Michael Clarke has joined M.S. Dhoni in expressing a dislike for the existing ODI rules.
“What I loved was five fielders out rather than four fielders out,” he said after Australia’s World Cup victory here on Sunday. “I think it gives the bowlers more of a chance. I think it brings spin a lot more into the game. The only thing is it probably means the runs scored aren’t going to be as high as what they have been throughout this tournament.” Clarke was not in favour using two new balls either. “I’ve always liked reverse swing playing a big part in any format of the game, and I think two new balls probably takes that out of the game,” he said.
“You don’t see as much reverse swing. It’s hard to score when you walk in to bat on zero and the ball is reverse swinging. It gives the bowlers a chance of getting you out early. They’re probably two of my personal preferences that I really enjoyed through my career. I probably bowled a few more overs with those five fielders out, as well.”
Dhoni too had spoken out against the rules after India’s exit from the World Cup. “In the history of cricket we had not seen a 200 [in ODIs]; in three years’ time you have seen three being scored (four since the new rules were introduced in October 2012),” he said. “People will say there are a lot of dot balls that are getting bowled because of that extra fielder inside. I would say have the option of having them outside; you can keep all 11 inside if you want.”
