Dubai: Shane Warne, the legendary former Australian spinner, wants Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief Sourav Ganguly to try 5-overs per bowler in the upcoming IPL 2020 season. Currently, a bowler can deliver a maximum of 4 overs in T20 cricket, but, Warne is of the opinion that this rule should be changed to a maximum of 5-overs per bowler for T20 cricket.
The 50-year old shared the idea through his official Twitter account by writing: "Getting a lot of great reply’s to my suggestion re a maximum of 5 overs per bowler in T/20 cricket ! Let’s make it happen ASAP @ICC! Maybe we could try it in the @IPL starting on Sept19@SGanguly99."
Getting a lot of great reply’s to my suggestion re a maximum of 5 overs per bowler in T/20 cricket ! Let’s make it happen ASAP @ICC ! Maybe we could try it in the @IPL starting on Sept 19 @SGanguly99
— Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) September 8, 2020
Warne’s seriousness regarding the idea can be seen from the fact that he has not just tagged BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly but also the International Cricket Council ( ICC) handle.
It remains to be seen whether this idea is taken up by the stakeholders and implemented in the near future.
Warner’s idea is sure to ignite a debate in the cricketing circles especially at a time when limited-overs cricket has increasingly become in the favor of the batsmen with shorter boundaries, powerplays and two new balls- all assisting them.
If the Australian legend’s idea is implemented, it is going to help the bowling side as they can then give an extra over to their best bowlers which will make it difficult for the batsmen to churn-out those extra runs.
Warne is widely considered to be the greatest spinner of all time and picked up 708 wickets for Australia in 145 Test matches. The spinner also has significant experience in the IPL where he led Rajasthan Royals for four seasons before hanging up his boots after the 2011 edition.
Warne captained the Rajasthan side to IPL victory during it's maiden edition in 2008. The Australian picked-up 57 wickets in 55 matches for Rajasthan at a phenomenal economy rate of 7.27.
Over the years, several former players and experts have called for rule changes in order to make the game more balanced and equal for the bowlers. They have argued that if the game goes down the same track where the laws support the batsmen and big scores are emphasised, then the quality of cricket is going to come down and can also nullify the charm of Test cricket.
IPL 2020 is all set to take place in the UAE between September 19 and November 10 across three venues – Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi.
In the opening match, Chennai Super Kings will lock horns with Mumbai Indians in a repeat of last year’s final.
