The toss will not go for a toss! The ICC decided not to tinker with the flipping of the coin just to make the new Test Championship, beginning in July 2019, different. Its Cricket Committee headed by Anil Kumble discussed giving visiting teams the option to bat or bowl first to stop home teams from preparing pitches that suit their strengths.
The committee rightly decided against the proposal and decided to focus on pitches that provide a balance between bat and ball. It would not have wasted much time in deciding not to fiddle with the toss, an age-old tradition which has been part of cricket folklore for a couple of centuries. Experts as well as stars acknowledged the thrill of flicking coin and did not want it removed from the game.
Does the idea to do away with the toss make Tests more exciting and reduce doctoring of pitches? In every country there are one or two pitches which behave like they have been for decades. In recent years, most Indian pitches have been decent and came in for praise from visiting sides and experts.
When you are bound to get a result in five days with 90 overs each day, a doctored pitch will end the match in three days. Even good pitches are producing results in four days with skilful bowlers playing a major role. Asking for balanced pitches simply means telling Australian, English and South African curators not to make them too green and the subcontinent teams not to leave them bereft of any grass. Who will guarantee such pitches and who will supervise them? Such ideal tracks could be ordered for matches in shorter formats.
Perhaps, the ICC can identify pitches that qualify to be of Test standard. But not all countries can guarantee such pitches as they depend on the soil and other local conditions. The committee did not want to stir a hornet’s nest by appointing neutral curators.
The only way out is to order drop-in pitches for Test Championship matches or played in cycles in two neighbouring countries like the World Cup had been played. One cycle could be played in Australia-New Zealand, another in the subcontinent and the third one in England, Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands. But then, which team would not like to play in front of cheering home fans?
The debate on toss ended as quickly as flicking a coin and it coming down, the committee got down to the serious business of the spirit of cricket and to enforce the Code of Conduct, more so in the wake of the recent ball-tampering incident in the Australia-South Africa series.
The high-powered Cricket Committee has representatives from various fields, including media and women’s cricket, with ICC chairman Shashank Manohar and CEO David Richardson as its ex-officio members.
The committee collectively has rich experience to discuss and come to the right conclusions. They took on-field behaviour seriously and recommended stiffer sanctions for breach. Also, it has decided to come down heavily on those trying to gain unfair advantage by devious methods.
In a bid to eliminate personal abuse and unfair activities on the field, the committee has also given match referees the power to enhance or downgrade the level of offence and quantum of punishment. The match referees’ decision, it said, has to be backed by the authority.
Another interesting decision apart from awarding points for the Test Championship is to have a rest day to compensate for weather interference. On paper, all recommendations read impressive. Now, it's a question of implementing them with no country trying to flex its muscles!
(The writer is a veteran commentator & views expressed are personal. He can be reached at sveturi@gmail.com)