NEW DELHI: India’s Sachin Tendulkar wants 50-over matches to be split into two innings per side to spice up the one-day game and save it from being swamped by the new Twenty20 format.
Tendulkar, who holds the record for most runs scored in both tests and one-day internationals, feels two innings of 25 overs each would make the matches more competitive and less predictable.
The 50-over format is losing popularity due to the enthusiasm for Twenty20 matches, which last about 3-1/2 hours, making them ideal for television consumption.
“I am for 50-over cricket,” Tendulkar told India’s independent Times Now television.
“We should have 25 overs a side to start with. And then again, 25 overs for one side and then the other.” Tendulkar said splitting into two innings each would reduce the luck factor as the importance of winning the toss would be reduced.
“Today, we can tell the result of close to 75 percent of matches after the toss,” said Tendulkar.
“We know how the conditions will affect the two teams. If it’s a day-night match then both the teams will have to bat under lights.
“The conditions change dramatically but this would ensure that it’s same for everyone.” Cricket commentators have recently been debating the likely demise of 50-over cricket. England’s cricket authorities have now decided to drop 50-over cricket from its domestic competitions, reducing it to a 40-over game.
Champions fitness
Meanwhile, Pakistan have called in the Austrian coach of the country’s football team to help their cricketers prepare for the Champions Trophy.
George Kottan, hired by Pakistan’s Football Association earlier this year, said he been asked to give tips and lectures to the cricketers on improving their fitness for the tournament in South Africa starting later this month.
“Having played and coached football players all my life it is a very different experience working on the fitness of cricketers,” Kottan said on Saturday.
“But since cricket is such a big sport in Pakistan I got a good insight on how these guys work and achieve results.”
Pakistan manager Yawar Saeed said the idea to invite Kottan to the training camp had come from captain Younus Khan.
“The players play football regularly in the camp and the feeling was that Kotten could give some valuable tips to the players as football is a very demanding sport,” Saeed said.
