Brett Lee comes up with radical idea to balance game between bat and ball. 'Free throw' for bowlers
Former Australia speedster Brett Lee. (Source: @SRKAarush)
Former Australian pacer Brett Lee hascome up witha radical idea to balance the game between bat and ball. Lee has suggested that akin to the way the batters get a free hit, the bowlers should get a 'free throw'.
Leewas speakingat a press conference in New Delhi on Thursday (May 23) when he said the pitches needed to be bowler-friendly or innovations made to bridge the gap between both facets of the game.
"I am all for sixes and batters getting out there and smoking balls all over the field. But there's gotta be something in it for the bowlerstoo," said Lee.
"I'm not asking for a green top where, you know, teams bowled out for 100 and 110 because that's not good cricket, either. But you know you want a good total. I think anywhere around the 185 mark to230Ithinkis a good score," he added.
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'Free throw'
Pressed further on how he would prevent the ultra-high scores that have been the norm at the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season, Lee came up with the uncharacteristic idea.
"I'm happy if we can do something like the free hit. The batsman gets a free hitright? So maybe if the batsman misses two balls in a row, the bowler gets to have a free throw at the stumps," Leeadded.
"We've seen scores now from 265 to 270 to 277. It'sreallyhardbecause most bowlers now go for 45 to 50 runs off four overs. Sodowe accept that bowlers arenowhappy with 9 to 10 runs per over?Or are we happyto saythat the wickets have been alittlebit better for the batsman?So a bit more for the bowlers is a bit more of a competition, but I still love seeing six hits because it's entertaining," said the speedster.
The introduction of the 'Impact Sub' rule from 2023 has increased the divide in the gamewithteams opting for specialised batters instead of picking all-rounders. SunRisers Hyderabad posted the highest team total of 287 this year, which was nearly chased by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)whoraked up 262 in reply.
In total, teams have crossed the200-run mark on a staggering 41 instances whereas the 250-run mark has been breached on eightinstancesin the league round alone.
(With inputs from agencies)