ICC considering ODI rule changes

2015 World Cup

Cricket365
April 1, 2015

Chief executive Dave Richardson has conceded the International Cricket Council will probably change some rules in limited-overs cricket, which will effectively support the bowling team, and moderate and temper the very large scores amassed by the batting unit.

The ongoing World Cup is a telling example of the imbalance between bat and ball. A resounding 27 300-plus totals had been gathered prior to Thursday's semi-final between Australia and India – and as many as three exceeded 400.

Individual totals, meanwhile, reached rare enormity. West Indian Chris Gayle and New Zealand Martin Guptill each cherished a double-century – and South Africans Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers, Australian David Warner, Sri Lankan Tillakaratne Dilshan and Scotland's Kyle Coetzer.

Relatively small boundaries at venues such the Manuka Oval in Canberra and McLean Park in Napier – and the allowance of just four fielders outside the inner circle during non-powerplay overs – have affected the hefty size of the tallies.

"In the old days you had one area you couldn't defend, now there's two and if a good batsmen is set as a bowler you've got very little prize for the bowlers," said Richardson, who played 122 ODIs for South Africa between 1991 and 1998.

"One of the things we might look at is allowing an extra fielder out of the ring in the last 10 overs, remember we were worried about that middle period of the game that became boring where someone would score a run a ball 50 but no one remembering one shot.

"We'll try and keep that and make sure we don't get back to that but maybe in the last 10 overs when people are not going to stop slogging or trying to hit boundaries just because one extra fielder is out. That might be a sensible change.'

Australia – and New Zealand – will contest the 2015 World Cup final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday.