Former Tamil Nadu spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has made an explosive charge against the ICC over the rule to introduce two new balls in ODIs and keeping five fielders inside the circle. The new rule that Ash is talking about was implemented before 2015. The ex-India cricketer reckons that this rule was brought in to nullify India’s spin domination.
Ashwin hits out at two new balls rule in ODIs
In a video on his YouTube channel, Ashwin pointed out that until 2013-14, ODIs were played with just one ball. He claimed that the rule to introduce two new balls had impacted the game massively, noting that reverse swing was taken out of the game. He also said that the role of finger spin had also reduced.
“But in ODI, there is no contest. Until 2013-14, ODI cricket was played with one ball. Before 2015, the new rule was implemented where five fielders were allowed in the circle and two balls were introduced. I think, in many ways, that rule was to nullify India’s spin domination. That is just my take,” Ashwin said.
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Ashwin further questioned the future of ODIs, pointing out at the monotonous nature of the matches. He said that until the Afghanistan vs England match in Champions Trophy, he was legit wondering what could be the fate of ODIs going forward. Further, Ashwin reckoned that the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa was going to be a challenge for the ICC.
“The 50 over World Cup (2027) in South Africa is going to be a real challenge for the ICC. It is at the brink of a decision being made. Because the game is going so slow, it’s meandering along. I have a question in my mind that is there a place for 50 overs in today’s cricket?” asked Ashwin.
“There used to be a time where one-day used to be play with the red ball. It is time to seriously give it a thought about this particular format of the game,” he added.
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