Faf du Plessis 'big fan of taking away the toss'
After a crushing defeat in the first Test of the two-match series against Sri Laka, South African skipper Faf du Plessis has come out in support of abolishing the toss. The Proteas found Lanka's spin attack too hot to handle and were bundled out for 73, their lowest Test score since their readmission to the sport in 1992, in the fourth innings while chasing a massive 352.
In the aftermath of it, Du Plessis was of the opinion that the visitors should be given the choice whether to bowl or bat first. "I'm a big fan of taking away the toss," he said.
"I think even in South Africa you'll still prepare the conditions the way you prepare them now, but you just make sure that you bring some balance. In home conditions, teams will still win the majority of the games, but you still do even it out a little.
"I think over the last two or three years, away records have definitely gone down, and games are finishing a lot sooner than they used to. When I started playing Test cricket, (scores of) 400s and 500s were happening quite regularly.
"So I'm not just speaking about subcontinent conditions. In South Africa, games hardly reach the end of day four anymore. I think that's one of the ways you can make sure that balance is a little better."
There were recommendations internally in the ICC that as the home teams have always had an advantage over the visitors and with the Test Championship only a year away, the tradition of toss can be discontinued and instead, the visiting team can be given the right to choose to even out the playing surface.
However, the Anil Kumble-led ICC Cricket Committee had then decided in May that toss will continue to be an integral part of Test matches. They recommended that the home teams should prepare pitches which would ensure that the balance between ball and bat is maintained.
“The committee discussed whether the toss should be automatically awarded to the visiting team but felt that it was an integral part of Test cricket which forms part of the narrative of the game,” the ICC stated in a release.
“Acknowledging that the preparation of Test pitches that could provide a risk to the competitiveness of the ICC World Test Championship, the Committee urged Members to continue to focus on the delivery of pitches that provide a better balance between bat and ball in line with ICC regulations.”