Thaindian News

Sydney, June 18(ANI): Former Australian cricketer Ian Chappell has urged Cricket Australia and broadcasters in the country to clarify their intentions for the 50-over game rather than trying to kill off the format.

Cricket Australia has announced to introduce split innings trial during the 2010-11 domestic season, and Channel Nine has said that teams should be given 20 wickets each rather than 10.

“If you do what some are suggesting in Australia, have 10 wickets for both (innings) then to me it means two things - you are either trying to get more Twenty20 cricket or you are trying to get rid of the 50-over game, because that’s all it is going to become, four innings of T20 cricket,” The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Chappell, as having told Cricinfo.

“So if you want only Test cricket and T20 cricket then come out and say that that’s what you want,” he added.

Chappell is also fearful that the short innings would completely take out the role of middle order batsmen.

“The other big question that I have got ask with that particular suggestion is what happens to the middle order batsmen - he goes the way of the Dodo. Because if you are going to give teams 10 wickets in the first innings and 10 wickets in the second innings then a middle-order player is going to get short-changed,” Chappell said.

“That is already happening in T20 cricket. If I am a batsman, then I want to bat. Michael Clarke played a tournament in South Africa, I think the first World Twenty20, he played only four balls in the whole tournament,” he added. (ANI)