ECB seriously considering abolishment of toss

ECB seriously considering abolishment of toss: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is considering the radical idea of dumping the toss for second division county cricket next season. As reported by The UK Telegraph, the ECB’s executive board will meet on Thursday to discuss the idea of eliminating the toss and handing the away team the choice to bat or bowl first. If approved, the move would be trialled for one season in 2016 in Division Two of the county championship in an attempt to improve the quality of pitches and provide more opportunities for spin bowlers.

Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting had recently suggested the idea of abolishing the toss from Test cricket to deny home curators the chance to prepare pitches that suit the hosts. Steve Waugh was in agreement to this idea, however, added the importance of the toss is often exaggerated.

“I don’t mind that, I think that’s not such a bad thing,” Waugh told the Melbourne radio station ‘SEN’ in September.  He also said, “At the end of the day I think there’s probably too much emphasis placed on the toss and the conditions away from home. I don’t mind the authorities looking at some other options.”

After England’s heavy loss on a lifeless pitch at Lord’s in the second Ashes Test this year, coach Trevor Bayliss called for more “typical seaming English” wickets to suit his bowling attack and negate the searing pace of the Australian fast bowlers. The call was answered with two lively, grassy wickets in the next two Tests, which Australia could not counter; they were bowled out for 136 in the first innings at Edgbaston and then 60 in Nottingham and lost the Ashes.

“At Chelmsford (the home ground of Essex) the pitches are as green as the outfield because they think that gives them the best chance of winning through guys like David Masters and Jesse Ryder,” former England and Surrey batsman Kevin Pietersen wrote in The Telegraph. This suggests that in county cricket, the tendency to condition pitches to suit the home team’s bowling attack appears to be even more prevalent.

England has struggled to replace ace spinner Graeme Swann and it’s hoped that eliminating the toss will encourage the development of spin bowlers in the country.