Follow UsFormer England captain Alastair Cook has suggested a revolutionary move that would change the way Test cricket is played. The move he suggests would benefit the bowlers a great deal, but at the same time, he says it would also give them a greater chance of picking up 20 wickets in a match more consistently.
Cook, who led England in 59 Tests, feels that the bowling side should be allowed to bring in the second new ball at any point they want, but they will have to use that at least till 160 overs. The bowling side are offered the second new ball after 80 overs, but Cook wants this old rule to change.
“A new rule I would add would be how about, in 160 overs, you can take the new ball whenever you want?” said Cook, speaking on the Stick to Cricket show.
“You've 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.”
Fellow panellist and another former England skipper, Michael Vaughan, has advocated for the use of substitutes, not just for concussions, but also for serious injuries if they happen early in a Test, like the one Rishabh Pant suffered early in the recent Lord's Test against England.
“In the first innings of the game, like-for-like, Rishabh Pant at Lord’s is the perfect example,” explained Vaughan.
“He takes a knock to his left hand, so he can bat, but he can’t keep – Dhruv Jurel comes on and keeps for him. You can't spend the whole game off the field, not fielding and then bat. Nathan Lyon at Lord’s in the last Ashes popped his calf early – is the game worse off for losing a player early in the game?
“We have concussion subs, so if somebody gets hit early on the swede, you can replace that person. 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.
“The key to it will be an independent doctor on-site, but the independence will be very difficult to manage. But I think Test cricket now should have subs. It's got to be a serious injury – it might have to be if you've got a bone break. Or you have to have a scan to prove. Nathan Lyon had clearly popped his calf badly and he's not going to play any part in the game. Should Australia have had a sub that day? I think so."