Harbhajan Singh suggests longer boundaries to stem run flow in T20s
In a bid to check the growing domination of batsmen in the Twenty20 format, star off-spinner Harbhajan Singh on Thursday suggested a change in rules in the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) to bring some relief to the bowlers.
Admitting the game has become more batsmen-friendly with the advent of T20 cricket, the Punjab tweaker suggested that the shortened boundaries should be avoided if the bowlers are to be given a fair chance in the game.
"Being a bowler, I feel for them as the game is in favour of batsmen these days. The boundaries are getting smaller as a result of which bowlers are being hit all around the park. Fast bowlers still have the option of the bouncer but spinners suffer the wrath," Harbhajan told reporters during the launch of mobile sporting application 'Ballr' here.
"This IPL season the wickets have been really good to bat on, that is also a reason why we are having high scoring encounters very often," Harbhajan, who plays for Mumbai Indians in IPL, added.
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The 35-year-old also suggested that the boundaries in India can be elongated just like in Australia to stop the onslaught of runs in the lucrative league.
"To counter the flow of runs, we (bowlers) can request the concerned people governing the IPL to make the boundaries a little bigger next year. In Australia, the boundaries are generally between 75 to 80 metres which in comparison to India is much bigger," he said.