Cricket needs to be speeded up, and by this I don’t mean there should be only 20-over matches. Even within that limit, though, players have shown an annoying habit of slowing down the game either for tactical or psychological reasons. Or because they can get away with it.
Time-wasting by players is only one aspect of the manner in which spectators are deprived of a full day’s game. There is too the bigger issue of the quest for perfect conditions involving natural phenomena like light and rain. There is so much cricket now that players cannot be blamed for taking advantage of unscheduled off days or extra rest.
Sunil Gavaskar’s ire at the India-South Africa T20 being washed out in Durban is understandable. His argument that international grounds can afford to cover the entire area when it rains so the game can start when it stops is valid. No one goes to a sporting contest to watch the rain or sit around in bright sunlight waiting for play to resume.
