Kevin Pietersen's radical idea gains traction as cricket greats back T20 change
The England great has been urging cricket lawmakers to make the change for some time.
For two years, Kevin Pietersen has been yelling at the clouds about the need for T20 cricket to up a batter's score from a six to a 12 if a strike goes beyond 100m. The former England star believes bigger is better and distance should have greater reward.
His argues why should you get the same number of runs for a hit that drops just over the rope compared to one that lands in the second tier of the grandstand. Pietersen's left-field call initially attracted a few scattered headlines and some online chatter before disappearing from view.
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But he's back thumping at the pulpit, again urging cricket authorities around the world to consider his proposal. And he seems confident change is on its way. "2 years (ago) I mentioned on commentary that I think a batter should get a 12 if he hits a six over 100m. That rule is on its way," Pietersen posted on X.
And his plan has the backing of some true cricketing royalty. South African great AB de Villiers is right on board with the idea, albeit with a couple of tweaks. He thinks 12 is too big a reward and wants technology to be used to measure shots rather than the "guesstimations" currently employed.
Great idea. 2 things from my side:
1. 12 is too big, I think 8 or 9(upside down 6) is good. Can’t jump from 4 to 6 to 12.
2. I’ve been saying for a while we need to get technology to be more accurate with the distance(like in golf). Absolutely can’t have some random guy in a…— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) January 21, 2024
Cricket greats back calls for T20 change
"Great idea. 2 things from my side: 1. 12 is too big, I think 8 or 9 (upside down 6) is good. Can’t jump from 4 to 6 to 12," de Villers said in response to Pietersen's tweet. "2. I’ve been saying for a while we need to get technology to be more accurate with the distance (like in golf). "Absolutely can’t have some random guy in a box thumb-suck the distance. Been bothering me for ages."
Cult cricket commentator and former Australia leg spinner Kerry O'Keeffe is also a Pietersen disciple. Asked on Fox Cricket what rule he'd like changed in T20 cricket, Skull replied: "I'm going with Kevin Pietersen's – you get a 12 for over 100m.
"You measure it with the technology. If you need 12 to win off the last ball and hit it 100m, you get a 12." But while Pietersen, de Villiers and O'Keeffe are united in calling for change to the scoring system, the fans don’t appear to be buying it.
One sarcastically tweeted: "Or what if (we) bring a rule where both the batsmen need to depart if one is run out with a direct hit from outside the 30 yard ?? Or if the bowler uproots a stump the batsmen is out with a negative 6 runs per stump uprooted. FFS please stop ruining this beautiful game." Pietersen remains hopeful one of the many T20 or T10 competitions around the world will adopt his plan this year.
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