The ICC today announced that they are seriously considering a proposal to do away with running. According to the proposal batsmen will not be allowed to run between the wickets "under any circumstances".
The proposal also suggests that the non-striker should be provided adequate seating arrangements while he is at the non-striker's end. If the batsman taking strike is Rahul Dravid, then the non-striker should be allowed to order take out dinners, and stream entertainment on an attached digital screen.
For every shot that is not a 4 and a 6, there will be a predetermined number of runs added to the batsman's account based on where in the field the ball was stopped.
The ICC listed several reasons for drawing up this proposal
- Fans want to see 4s and 6s. Have you ever seen a stadium full of fans carrying flash cards for 1, 2 and 3?
- We don't have to deal with batsmen running on the pitch. They are free to just relax and watch movies while the batsman on strike is taking care of a few deliveries.
- We can drastically reduce the cost of administering correct run-out dismissals. No runs to be run, means no run-outs which in turn means no replays to be run.
- We don't have to worry about coming up with a law for; when and when not to use a runner. When there are no runs to be run, we won't need runners to run for the run. But if a batsman is indeed injured he can ask for a companion of his choice while he is relaxing at the non-striker's end.
- Batsmen will never get out backing up too far down the pitch and we can completely rid the game of the most heart breaking of dismissals where the ball crashes onto the stumps at the non-striker's end after deflecting from the bowler.
While most fans and ex-cricketers have expressed disbelief, shock and dismay over this proposal it has found strong support; unsurprisingly; with Inzamam-Ul-Haq, Sanjay Manjrekar and Courtney Walsh.
Sanjay Manjrekar and Inzamam-Ul-Haq issued a joint statement saying..."If the 2 of us were ever to bat together in a game, this is how we would have played our innings. We welcome the new proposal and we believe this is how the game was meant to be played. Batting is not about running or an opportunity to engage in a negotiation with your batting partner about running"
Courtney Walsh said "I have always thought of run-outs as inhuman and unbecoming. It was the one dark spot in an otherwise gentleman's game. I can understand bowled, caught, leg before wickets as legitimate dismissals. These are masculine dismissals. Honorable. Run out was never an option in my books. Even without this rule, I believe bowlers should never run-out batsmen. A warning is all there should have been to it."
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