3rd Ashes Test: Old Trafford, 11-15 August: Day Four

[Maranello]

Originally Posted by IslandKev

Do you think Vaughany wouldnt do the same? This is sport of the highest quality. you do anything legal to win the game.

Fair enough Kev, that is one valid way of looking at sporting events, and a view which many people would share, the Italian football team for one

However, the slow over-rates are not just something that bring the game into disrepute or are against the spirit of cricket; they are also an infringement of the ICC Rules under which international cricket is played, and as such, are illegal. Strict sanctions exist, and are infrequently enforced, to curb this negative practice.

[Six & Out]

What annoys me is that the new ICC rules have encouraged this. Because overs lost in a days play are now no longer made back up, it makes the time-wasting tactic a viable one. I have nothing but contempt for the ICC and their new rules about the "days play-time" is beyond a joke and further increases my view that the game of Cricket is run by morons.

[Kirsty Harris]

Originally Posted by Six & Out

What annoys me is that the new ICC rules have encouraged this. Because overs lost in a days play are now no longer made back up, it makes the time-wasting tactic a viable one.

I'm not a fan of it either....it also lead to the strange situation where having lost all but afew overs of the days play, play finshed at 6.20pm when the sun was shining on saturday!!! How crazy is that??

As you say, it does give teams the desired result for bowling slowly if they are in a hole now, quite why they have reached this decision is beyond me - I'd be interested to know, if anyone knows.

[Maranello]

Originally Posted by Kirsty Harris

quite why they have reached this decision is beyond me .

Three words for you Kirsty: TV, TV and TV!

I am speculating here, but I guess this is driven completely by sponsors, marketing arrangements, TV rights' sales and so on. All these require sporting events to start and finish at certain times, and to have some predictability. I don't disagree with it in principle, but am very annoyed at the application. The umpires should have much greater discretion - for instance, on Saturday, play could easily have continued for another hour, and if Channel 4 didn't like it - tough!

Had such rules been in force four years ago, Pakistan would not have lost to England in the twilight at Karachi, as the players would have walked off at 5pm - ridiculous. Umpire Bucknor in that case forced Moin to continue in the dark, and I believe that was the correct decision.

We also have the other ridiculous situation, when play started at 10:30am yesterday, on a bright and sunny morning. The whole world starts work at 8am (or 9 in some cases), we had lost 75 odd overs on Day 3, surely these pampered cricketers could have cut back on their sleep and started at 9am on Day 4, to make up an extra 90 minutes? Of course such a move is unthinkable under the current playing conditions, but needs to be considered to ensure spectators and the viewing public are not short-changed.

Of course, all of the above needs to go hand in hand with severe sanctions on slow over-rates, which must be enforced more regularly and more consistently (ie not just on players from India and Pakistan!). Vaughan and Graeme Smith both should have been banned during/after the Eng-RSA series, and if I had my way, Ponting will be banned after this Test. This is the only way to eradicate this practice. We have now the real prospect of a drawn match, only because both teams were too slow with their overs during each of the previous four days - 10 overs not bowled each day equates to 40 overs missing on the fifth day, which is half a day's play!

[greg]

I agree with you Maranello.Banning the captains is the only way to eradicate the problem.There are different nations worried about dwindling attendances in Test Cricket and slow over rates is something that won't encourage fans to turn up.If a captain was banned for this practice he would certainly think twice about doing it in future.

[Kirsty Harris]

Originally Posted by Maranello

Three words for you Kirsty: TV, TV and TV!

Oh yes, of course - we can't have the Simpson's repeat of a repeat of a repeat on late can we!!! Very annoying, that!!!

I agree with everything you say in your post - it's sad for the game, IMO.