Results of the ICC meeting

You can read more about what happened over the last two days on Cricinfo.

I have a number of concerns (surprise, surprise). I don't want to be contrary, but sometimes it's impossible not to be.

Why, oh why, would anyone want there to be an increase in 3 fielders outside the circle in the 2nd and 3rd powerplays? Surely that just makes it more likely that captains will take both powerplays immediately, meaning that there could be "boring" overs from 20-40...exactly what the ICC wanted to avoid. It seems strange that this should be a recommendation given that Jayawardene was part of the committee, along with Tom Moody, and yet Sri Lanka were by far the most innovative in their use of powerplays during the World Cup.

The captain of the batting side being able to take a powerplay is laughable...is he meant to somehow communicate by telepathy if he isn't in the middle? We'd see an increase of the number of messages mascarading as drinks or changes of gloves to roughly once an over. The ODI game is already a batsman's game - they don't need any more help.

Last comment: as any reader of Cricket Burble will know, I have little regard for Gavaskar's views given his strange antics on the field and I've also found that I disagree with a lot of his comments since he's retired. Using him as Chairman of this Committee was a risky decision, to say the least.

Hopefully the ICC will only take on the sensible proposals and ignore the stranger ones, but only time will tell.