Until now, the umpires had the sole discretion on changing the ball if and when they felt it had got wet because of dew, which is big factor at certain venues. However, the franchises wanted the match officials to be more flexible and allow a ball change more than once. Going by the new rule, the umpires will grant the bowling team’s first request for a ball change any time from overs 12 to 20 of the chase.
The ball change will be granted on request irrespective of the presence of dew. But the option will only be available in evening matches, not afternoon games. If the bowling team does not want the ball changed after the 11th over regardless of the dew, a replacement ball will not be brought in.
The ball introduced after the 11th over will have the same level of wear and tear as the one it replaces. Importantly, the ball will be picked by the umpires and the bowling team will have no say in the choice. One potential downside for the bowling team would be if the replacement ball is a bit harder than the ball it replaces, making run-scoring easier.
“I like the rule change on the captains electing when they can take a second ball in the second half of the [second] innings,” Flower said in Kolkata on Friday. “Changing the ball will make it an even and fair contest. And that’s what we are looking for. The people that make the rules under which we play the game of cricket and ground staff, preparing pitches, they are always looking for a fair balance between bat and ball. And in conditions where dew does affect games significantly, that’s a really good rule change and about time.”
