Formula 1 auto-racing has changed its rules this season to curb the most dominant force in the sport over the past few years - Ferrari. The new rules promote competition and to a large degree, have paid off. Ferrari is now working its socks off just to stay in the Championship hunt. Their tyre manufacturers, Bridgestone, are scratching their heads thinking of ways to produce longer-lasting tyres. Races are beginning to go right down to the wire. There is more strategy and thinking involved and the race leader is never sure of a win till he sees chequered flag wave. Formula 1 has changed from a mundane, repetitive circuit race to a challenge of skill, technical expertise and luck.

The organisers of cricket are now thinking of revolutionising their own sport as well so that it increases entertainment value. Although their motives may not be to bring in fresh faces to the winners podium (in this case Australia), the rule changes proposed recently will affect all and sundry affiliated with the sport. The idea, no doubt, is a noble one but the question is how long will it work?

I feel perhaps the problem cricket is faced with today is the explosion in the amount of cricket being played all over the world during the past several years. I don’t recall people asking for changes in the 1980s or early 1990s. On the contrary, I remember when matches at Sharjah were awaited with bated breath by all cricket-lovers in the sub-continent. One-day tournaments spread out like oases in the desert and there was genuine interest to watch all games (at least among passionate cricket fans). Half-centuries and centuries meant something, fours and sixes were thrilling sights and to see stumps shatter was a moment to savour.

One-Day cricket today has indeed become mundane, more so because it has been overused like a sponge that can hold no more water.

Take tennis and golf, for example. Tennis has been here for more than a century with virtually the same set of rules and we do find masses flocking to the major championships. Why? Because they happen only four times a year. Golf, with virtually the identical regulations in place for decades, is becoming an ever-more popular sport by the year. Once again, golf’s major championships occur four times a year. In cricket itself, the World Cup and to some extent the Champions Trophy have become the epitomes of entertainment because they are unique tournaments and to win them means something more marvellous for players and fans alike.

The rule changes proposed by the ICC are indeed something of a revelation and will no doubt improve spectator-value. However, I foresee that the day will come when followers will get tired of the same rules and demand change again.

Is twisting the rules periodically the solution to all of One-Day cricket’s woes? Perhaps. But perhaps a softer way to do it while maintaining the sanctity of the game would be to simply cut down the number of limited over games played to the level that was prevalent during the last two decades of the previous century. That way, at least, we won’t run out of sponges.

(Article: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author only.
Copyright © 2005 Ateeq Abdul Rauf email:ateeqar@gmail.com)