Cricket Question: Does a TOSS mean over biased pitches

''England limited-overs captain believes plans to scrap the toss in some County Championship games next season will benefit the national team.

The England and Wales Cricket Board is considering the proposals, which are designed to encourage counties to produce a better standard of pitches.

"I'm all for playing on wickets where there's no advantage to batting or bowling first," said Morgan.

"It poses challenges for the batters, more so towards the end of the game."

Morgan, whose side are preparing for a three-match Twenty20 series against Pakistan, also believes the proposals - which are likely to be trialled in Division Two of the domestic four-day game - would encourage spin bowlers.

"If it's to improve the standard of wickets that we play on, and potentially produce a couple of wickets where spin might be conducive to that particular ground, I think absolutely," Morgan, 29, told BBC Test Match Special.

"The benefit in county cricket might not be at the very beginning, but potentially for younger guys coming through - they'll develop different skills which will in turn give them a greater base, if they do get picked for England, to play around the world and do it successfully."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There the options of Mr Morgan, No not that one this ones called Eoin

 

It's what's done before the game and means the winning captain gets to choose who bats first. The ECB want to experiment with changing the system to stop teams from preparing advantageous pitches.

 

It's something that Michael Vaughan talked about a lot over the last 6 month I think. Others have talked about it too like David Lloyd.

The only problem with the idea imo is can every groundsman produce a pitch that makes the away captain think?

At International level will it make much difference. At the moment the home teams are winning so much it becomes too little. For example England play Sri Lanka and Pakistan this summer. All the gorundsmen at the grounds have to do is leave the pitch green. The English players will play it fine with Captain Cook leaving the way whilst the the visitors will just simply struggle. They will struggle at the start or struggle at the end.

In the County Championship I don't see many counties wanting to play spin at all just because most don't have any.

 

I think the issue is trying to force counties to produce better pitches. Last season far too many games were low scoring affairs with the seam bowlers dominating throughout, leaving very little opportunity for spinners to play any significant part in the game. Not such an issue at international level, but the dearth of spinners in county cricket is a big problem.

 

The ECB seem to think it will encourage spin but like you say its unlikely to have much impact. As far as I know its still only a proposal and even if accepted will only be trialled in division two and even then the away captain could still opt to take the toss.

 

That's true but when was the last time a county was deducted points for the state of the pitch.

 

England had three spin bowlers on the last/current tour in test cricket. They still don't have a full time spin coach. So they go with three inexperienced spinners as such and they don't have a coach.

 

You can't beat a good toss.

 

The Drama of it can be amazing.

 

Toss's?
Tosses?
Toss us?
Or tossers?

 

Who gives a toss

 

Surely scrapping the toss would have the reverse effect?

If you know beforehand who's batting first, you can prepare the pitch accordingly. Otherwise you could be preparing a pitch to take spin on day one, lose the toss and have to bat first on it.

Makes no sense to me.

 

Do they not mean, that in scrapping the toss, they are taking away one side's right to choose whether to bat or bowl?

You could still have a toss, so as to speak, but it'd be that toss which determines who bats/bowls. That's it - no captain's choice.

Otherwise I agree - it makes no sense.

 

I think the general idea was the away captain isnt going to choose until 30 minutes before the off ( ie traditional toss time)

this gives the home team and groundsman no leeway to prepare a pitch other than good for cricket, whichever way the captains decide to go. It could of course have the impact of all groundsman preparing roads as they wont want to see there own team inserted and be shot out quickly.

good wickets need to be prepared to develop good cricketers, there are far too many county trundlers who wobble it about a bit at 75mph and pick up 50 wickets a year. converselly England has plenty of batsmen who are comfortable against fast medium bowling but when it gets tasty above 90mph they look very average. dont even mention when it spins as we are woeful against a decent spinner.

will doing away with the toss improve cricket? i doubt it very much. we need to identify and develop players early, expose them to extremes of playing conditions and skill sets. As always the best will overcome and become good test players.

 

Agree completely with the last point. The Lions tours and performance squads that are sent all over the world are the ones that are really developing our players for international cricket, far more than an April Division 2 game on a green seamer in Chelmsford.

 

To counter that Wellsie the ECB would say you can't just produce spinners at that level. We need to build a strong group of bowlers that are either quick or can spin the ball.

Also another point to this would be Captains. A lot of captains don't understand spin imo and especially leg spin. You have to feel a bit for Alistair Cook, hes had two leg spinners to captain over the last couple or so years but before that he wouldn't have maybe seen a leg spinner in the Essex or England team never mind learnt how to use one.

 

Too right. I like a left handed toss now and again, just to mix it up like.

 

Both Divisions of County cricket will scrap the toss from the 2016 onwards.

I think Yorkshire will be happy about this.