Thursday, November 20, 2008

Bad light and absurd rules

After India’s dominance in the first two games, the third ODI between India and England showed some semblance of a contest before bad light ended the game handing India another win under the D/L method. Earlier a foggy morning had already delayed the match by 45 minutes reducing the match to 49 overs per side.

Though India would have probably won the match anyway, it is ridiculous that bad light ended the match when floodlights were available at the ground. And, even though the match started 45 minutes late, the players had a full regulation break for lunch (even after the England captain requested for a shorter break). Apparently, both are due to some insipid ICC regulations, despite some recent changes to the rules after that absurd match in England. Given the circumstances, and the rules, the officials could have at least shown some foresight and reduced the match to a 45 over game. A 45 minute delay resulting in a 2 over reduction when everyone knew light would come in to play is downright stupid!

Instead of trying to layout specific rules which are half-baked anyway, ICC should just outline some generic guidelines and allow the officials use their judgment to determine the best course of action to get a complete game as much as reasonably possible.

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