"The bowlers can often feel that they are bowling with one hand tied behind their backs" - Sunil Gavaskar on the lopsided balance between bat and ball

Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar believes that the current rules regarding bouncers and wides are heavily in favor of the batters when ideally it should be the other way around.

The latest rule, which allows batters to review umpires' decisions pertaining to wides and no balls, has reduced the room for errors around which bowlers operated before.

Batters have been able to capitalize on the one bouncer rule as it reduces the mystery of facing it again in the over once bowled. Opining that a delivery should only be adjudged wide in case of a bouncer when it is well over a batter's head, Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar:

"The definition of a wide for a bouncer is also not in favour of a good short-pitched delivery, so the bowlers can often feel that they are bowling with one hand tied behind their backs."

Gavaskar continued:

"A bouncer should be called a wide only if it is way above the batter’s head. Most quick bowlers are going to get the ball just above the batter’s head in any case."

Further stating that such restrictions are 'silly' and protect the batter to a great extent, Gavaskar wrote:

"The old saying of cricket being a batter’s game is true because a batter’s first mistake can be the end of his innings and so the playing conditions are made to suit them. But that’s no reason to have silly restrictions on the bowlers like it is for the bouncers."

Several former cricketers, including Sachin Tendulkar, have spoken about the game's growth and its increasing favor towards the batters in terms of bat size, boundary length as well as field restrictions.

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"If the ground authorities can devise boundary advertising boards to be cushioned" - Sunil Gavaskar devises a strategy to extend boundary size

As things stand, the boundary area is predominantly occupied by boards and Toblerone sponge ropes, both laden with sponsors. The presence of both has shortened the boundary size by a few meters, which is a significant margin.

Opining that the organizers could potentially look to cushion the lower half of the advertising board to eliminate the need for a boundary rope in the first place, Gavaskar stated:

"It is understood that ground advertising is a huge source of income but if the ground authorities can devise boundary advertising boards to be cushioned at the bottom half with rubber or foam to soften the impact of a fielder sliding or diving and crashing into it, then the boundaries can be pushed back."

What are the ways through which the balance between bat and ball can be restored in cricket? Let us know what you think.