Dear Editor,
For heaven`s sake, let us acknowledge that the eighty-over rule is based on nothing but tradition, and that by changing it to a sixty-over rule, more excitement will be added to 5-day cricket (the longest form of the game) without losing anything, and equally important, reducing the temptation to infringe the rules against ball tampering. It is a safe bet that most of these disreputable practices occur when quick bowlers find they can get very little help from the old ball and become impatient about waiting for the new ball which seems to require an interminable length of time before becoming available. The slow bowling craft will not be affected negatively by this change. It is this unwillingness to make changes that make the game more consumer friendly that is casting a pall over the longer form. Wouldn’t it be great for West Indian cricket fans if the CWI were to receive the credit for such an innovation? I would be delighted to hear objections not grounded in tradition to such a change.
Yours faithfully,
Romain Pitt
