An International Cricket Council committee has proposed a set of radical changes to the way one-day internationals are played, aimed at breathing life into what is considered to be a dying format.
It has made its recommendations to the ICC's executive committee but there has been no indication yet of whether they will be ratified.
The first change would involve the use of two new balls, one from each end, from the start of the game.... that would preclude the need for the contentious 'compulsory ball change' after 34 overs but would also, ironically, make it virtually impossible to achieve any reverse swing as both balls would be only 25 overs old at the end of the match.
Another dramatic suggestion is for two bowlers to be allowed 12 overs each and two to bowl ten, leaving the fifth bowler an allocation of just six.... the intention is to encourage captains and selectors to pick more 'specialists' and marginalise the need for bits-and-pieces cricketers.
