Scrap Supersubs and Powerplays says Ponting

Ricky Ponting has again urged the ICC to scrap one-day cricket's experimental rules in time for the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean.

The ICC's cricket committee is set to evaluate the Supersub and Powerplay rules at the end of their 10-month trial run in March, but Ponting has called for both to be dropped. "I don't think there's anything lost by going back," he told BBC Sport. "We'll keep trying and making the best of it but I'd like to see us going back to 11 against 11 for the World Cup."

The Supersub rule allows teams to substitute any player with a 12th man, who can bat and bowl, rather than just taking a place in the field as under traditional regulations. Ponting aside, other international captains too have urged the ICC to amend the rule based on the situation of the toss.

Under the new rules, Australia have won 76.5% of their matches but when winning the toss that percentage jumps up to 90. England, in comparison, have won just three one-day games - one against Australia and two in Pakistan - since the rule was invoked, all after winning the toss.

To show how impractical the new rule was, Ponting cited a recent VB Series fixture between Australia and Sri Lanka at Perth, when Brett Dorey, the fast bowler, was 12th man and effectively rendered useless after Sri Lanka made Australia bowl first. "He goes out of the game and you're playing 11 against 12," he said. He implied that only an allrounder would really benefit from the new rule.

Under the Powerplay rule, the side bowling must have nine fielders inside a 30-yard circle for two five-over periods after the first 10 overs. Ponting, however, suggested that both captains should have a say when the Powerplay was used. "At the moment the batting team has no say - it's just when the bowling team wants to use it. We've used the Powerplays in a couple of different ways but generally you try to get them out of the way as soon as you can," he said. "The reason Powerplays were brought in was because everyone thought the game was a bit boring between overs 15 and 40. The Powerplays aren't even being used then at the moment so that doesn't really make much sense."