Administrators can save 50-over cricket

THE 50over game is currently under more fire than a coal grate and this form of cricket badly needs an exciting and competitive Champions Trophy tournamentIn its short existence the Champions Trophy has been chameleonlike in its ability to change appearance Its gone from a knockout affair to a nonevent and has now settled ideally as a prestige tournament It would be even more prestigious if qualification was expanded to a points system that interconnected other limited overs tournaments This would ensure the majority of 50over games were meaningful quality rather than quantity should be part of any solution to the games perceived problems Limited overs cricket has a couple of inbuilt flaws A match can be won without dismissing the opposition which can encourage teams to overemphasise containment The rationale for the game is predicated on a close finish so anything less becomes an anticlimax Consequently 50over cricket is often perceived as boring because the close finish is a rarity and much of the batting involves a predictable formulaGimmicks have been tried to spruce up the game the now redundant supersub and a variety of powerplays This has only served to entrench formulated batting so theres a tendency to concentrate on scoring heavily in the power play overs and utilise the rest of the time to conserve wickets while accumulating risk free runs Abolishing the not out might encourage batsmen to play with more freedom Heaven knows why administrators havent trialled matches that are divided into four 25 over segments Its an idea that was floated early in the life of the daynight fixture and would virtually eradicate any inequities in that both sides have to bat under lights and cope with evening dew on the outfieldSky is the limit England and Australia battle it out under the Rose Bowl lights during the third oneday international in Southampton on September 9 PICGetty ImagesIn addition to eradicating inequities this innovation would provide scope for imaginative tactics which along with less regulation should be a feature of revitalising the 50 over game The improvements should include preparing pitches that encourage an even contest If the limited overs game constantly features teams chasing huge targets then theres very little likelihood of a close finishThe boundaries should be as large as possible which places an emphasis on daring running between wickets and athletic fielding two of the features that originally attracted fans to the limited overs game Short boundaries tend to emphasise defending the ropes and make some fielding attributes redundant whereas larger extremities make containment difficult because of the big gaps between the outfieldersThere should only be one stipulation about field placings Its compulsory to have four men inside the circle in the final five overs If captains arent told where their fieldsmen have to go then theyve got to think where to put them and the regulation is only there to stop nine men on the boundary in a tight finish The other restriction on the fielding side should simply say five bowlers have to deliver a minimum of five overs each Apart from that the captain can utilise his bowlers how he sees fit The more overs available to the better bowlers the more likely a captain will attack rather than defend with stopgap trundlers Bowl well and youll be rewarded with more oversu00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0 A good contest between bat and ball is the crucial factor closely followed by a tense finish all else is forgotten if the final moments are riveting If every run is scrapped for and earned by skilful aggressive batting and daring running between wickets in defiance of brilliant fielding no one can complain about the game providing value for moneyu00a0 It may be argued that only traditional cricket fans will enjoy this style of contest Well if limited overs cricket can only expand its audience by providing a hail storm of sixes and fours then the game is destined for a short life spanu00a0 In the end the future of the 50over game will be decided by the fansThe Champions Trophy has the potential to make a positive impact on fans with great rivals Australia India and Pakistan grouped together A final four of India and Australia South Africa and Sri Lanka could provide a couple of mouthwatering deathorglory contests that remind fans how good the 50over game can be Nevertheless no matter how successful the Champions Trophy tournament it shouldnt delude officials into thinking the game doesnt require some fine tuning to improve the spectacle