any sense.

So what if teams tactically decided to change gear and run the singles etc that period before launching in the final 10. When two good ODI teams or world tournaments were played, this never was an issue.

But they had the change & in the last 8 years we have had some changes in the ODI rules (i have lost track now) that its simply favouring batsmen more & more.

If someone is new to cricket, you would confuse them trying to explain these new ODI rules & its ridiculous.

You compound this with the general shortening of boundaries & you have to wonder if the ICC is trying to gut ODI's in the minds of people and just keep test & its new found love T20s

Discuss....

 

[Punk_Sk8r]

Tbh my view is ODI cricket is real cricket and judging by this it seems you are right T20s are being pushed more. I have tried to watch T20 cricket and it is so boring you know exactly whats going to happen when the batsmen come out with a 4ton bat.

Being a test cricket lover, I think ODI cricket encapsulates what cricket is. It's long enough to have a good story, strategy and a test of the players and team. It's great to watch an ODI unfold.

Also I remember the days when the boundary was the ad boards (in some stadiums) like 92 final

 

[Aislabie]

'd go even simpler, cut it right back to five outside the circle at all times, and if the captain wants to bring more in, like at a new batsman, he can.

 

[icyman]

I'd advocate the simple powerplay of the initial 15 overs. Then, let the game continue for the remainder of time on its own. No new balls after the 35th over. This totally reduces the influence of a spinner on the game.

The ICC has been trying various stupid things over the years; they have failed miserably at this. Remember the Super-Substitute rule ?

 

[angryangy]

I'm not sure it is the rules at fault if the only conceivable solution is to have 5 or more men on the fence.

 

[ferg512]

Its a tough one, although I do agree the powerplay rules are ridiculous the two factors for me that are bigger than the rules are the boundaries and the pitch. Many grounds now have the boundaries pulled too far in, and the pitches are incredibly favourable to the batsman.

The thing I don't get is I'm assuming the ICC/BCCI thinks everyone wants to see fours and sixes like its a baseball match. I don't know if I'm alone in thinking this but the most exciting and memorable ODI contests for me are low scorers where every single is crucial and a boundary is like gold. These 3 games immediately spring to mind

Final: England v Australia at Lord's, Jul 2, 2005 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo
21st Match, Group B: England v South Africa at Chennai, Mar 6, 2011 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo
4th Match, Group A: New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Cardiff, Jun 9, 2013 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo

 

[playkid12]

A baseball "match" lol

That was funny. Anyway, yes, I feel robbed, honestly. I love seeing the battle of bat and ball. Wickets falling is one of the most wonderful feelings in cricket. And heartbreaking if your team is on the receiving end. To me, wickets involve a lot more emotion than a six or a four. When a settled dangerous batsman gets out, I feel unbelievable joy and relief.

I would love it if the ICC just changed ODIs back to how they were. In trying to make ODIs less boring from the 25th to the 40th over, they've made the entire game boring.

Fielders catching the ball at the boundary, throwing it up in the air, stepping out, coming back in, and catching it should also be legal. This was so exciting to watch.

But I guess the ICC just wants a bunch of mindless brutes with giant bats hitting 4s and 6s for 7 hours.

 

[icyman]

Boring is just the mindset of a few people. Everyone likes to see a real contest; a contest wherein the bowler tries to outwit the batsman and vice-versa.
What I would like to see are green pitches, some dustbowls and then if a team chases down 300+, wow thats something...

 

[shravi]

Just get of ODI cricket altogether. Tests and T20s are the way forward for me.

Nobody wants to play multilateral series anymore because a lack of revenue from neutral matches, and those were the only interesting non-ICC events.

 

[SaiSrini]

Just get of ODI cricket altogether. Tests and T20s are the way forward for me.

Nobody wants to play multilateral series anymore because a lack of revenue from neutral matches, and those were the only interesting non-ICC events.

ODI's are fun, and I wouldn't want them to go anywhere. It gives a full day's worth of entertainment and yet it has all the qualities of tests and T20's mixed into it. Bilateral series should be scrapped though. Only multi-national tournaments and the World Cup should exist. Have bilateral series for T20's.

 

[shravi]

ODI's are fun, and I wouldn't want them to go anywhere. It gives a full day's worth of entertainment and yet it has all the qualities of tests and T20's mixed into it. Bilateral series should be scrapped though. Only multi-national tournaments and the World Cup should exist. Have bilateral series for T20's.

So basically you're saying what I just said...

 

[War]

Just get of ODI cricket altogether. Tests and T20s are the way forward for me.

Nobody wants to play multilateral series anymore because a lack of revenue from neutral matches, and those were the only interesting non-ICC events.

Such a drastic move isn't needed. Cricket has enough room to accommodate all three formats once sane scheduling is done.

As i always say the perfect schedule for every bilateral series is 3 tests, 3 odi's, 3 t20s. Only the Ashes, ENG vs SA, AUS vs SA, IND vs Pakistan should have more the 3 tests.

What messes up cricket's schedule & makes people think that we need to cut 50 overs is when we play stupid 7 match ODI series like the ongoing AUS vs IND series - which is essentially just for money.

2 test series also don't make sense. And crucially the proliferation of T20 leagues worldwide is latest and biggest fixture congestion problem.

Once we have such a balance across every series & the broadcasters come on board with this, revenues for bilateral series will become better distributed & certain teams would have to hope to play India to rake in cash.

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I'm not sure it is the rules at fault if the only conceivable solution is to have 5 or more men on the fence.

Well if you rules coming out that is making it easier for batsmen to hit boundaries, by having less men men on the boundary for a longer period of an ODI, it shows how ridiculously batsmen friendly modern ODI rules have become & how good the rules from 1992-2005 were.

At least we knew back then scoring 350 & chasing it down was a once in a blue moon event.

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I don't know if I'm alone in thinking this but the most exciting and memorable ODI contests for me are low scorers where every single is crucial and a boundary is like gold. These 3 games immediately spring to mind

Final: England v Australia at Lord's, Jul 2, 2005 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo
21st Match, Group B: England v South Africa at Chennai, Mar 6, 2011 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo
4th Match, Group A: New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Cardiff, Jun 9, 2013 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo

Indeed, which is why to me given the conditions and even contest between bat & ball, that the 1999 world cup was arguably the best ODI tournament ever.

 

[SaiSrini]

So basically you're saying what I just said...

Not really... You don't want ODI's altogether. I want ODI's, but not the bilateral series.

 

[vaibhavtewatia]

I want ODI's, but not the bilateral series.

Perhaps the Sharjah Cup? The good days of ODI cricket.

 

[SaiSrini]

Perhaps the Sharjah Cup? The good days of ODI cricket.

Something like that. More than two teams in the tournament. The ODI tournaments in Sharjah used to be so good. I love the CB series too (in Australia).