Legendary Sachin Tendulkar has called for a rethink on the concept of two new balls in ODI cricket, arguing it has resulted in bowlers being unable to get any reverse swing in the death overs. Tendulkar made the observation in a Tweet after watching high scoring matches in the ongoing series between England and Australia. After scoring a world record 481/6 — the highest men’s ODI total of all time — in a crushing 242-run win at Trent Bridge on Tuesday.
“Having 2 new balls in one day cricket is a perfect recipe for disaster as each ball is not given the time to get old enough to reverse. We haven’t seen reverse swing, an integral part of the death overs, for a long time. #ENGvsAUS,” Tendulkar wrote.
The concept of two new balls in ODIs, wherein the bowling team would get fresh balls from each end, was introduced by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2011. While initial reasoning behind the move was to give the faster bowlers something more to work with as the shine would remain for longer on the balls, it has turned into a nightmare for fast bowlers, who have been unable to get any reverse swing post the 40th over.
