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Former England Captain Calls for Scrapping Day 5 Over-Rate Mandate
16 Jul
Summary
- Vaughan suggests scrapping the 90-over mandate on all days except Day 5
- Over-rate issues have plagued the ongoing England-India Test series
- Crawley's time-wasting tactics at Lord's highlighted the need for change
In the ongoing five-Test series between England and India, the issue of slow over-rates has come under scrutiny. Former England captain Michael Vaughan has now proposed a radical change to the existing rules, suggesting that the mandatory 90-over requirement should only apply on the final day of a Test match.
Vaughan argues that the current system, where teams must complete 90 overs regardless of the time, has led to unnecessary breaks and time-wasting tactics by players. He cites the example of Zak Crawley's actions at the end of the third day of the Lord's Test, where the England batsman deliberately took his time to face an over from Jasprit Bumrah, knowing that play would end at 6:30 pm.
Vaughan believes that if teams were required to bowl 90 overs regardless of the time, it would "focus their minds" and discourage such time-wasting tactics. He also suggests that the players themselves would prefer to finish their days earlier, as they "don't want to be finishing at 7:45 pm."
The former Ashes-winning captain feels that this change would benefit everyone involved, from the players and umpires to the broadcasters and fans, as it would lead to more consistent play and better value for the audience.
