The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) – custodians of the laws of cricket – have recommended using one brand of ball for all Test matches in the World Test Championship which begins later this year after the World Cup.
As of now, English Dukes balls, Australian Kookaburra and Indian SG balls are in operation in Test cricket. The MCC, after a meeting of its World Cricket Committee, has asked the ICC to consider using one type of ball for all Tests, with the balance between bat and ball being the priority.
“The MCC World Cricket committee felt that it would benefit the Championship for a standard ball to be used in these matches, except for those played as day/night matches. It would be for the ICC to choose which ball is most suitable, with the committee stressing that the balance between bat and ball is crucial,” the MCC said in a statement.
The consensus among various cricketers and stakeholders is that the Dukes provide the greatest contest between bat and ball while being durable. The variety of Dukes used in the Caribbean have proven to be extremely helpful for the bowlers well past 50 overs.
FREE HIT IN TESTS?
The MCC also wants to see free hits to be introduced in Tests after a bowler bowls a no-ball – something that is already the case in limited overs matches. The custodians believe the fear of a free hit will make bowlers cut down on no-balls.
“The MCC World Cricket committee recommends that free hits should be introduced after no-balls in Test matches. The system is used in the white-ball formats and the added deterrent results in there being fewer no-balls than in Tests. For example, England recently had a spell of 45 ODIs without bowling a no-ball, yet they bowled eleven in the three Test series against the West Indies. The system would not only be exciting for crowds when there was a free-hit, but also it would help to speed up over rates, if fewer no-balls are bowled,” the body added.
