Brendon Julian has called for ball-tampering to be legalised
By staff writers
February 01, 2010
Fox Sports cricket expert Brendon Julian has called for ball-tampering to be legalised to give bowlers an edge in an increasingly bat-friendly game.
In the wake of Shahid Afridi’s bizarre biting incident in the fifth ODI in Perth, Julian says allowing bowlers to alter the state of the ball will give them a chance in a game that has been slanted towards the batsmen over the last 20 years.
Speaking on Inside Cricket, Julian said authorities were too quick to bring in stringent rules on ball-tampering in the first place and relaxing the laws would even up the contest between bat and ball.
“In Pakistan and India, you watch bat-a-thons where 800 runs are scored and the wickets are so flat. So all of a sudden, bowlers are thinking of ways to get the batsmen out.
“When all that (ball-tampering) first came out and the ball was reversing ... people were saying ‘hang on, we can’t have that. We can’t have the ball swinging around after fifty overs.’ Well, why not? Why can’t we do that?”
With bats getting more powerful, grounds getting smaller and wickets getting flatter, Julian has says bowlers need to be given more leeway.
Changing the condition of the ball gives bowlers an edge as it allows them to get reverse swing when the ball is old.
New Zealand legend Sir Richard Hadlee has long been an advocate for open slather on ball-tampering, saying bowlers should be allowed to alter the ball as long as they don’t use a foreign object.
While not commenting on whether he thinks the laws should be changed, Fox Sports commentator Allan Border told Fox Sports News giving the bowlers an edge would be good for cricket.
“It has some merit, hasn’t it?” he said.
“It makes Test cricket interesting if there is some reverse swing for the bowlers, particularly on flat pitches.”
Look under the current laws of the game what Afridi did was dreadful and should have gotten at least 10 games ban.
Im not questioning the behaviour.
But
What Brendon, Alan and Hadlee say is true. Why let the game be dominated by batsmen. We already see battng fests on the sub continent.
And how does this work, i dont understand dosent the laws of cricket state the ball should not be altered, so rubbing it on ur pant after every ball is not altering the ball but biting it is. Shouldnt the rules be no altering full stop. or make it legal
