ZIMBABWE Cricket legend and head coach of Indian Premier League (IPL) side, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Andy Flower, has welcomed the league’s decision to allow the ball to be changed after the 11th over of the second innings of evening matches this season. This initiative was introduced to help bowling teams counter dew and any further requests for an additional change of ball will be at the on-field umpires’ discretion. The decision was taken during a meeting with the captains of the 10 franchises on Thursday. Speaking ahead of his team’s opener against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens yesterday evening, Flower said he never understood why there was “reticence” on part of the umpires to change a ball affected by dew. He said changing the ball will make matches fair. “I like the rule change on the captains electing when they can take a second ball in the second half of the second innings. Changing the ball will make it an even and fair contest. And that’s what we are looking for. The people that make the rules under which we play the game of cricket and ground staff, preparing pitches, they are always looking for a fair balance between bat and ball. And in conditions where dew does affect games significantly, that’s a really good rule change and about time,” said Flower. Until now, the umpires had the sole discretion on changing the ball if and when they felt it had got wet because of dew, which is a big factor at certain venues. However, the franchises wanted the match officials to be more flexible and allow a ball change more than once. Going by the new rule, the umpires will grant the bowling team’s first request for a ball change any time from overs 12 to 20 of the chase. The ball change will be granted on request, irrespective of the presence of dew. But the option will only be available in evening matches, not afternoon games. If the bowling team does not want the ball changed after the 11th over regardless of the dew, a replacement ball will not be brought in. The ball introduced after the 11th over will have the same level of wear and tear as the one it replaces. Importantly, the ball will be picked by the umpires and the bowling team will have no say in the choice. One potential downside for the bowling team would be if the replacement ball is a bit harder than the ball it replaces, making run-scoring easier. Flower is one of the many officials who have welcomed the initiative.—HeraldOnline