Cricket and technology

It' high time for cricket to get hi-tech. (courtesy Prem Panicker)

Here's some ideas on cleaning up and improving cricket.

1. Scrap the "take the word" idea

Even though this is not used very often in today's game - there is a rule in place to accept the fielding team captain's opinion on questionable catches. Some umpires like Benson seems to like this idea.

Cricket is no longer a gentleman's game. I am not saying that players are not gentlemen. The game has become too commercialized with huge money at stake to believe the cricketer's integrity on the field or accept correctable human errors on the ground. We can no longer believe a captain/player's opinion on whether a catch was taken cleanly. It is like asking a NFL defensive back if he had committed pass interference.

2. Technology and Challenge

As everyone has been suggesting, we have to use technology effectively. We have to use TV replays for catches, LBW decisions. We have to bring in the challenge system like NFL whereby both teams (batting and bowling) should be provided with 3 or 4 challenges per innings. The captain or any player should be able to challenge an umpire's decision. This should be referred to a 3rd umpire for further review. The final decision should be based on conclusive video evidence or else the decision on the ground stands. The teams should be able to retain successful challenges - that is they won't lose a challenge if they win a decision in their favor and they can use that challenge at a later part in the innings. The team that loses the challenge must be penalized 20/25 runs. That is if a batting team loses a challenge, their score would be reduced by 20/25 runs in addition to losing the challenge. If a bowling team loses the challenge, the batting team would gain 20/25 runs that may categorized as "Penalty Runs". So Penalty Runs on a score board could be positive or negative based on their challenge.

3. Front Foot No Ball

As Prem Panicker of rediff.com has suggested in multiple articles, the umpire should no longer judge front foot no balls by the bowlers. The umpire has too little time to make a decision on no ball and then decide if the batsman is LBW or not. There is too much room for error. We can easily use "cyclops" technology to decide on front foot no balls and let the umpires focus on the batsman.

4. Constant review of rules

There should be constant review of rules every year and see what works. If there is a need to tweak the rules, then make the changes. There is harm in making the game better and removing human errors as much as possible. Don't hesitate to make the required changes on order to preserve the tradition that is no longer valid in this age of technology and commercialization.

5. Increase the pool of players

Allow 13 players to be part of the team with 11 players active at any point in the innings. Of course, only 11 batsman should be allowed to bat - but the batting team captain can play any 11 out of 13 players. This will game more interesting which bring in additional strategies to the table. The batting team will have to focus on additional bench bowlers and athletic fielders that bowling team may deploy on the field. The bowling side may be surprised when a bowling all-rounders bats instead of recognized batsman.