Former England captain Alastair Cook has called for a change in Test cricket regulations, suggesting that teams should be allowed to take the new ball at any point within 160 overs. Under the current rules in the longest format of the game, a team can only opt for a new ball after 80 overs have been bowled.
“A new rule I would add would be, how about, in 160 overs, you can take the new ball whenever you want? You have got two new balls for those 160 overs, and you can take that second ball whenever you want. You could take one after 30 overs if you wanted to,” he said on the `Stick to Cricket` podcast.
Cook, who announced his retirement from international cricket in 2018, also said that the change would be flexible and would add tactical depth to the format.
On the same podcast, Michael Vaughan called for a change in the rules for substitutes and also said that if all other sports have it, then why is cricket being run without this rule?
The former player also gave the example of a recent incident during the concluded five-match Test series against Team India. In a match, Rishabh Pant suffered a blow and still came out to bat with the fracture. The rules only allowed Dhruv Jurel to keep the wickets.
“In the first innings of a game, let`s say Rishabh Pant takes a knock to his hand. He can still bat but can`t keep wickets. Under current rules, India can`t bring on another keeper like Dhruv Jurel unless it`s a concussion case,” said Vaughan.
“We have concussion subs. So why don`t we have substitutes? All of the other sports have it – why are we allowing the game to be reduced in quality if someone gets a clip,” he added.
However, the five-match contest between India and England ended in a 2-2 draw. Shubman Gill, who was leading the Indian pack for the first time in Test cricket, made sure that he didn`t start his captaincy stint on a losing note in the format.
(With PTI Inputs)