The former Australian cricketer Dean Jones has come out in support of the 'more than six' innovation in modern cricket.
Batsmen these days hit huge sixes and as MS Dhoni had said after Chennai Super Kings' match against Kolkata Knight Riders at Chepauk, batsmen should be given more than six runs for the monster hits.
Jones, the cricket expert, thinks there should be a new eight-run shot if the ball goes more than 85 meters. Rules must change to make the game even more relevant to today's fans, according to Jone.
"The only innovation I'd like to see is that we are very good with technology, so every six hit over 85 meters should be an eight," Jones said on the sidelines of the Star Sports Select Dugout.
Jones wants an incentive for those who hit big sixes. In today's cricket, we have seen some humongous sixes being hit by power hitters, but they only get an equal number of runs like those who manage to cross the boundary by just a yard.
"They love Chris Gayle and all these boys that hit (the ball) miles. Same in golf, they love Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy who hit 350 meters," said Jones. "If the game is on the line and they want eight and hit it over 85 meters, and you are hoping Gayle, (Andre) Russell or (Kieron) Pollard is there, it goes for eight. If you cleared the pickets in the 1870s or early 1880s it used to be a five and to get a six you had to clear the ground properly," added Jones. "Australia's Joe Darling hit the first six in a Test in 1898. He cleared the ground."
Before 1910 batsmen have to smash the ball out of the ground for six runs. Now crossing the boundary gets you six important runs. The rules changed for good just to better the game.
"So every law in the game has been changed, tweaked and manipulated except one and that's the length of the pitch (22 yards)."
Indian Premier League (IPL) has managed to attract the most number of viewers in a cricket event. The league stands just second to English Premier League and National Football League in terms of viewership.
"It's the third most watched sport in the world after the English Premier League and the NFL (National Football League)," said Jones. "In terms of players, it's the best by miles. In terms of viewership, it attracts the biggest numbers."
Jones said Test cricket will have to battle against the sudden growth of T20 cricket. More cricketers are bending towards the shorter format.
"Test doesn't get your arousal levels up as (much as) a T20 match," said Jones.
"Come down to the wire, 15 off the last over, how many times does that happen in Test cricket? "How many ties are there in the limited-overs version? So it's coming down to what television wants and TV is demanding T20 cricket."
