DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) CEO David Richardson opines that in order to keep ODI cricket more competitive with a good balance between bat and ball, manufacturers such as Kookaburra must aim to improve the quality of balls produced that can last the entire 50 overs of an innings, Times of India reports.
“We have mandated manufacturers to come up with a ball that can last the entire 50 overs without getting invisible. Ideally, there should be one ball but right now we can’t go back to that,” Richardson was quoted as saying to the newspaper.
There has been controversy over the rule of two balls are used during an entire innings of an ODI, which makes life difficult for bowlers especially on docile pitches. Indian greats Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli have shared the same opinion on this in the past. The rule changes have kept shifting the dynamics of ODI cricket which means that the relevance of being world champions gets lesser and lesser every four years.
However, Richardson claims that the ICC has received mixed reactions to the two-ball rule.
“It depends who you ask. Some spinners say the ball stays hard and it allows them to get more bounce and get through off the pitch. Some would deny that.” he added.
He believes that the governing body’s concept of bringing in the 13-team ODI league keeping in mind the 2023 World Cup in India, will keep ODI cricket in a safe zone.
“The ODI League will create a lot of context. Besides qualification to World Cup, it will generate understandable interest. As far as ODI cricket is concerned, our research says it’s still a very popular format.”, Richardson concluded.
