Test cricket: New rules to save the game

I am following cricket from 1996 onwards. I like the test cricket for its ability to test skill, concentration,athletism and team spirit over a period of 5 long days.No other sports would test a teams skills over such a long period.If you watch old videos you can see how intense the matches have been.It was a really a test for both batsmen and bowler.

            Now the days have changed. With the advent of shorter formats like one day cricket and t-20, batsmen have the upper hand in cricket. Pitches are becoming more and more flat. It doesn’t have anything for bowlers in it. They can bowl deliveries at batsmen so that they can watch them being hit.They can only pick wickets if batsmen make any mistakes.

            A contest is interesting only if it is even.Both batsmen and bowler should get equal chance . Todays cricket rules and pitches are more in favour of batsmen. We should bring the balance between bat and bowl so that test cricket become more interesting.

            We all like to watch intense cricket. If a fast bowler runs in hard with his complete energy and bowls , and batsman at strikers end just leaves it  easily, its not a great sight to watch ,atleast for me.And if the batsman continues to just defend it or leave it to keeper for long time it’s a boring situation for spectators and bowler. In such cases I think cricket rules are making bowler totally handicapped.

            To make test cricket more interesting rules have to be changed slightly. Make the batsman attack more deliveries.My suggestion would be to frame a new law which gives bowler option of taking wicket by denying batsman chance to take run.

Rule:-

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•  If a batsman face a complete over of bowler without taking runs and bowler doesn’t concede any extra runs, then he can be declared out by umpire.That is the rule should give bowler a chance to pick wickets by bowling maiden over at a batsman.
• This should be applicable even if non striker becomes run out or by any other case non striker changes.
•  If striker changes due to any case(wicket fall etc) this law should not be applicable.

The advantage I find with such a rule is that it will definitely increase the pressure  situations in test cricket,which will make the game more interesting. Batsman will have to attack the deliveries more.It will give some hope for bowlers throughout the day.And also spectators will get more lively game.