Published 10:40 IST, December 16th 2019
AUS vs NZ: Mitchell Johnson polarises fans by suggesting MASSIVE LBW rule change
In a commentary box debate that happened during the 1st AUS vs NZ Test at Perth, former Australian pacer Mitchell Johnson called for a critical cricket change.
Australia ended up with a thumping victory over New Zealand in the 1st Test of their 3-match Test series at the Perth Stadium. While there was tremendous action on the field, another interesting moment came off the field as ABC radio commentator Jim Maxwell and former Australia pacer Mitchell Johnson debated on whether the traditional leg before wicket (LBW) rule in cricket should be changed to include deliveries that pitch outside the leg stump.
Mitchell Johnson calls for massive rule change
As Maxwell and Johnson sat in the commentary box, Johnson debated on why he thought that deliveries outside the leg stump should be considered for LBW decisions. The current rules do not qualify a delivery for LBW if it pitches outside the line of the leg stump. Maxwell explained that the rule was made because in the earlier days of cricket, the leg side was considered a blind spot for the batsmen and was not fondly looked upon to dismiss them or to be scored runs off. He also mentioned how Ranjit Singh Ji was one of the first batsmen to have popularised leg-side play.
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Johnson remarked that shots like the flick and the reverse-sweep are getting more and more popular in Test cricket and bowlers should be able to use the leg side to trap the batsmen. Maxwell argued that doing this would make it too easy for the bowlers to dismiss batsmen as they could easily pitch the ball outside the leg stump and spin it back into the batsmen's pads. Johnson insisted that he would not have a problem with this rule but Maxwell insisted that this would make cricket - "unattractive".
Australia and New Zealand will now play a Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 26.
Updated 16:20 IST, December 16th 2019