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Go away you tosser

Cabinet96

Global Moderator
I don't think I'd heard the idea until Cribbage mentioned it a year or so ago. Then Michael Holding ran with it in a debate on Sky in the summer.

I think it's worth trialling.
 

Prince EWS

Global Moderator
I think the biggest downside could be the fact that pitches that are the 'fairest' and don't favour either batting or bowling first tend to be the ones that don't change in character much throughout the game at all, and those pitches tend to be roads.
 

straw man

Hall of Fame Member
Wonder how this would work over a test series. Awarding every toss to the visitor over the course of a series may take it a little too far. Alternating would just encourage serious doctoring on every second wicket.

Would def annoy countries that typically give too much advantage to winning the toss like Australia, India, Australia and not New Zealand.
 

wellAlbidarned

International Coach
I think the biggest downside could be the fact that pitches that are the 'fairest' and don't favour either batting or bowling first tend to be the ones that don't change in character much throughout the game at all, and those pitches tend to be roads.
A pitch that doesn't change over 5 days aids whoever bats first. Scoreboard pressure. A fair pitch would have just a bit of juice to stop batting first being a no-brainer as it is currently.
 

straw man

Hall of Fame Member
Any proposed system would also have to pass the C9 incredulity test, where they are confused as to the need for it, explain it wrong and then get all worked up based on some misunderstanding. So that counts out something like awarding only every second toss to the visitor or anything remotely complicated.

Not to mention the outrage at the inference that Aus pitches were anything but fair and even making such a system necessary, unlike those nasty English that put grass on the wicket so there's swing and seam. Who US? Nooooooooo. I still remember how incensed C9 were when the ICC stopped local umpires officiating their own countries' games.
 

straw man

Hall of Fame Member
I've got it!

A four sided 'coin' with a cricket related symbol on each side (bat, ball, bail, box) and the home captain calls. System = done.

 

wellAlbidarned

International Coach
if they roll "box" do they have to stand in a net with no pads facing the opposition opening bowler? might improve viewership figures
 

Howe_zat

Audio File
Seems like a bit of a strange environment to test the idea. Whether you're at home or away doesn't have much impact on the result in second division cricket (certainly not compared to internationals). Things that effect the result there are generally 'are you playing more than 4 medium pace bowlers' or 'are you playing against Leicestershire'.
 

fredfertang

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
"The ECB believes......." a little ironic that in a game like cricket there is no empirical evidence to back this idea up - it's not as if they don't have all the information - should have let George Osborne have a go at doing the calculations and give him something useful to do
 

Howe_zat

Audio File
If pitch doctoring becomes a thing of the past and everyone is able to produce completely uniform, neutral pitches - is that really a good thing for international cricket? Isn't the changing conditions of different tours all part of the richness of the game?
 

Howe_zat

Audio File
Also we wouldn't be able to laugh at Australians who insist their pitches are the only ones in the world that aren't doctored
 

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