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Journalism of Courage
Though the custodian of the game’s laws has given a thumbs-up to Kevin Pietersen’s switch-hitting, legendary umpire Dickie Bird fears it would create serious confusion in decision making on the ground.
“The shot will create a lot of problems. How do you deal with lbws and wides? Do you treat the batsman as right-hander or a left-hander,” Bird was quoted as saying in the Daily Telegraph.
The Marylebone Cricket Club on Tuesday made it clear that it would not outlaw Pietersen’s extraordinary reverse slog-sweep.
Bird feels apart from giving the batsman an undue advantage, a ‘switch-hit’ would require change in the lbw and wide balls rules.
“One way of doing it would be to get rid of the whole idea of leg-side if the batsman switches his stance, the experienced umpire said.
“So the bowler has a reasonable amount of latitude on a wides on both sides of the wicket. And it doesn’t matter where the ball pitches when you go up for lbw,” Bird added.
Pietersen effectively became a left rather than a right-handed batsman when executing the shot to hit New Zealand medium-pacer Scott Styris twice for six during an unbeaten century in England’s opening one-day international win at the Riverside Sunday.
