Former Australia captain Ian Chappell believes on-field umpires should term the delivery a 'dead-ball' in case they see batsman attempting a switch-hit off it.
Chappell, for whom the stroke where the batsman changes his grip on the bat without any warning is "unfair", thinks it shouldn't be a legal part of the sport.
The legend took note of a recent instance of the stroke once again giving people fascinating viewing but also leaving the bowler at dispair to stress home his point.
Australian right-hand batsman Glenn Maxwell struck Indian left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav for a six in the third and final ODI in Canberra on last Wednesday (December 2).
"In this case, Maxwell faced up in his normal manner as a right-hander, but before Kuldeep Yadav delivered the ball, he altered his stance and grip on the bat to effectively become a left-hander," ESPNcricinfo quoted Chappell as saying.
"Maxwell's shot was an amazing example of skill and superb hand-eye coordination, but was it fair? The answer is a resounding no, as far as I'm concerned."
"One of the main tasks of a cricket administrator is to frame laws that maintain a reasonable balance between bat and ball. If the laws or playing conditions favour one or the other unfairly then the game becomes a diminished contest."
"The square-leg umpire is already paying close attention to the batsman's feet in case there is a stumping, so he'll notice any change of order. If a batsman changes the order of his feet, then the square-leg umpire ought to simply declare the ball dead and no runs result," he added.
Chappell opined there will be no incentive left for batsman to try the unconventional stroke if each occasion they try it, the umpire calls 'dead ball'.
"If this became the law then batsmen would have no incentive to switch-hit and balance would be restored in that individual contest. If batsmen want to reverse-sweep or play a ramp shot without changing the order of their feet, that's fine."
"By playing in that manner, the contest remains roughly a fifty-fifty proposition. However switch-hitting greatly favours batsmen and therefore alters the balance of the contest. It's very skillful, but it's not fair," he added.
Maxwell, the most regular practitioner of the shot, had earlier defended himself and fairness of the switch-hit.
"As you said, it is within the laws of the game, that has always been," he had said. "Batting has evolved in such a way, that it has got better and better over the years, which is why see these massive scores are getting chased down and the scores are going up."
"And I suppose it is up-to-the bowlers to try and combat that. I suppose the skills of bowlers have been tested every-day with bowlers having to come up with different change-ups, different ways to stop batters, and the way they shut down one side of the ground and what not so."
(Inputs from ANI)
