Debate on over rate

Press, 17 January 1989, Page 28

Debate on over rate

PA Auckland The New Zealand Cricket Council’s requirement for Pakistan bowlers to maintain an over-rate of 90 overs a day during the test matches to be played in New Zealand next month is “a bit much” says the touring team manager, Intikhab Alam. The playing conditions provided by the N.Z.C.C. require that each side maintain an over-rate of 90 a day for each day of the the three tests. Intikhab said yesterday that he had not had a chance to study fully the playing conditions, but he would seek some "amicable” solution to the question of over-rates. "I would think that 82 or 84 overs a day would be suitable, 90 overs a day are a bit much,” he said. “We had 82 overs a. day when Australia came to us, and there was no chance of bowling 90 overs a day when

we were in West Indies. “We feel that 82 or 84 could be bowled without difficulty. We will have to discuss this with Graham Dowling (the N.Z.C.C. executive director) soon and come to some amicable solution.” Whether the N.Z.C.C. will agree to the Pakistan suggestion is another matter. Early in the arguments about slow over-rates, Pakistan would agree to only 84 a day when it last toured New Zealand in 1985 — a rate it achieved without too much to spare. Since then New Zealand has teamed with Australia and England with the requirement of providing 90 overs on a six-hour day, so to revert to 82 or 84 for the present Pakistanis will mark a sharp reversal in N.Z.C.C. practice. Intikhab did not appear to be impressed either with the

financial penalty for a team not reaching 90 overs a day. The playing conditions insist on a $6OO fine for every over under 90 with the rate worked out on a team’s performance over an entire test match.

Intikhab seemed less perturbed by the fact that a side not producing the 50 overs required in a one-day international faces a flat fine of $5OO.

The Pakistanis in particular and cricket enthusiasts in general will need to be careful that they do not arrive at the tour matches at the wrong time.

For the first time the N.Z.C.C. has arranged that the starting times for the three-day matches, the fiveday tests and the one-day internationals will be different.

The three-dayers will run

from noon to 7.uu p.m., the tests will be played from 10.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. and the one-dayers will start at 10.00 a.m.

Mr Dowling said yesterday that the three-day times had been made later so that people could leave work a little early and still see some cricket.

The test times had been moved from 11.00 a.m. to 10.30 a.m. to avoid possible problems with bad light at the end of the day. Pakistan will use its Australian uniforms, with the names on the backs from its Benson and Hedges-World Series matches, in the one-dayers against New Zealand.

Mr Dowling said the N.Z.C.C. had not yet decided whether the New Zealanders would wear name-tags during the one-dayers.