Simon Taufel bats for a major rule change in T20s to bring balance between bat and ball: ‘Give bowler one extra…’

Simon Taufel, the former ICC Elite Level Umpire, has batted for one major rule change in T20 cricket to bring more balance between bat and ball.

Simon Taufel, the former ICC Elite Level Umpire, batted for a major rule change in T20 cricket to restore the balance between the bat and ball. Over the course of the last few years, the shortest format has witnessed a complete shift in dynamics towards the batters, and the 54-year-old said that lawmakers can consider allowing one bowler to bowl five overs in a T20 game. As of now, every bowler is allowed to bowl a maximum of four overs; however, Taufel feels that if one player is given the luxury of bowling five overs, then the game might witness new dimensions, giving spectators something to look forward to.

Simon Taufel, the former ICC Elite Level Umpire, has batted for one major rule change in T20 cricket

Taufel said that if a batter can bat for full twenty overs then it's only fair that the bowlers are also given some luxury in the format, where they are always under intense pressure.

“Look, me personally, I've made a couple of suggestions to a couple of different leagues, which are still yet to be given the time of day. But I'd love to see - I'd love to see again - bat and ball be more equalised in limited-overs cricket,” Taufel said in an interview with Cricbuzz.

“I'd love to see in T20 cricket one bowler bowl a fifth over. You know, if a batter can be out there for the whole innings and score 100 from ball number one, we're limiting all the bowlers to four overs. Can we actually maybe give one bowler one extra over, you know, to try to even up a dominant batter versus a dominant bowler? You know, so those sorts of things. I'd just like to see how we can rebalance the scales a bit,” he added.

Taufel not a fan of the impact player rule

While giving his take on T20 cricket and the thrill it provides to the fans, Taufel said that he's not a fan of the impact player rule, which is there in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

It is worth noting that several players, including Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, have expressed that they aren't fans of the rule; however, the impact player is here to stay and will likely continue in the upcoming edition of the IPL as well.

“Not all changes are good. As I said, sometimes things aren't broken. And we go changing things just for the sake of a marketing gimmick, which, you know, we've got to be careful in that space. Because if the fans out there, sitting on their chairs and watching at home on TV, don't understand, it makes it more difficult to follow. For me, playing conditions need to add value to the game,” said Taufel.

“You know, and we need to create an environment where players and captains can express themselves. You know, I think some of the changes we've made around the switch hit are great. Some of the changes to the boundary law and playing conditions are great. We're seeing more athleticism, we're seeing higher scoring rates - all those sorts of things. But whether it's laws of cricket or playing conditions, I think it's really important to focus on the balance between bat and ball,” he added.