10 predictions Bob Woolmer made for cricket in 21st century

#7 Changing the white ball

Since the white ball's colour changes, a 25-over old ball is used from the 35th over. It is a compulsory change.

Two new balls have made scoring runs easier

Verdict: Correct

It was done. Subsequently, the ICC introduced 2 balls from each end, which keeps the balls hard and in shape, excessively aiding the stroke-makers. A six is not an event, it is a frequent occurrence now. Reverting to Woolmer's idea is a good decision because it opens up the possibility for reverse swing to happen in ODIs, which have recently disconcertingly skewed towards the batsmen. Only a few Pakistani pacers are able to reverse a 20-over odd ball.

#8 The Techno Umpire

Balls and bats are fitted with chips and using sophisticated camera equipment, edges for catches, inside edges and lbw can be traced.

Snickometer comes to the aid in case of fine edges, bat-pad and inside edge related appeals

Verdict: Correct

Though the chips are not there, the stump camera, microphone and HD cameras have made rapid progress to help the on-field and TV umpires make an informed decision. The evolution of the capabilities of the stump camera set-up has been remarkable. Fewer debatable decisions are made in cricket than ever before. The spidercam and the zing bails are other innovations which are raising the spectacle index of cricket .