Cricket has come a long way since its first international match between England and Australia in 1877. The rules have changed with the introduction of white-ball cricket. Fielding restrictions, use of two balls in ODIs and many others swing the game favouring the batters.
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra recently, on his YouTube channel, came up with ten laws that should be changed. Chopra stated that while towering sixes greater than 100 meters should be considered eight runs in one go, there should be just one ball throughout a solitary inning of an ODI contest to help spinners extract turn with the white-leather.
The cricketer-turned-commentator further added that a wide delivery above the head should not be declared as a bouncer since it restricts the bowler to deliver fuller balls in that over, and the batter can easily dance down the track and tackle them. Hence, a bouncer should not be wasted in an illegitimate wide ball.
Chopra reckoned that leg-byes should be done away with as the batter was beaten by a ball and shouldn’t be eligible for runs off that delivery.
The 43-year-old opined that umpires should declare a batsman out only once the ball is dead. This would give the batter his due four runs, which are not granted if the ball goes to the boundary after an umpire has mistakenly alleged the former out.
Chopra suggested that an extra over should be given to the in-form bowler who has taken two or more wickets in white-ball cricket to poise the match equally between the two departments of cricket.
The former Delhi cricketer reasoned that in order to penalize a team for going past the stipulated time, an extra fielder should be inside the 30-year-circle for the period extending the provided hour.
Chopra also feels that a batter should be sent back to the pavilion if the bails light up, irrespective of whether they fall to the ground or not. He enunciated that soft signals should be limited to within the 30-yard-circle because it is a waste of time outside that area since the umpire cannot figure out what happened near the boundary.
The tenth reform that Chopra wants is that the on-field umpires should be able to refer to the third umpire whenever in doubt, and the latter should reverse an incorrect call.
