No more tossers in cricket

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Away team to be given the choice, having seen the pitch

[ad hoc]

No more tossers in cricket

The away team would choose whether to bat, bowl or still have a toss if the pitch condition was uncertain.

And if they win that toss? Seems like a weird 3rd option.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

No more tossers in cricket

Yes, it's odd, isn't it? Other than maybe sowing seeds in the mind of the home team that "the away lot's captain's a blithering idiot" I don't see the point.

[ad hoc]

No more tossers in cricket

I understand the logic for this, but aren't the weather conditions just as much a factor in deciding whether to bat or not? Seems like it gives a very big advantage to the away team. (Especially since having enacted the law, presumably groundspeople will attempt to take the pitch out of the equation.)

[longeared]

No more tossers in cricket

I've long wondered why Twenty20 persists with the old fashioned method of tossing a coin and doesn't replace it with something like a big shiny noisy glittery wheel which one of the captains spins to determine who bats first. It'd turn it into much more of a telly event.

[nmrfox]

No more tossers in cricket

Understood that this is for CC Division 2 only as a trial, but if it does become more widespread, what will they do for ODI finals played at a neutral venue like Lords and how will this pan out for the international tournaments staged in host countries?

Personally I like the toss (stop sniggering) but do agree with longeared's suggestion for T20 games.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

No more tossers in cricket

For one day games I've long been in favour of splitting innings anyway - let one side have a go for 25 overs, then the others, then the first team resumes where they left off (with batsmen 6 and 7, if they were the ones in). That would balance any vagaries of pitch and conditions.

[Sean of the Shed]

No more tossers in cricket

longeared wrote: I've long wondered why Twenty20 persists with the old fashioned method of tossing a coin and doesn't replace it with something like a big shiny noisy glittery wheel which one of the captains spins to determine who bats first. It'd turn it into much more of a telly event.

How about setting up a race between the two captains along the lines of that silly fucking watersplash game that that cunt Hammond used to present, or like the one with the travelator that was on gladiators.

[Janik]

No more tossers in cricket

ad hoc wrote: I understand the logic for this, but aren't the weather conditions just as much a factor in deciding whether to bat or not? Seems like it gives a very big advantage to the away team. (Especially since having enacted the law, presumably groundspeople will attempt to take the pitch out of the equation.)

I guess the bit in parenthesis is the intention. It is trying to balance the very big advantage to the home team of preparing a track that suits their bowlers and is useless for the opponents attack.

The option to still have a toss is rather illogical. It should be a choice of bat, bowl, or defer the decision to the home skipper.

[nmrfox]

No more tossers in cricket

Sean of the Shed wrote: How about setting up a race between the two captains along the lines of that silly fucking watersplash game that that cunt Hammond used to present, or like the one with the travelator that was on gladiators.

Can't wait to see Mark Cosgrove doing that at Grace Road.

[longeared]

No more tossers in cricket

Rogin the Armchair Fan wrote: For one day games I've long been in favour of splitting innings anyway - let one side have a go for 25 overs, then the others, then the first team resumes where they left off (with batsmen 6 and 7, if they were the ones in). That would balance any vagaries of pitch and conditions.

Yorkshire and Lancashire played a couple of experimental one-day friendlies in that format in the late 90s. I think the players found it broadly successful as a format, but the big potential problem is the match being over at halfway - eg Team A 150-1, Team B 115-7 or something similar.

[KGR]

No more tossers in cricket

In test cricket, the away team should choose in the first test.

Then, if one nation is ahead in the series, the side losing gets the toss in the next test. If level, the away team gets the toss.

[E10 Rifle]

No more tossers in cricket

In Test series, they should just alternate from match to match. Mind, in this summer's Ashes - during which the toss and conditions debate came to the fore again - the team that won the toss lost heavily twice and won three times, so there wasn't much in it.

I think I'm in favour of this trial for Div 2, where teams do prepare really rubbish pitches sometimes.

[Etienne]

No more tossers in cricket

It might work for India, where there are some absolute garbage pitches being created to try and dull the threat of Steyn, Morkel and Rabada. I don't mind spinning pitches, but when Ashwin & Jadeja are opening the bowling on day 1, and Harmer is South Africa's best bowler then it's not a good pitch.

[ad hoc]

No more tossers in cricket

I dunno, this wouldn't make a difference would it? India are still going to produce a spinning pitch that offers nothing to pace bowlers in a series against South Africa, even if they know South Africa will always bat first.

SA just out for 79 in the first innings on such a pitch by the way (though they did bat second)

[longeared]

No more tossers in cricket

Christ, it's going to happen.

There will be a small but significant difference on the first morning of all fixtures in both divisions of next season’s County Championship. Before the toss, the visiting captain will be offered the opportunity of bowling first.

If he declines, the toss will take place as normal. But if he accepts, there will be no toss.

That basically means every team who wins a toss will bat, won't they? Which means an awful lot of matches will feature the home side batting first.

[Satchmo Distel]

No more tossers in cricket

I think the rule is simply a disincentive against preparing green pitches. However, a flaw is that it's often the overhead conditions that make a pitch difficult to bat on. The groundsman can't control those so it does seem unfair on the home side.

Also, it's unfair on paying members who would expect their team to be stronger at home. Membership might fall if you see your team being stitched up on the first morning, having been denied the 50-50 chance at the toss.