Tony de Zorzi, the middle order bat, posed a question to fast bowler Lungi Ngidi, who said all 11 batters must be allowed to bat on till the very last is dismissed. (Screengrabs: Proteas Men Instagram)With the Kolkata Test finishing under 3 days, the visiting South Africans have been keeping busy and released the first tour episode of ‘In the Stands’ by Cricket SA socials, where team members discuss and debate age-old debates that make cricket, a totally argumentative sport. On the agenda as host Tony de Zorzi, the middle order bat, posed a question to fast bowler Lungi Ngidi, who said all 11 batters must be allowed to bat on till the very last is dismissed.
“As a Number 11 I’ve been in situations where I’m batting with you, and you are on 99 and I get out. I reckon you should be able to bat on, till you are dismissed. The last guy stays there till he is dismissed,” Ngidi said.
The tailender was of the opinion that it wasn’t the non-striker’s fault that they had run out of batting partners. “I’ve seen many times when there’s a close game and there’s a guy left who can actually still win the game for the team. Because I haven’t been able to dismiss you. But other batsman goes out. And that’s it. They still haven’t gotten you out. So you should still be able to continue,” Ngidi weighed in.
Cricket has for as long as can be remembered, been a sport needing 10 of the 11 batters to bedismissed before an inning folds. All the hypothetical situations discussed typically in these debates tend to weigh opinions from the specific role of a player, and de Zorzi reckoned that the rule needed to stay, as is. He was surprised however that Ngidi saw things from the undismissed batter’s point of view..
“I didn’t expect something so thoughtful from you,” he would joke before adding, “I see the pros of it. I’m sticking to my not-out. In Test cricket, it’s tough to get 20 wickets, you will know that as a bowler. I’ve seen you sweating, huffing and puffing!” Getting 22 wickets in Tests would prove even more exhausting, he said.
“So an extra two wickets per inning in Test cricket, creates a massive swing,” de Zorzi said.
“But in T20 or white ball games, it would be interesting to see those things. In run chases there’s still someone at No 7 or 8 who can bat,” the middle order bat reconsidered. “So could actually make games more exciting in white ball. But I’ll send it upstairs,” he joked, concluding that he remained conflicted.
The MCC, rule makers have no known intentions of changing a rule as fundamental as 10 wickets. But then again, franchise cricket has allowed substitutions.
South Africa lead India 1-0 in the Test series, with the next Match at Guwahati starting Saturday.
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