“Ensure the game doesn't become a matter of winning the toss” - Ian Chappell laments predictability of T20 format

Former Australian captain Ian Chappell reckons the T20 format has become too predictable and is skewed in favor of batters, thus not producing a proper 'contest'.

According to Chappell, the toss has become a hugely significant factor in T20s. He also pointed out that most sides are comfortable chasing because they are confident of their muscle power in batting.

Australia recently clinched their maiden T20 World Cup title. Coming into the ICC event as one of the underdogs, they defeated Pakistan in the semi-finals and New Zealand in the final to lift the trophy.

Reflecting on Australia’s winning, Chappell wrote in his column for ESPN Cricinfo:

“They clinched the trophy by clouting deliveries to and over the boundary, while producing a mixture of bowling that combined just enough wicket-taking with the right amount of containment. They also had the good fortune to win the toss when it really mattered, in a tournament where the major matches too often became a "win the coin flip, win the game" event. That was one of the major flaws in a tournament that achieved quite a lot of success."

Incidentally, all three knockout games of the T20 World Cup were won by teams winning the toss and asking the opposition to bat first. Chappell pointed out that it was crucial to find a solution to the coin problem and stop the format from becoming monotonous. He added:

“There's an appeal for a worldwide T20 tournament featuring contests between nations. In addition, there's widespread clamour for franchise cricket, which is increasingly popular and has experienced enormous success. However, there needs to be a wide-reaching survey into the changes required to improve the T20 format. To make it even more popular than it is, tournaments have to include a way to ensure the game doesn't become a matter of winning the toss.”

Apart from the semi-final and the final, the majority of other matches in the T20 World Cup were also won by sides having luck with the coin and putting their opponents into bat. The organizers copped some criticism over the same.

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“60:40 sport to entertainment” - Ian Chappell on balance in T20 cricket

Chappell admitted that the T20 format cannot survive without the entertainment factor. However, he added that the basic ingredients of the game cannot be tampered with. The 78-year-old explained:

“Then there is the balance between sport and entertainment. In my opinion the balance in T20 cricket needs to be somewhere in the vicinity of 60:40 sport to entertainment. At the moment it's unbalanced and too much in favour of pure entertainment.”

The cricketing legend urged administrators to find the ideal balance between the bat and ball and educate fans on cricket's values. He elaborated:

“It is fine when middled deliveries finish up in the stands but a bowler should be extremely angry if a blatant mis-hit still clears the ropes. This problem is not so pronounced on larger Australian grounds, but I'm not sure what genius produced the ludicrous mixture of better bats and smaller boundaries. This combination is reducing bowlers to virtual bowling machines.”

The next edition of the T20 World Cup will be played in 2022 and will be hosted by defending champions Australia.