Bowlers benefit from ODI rule changes
The ICC board has decided to do away with catching fielders in the first ten overs, get rid of the batting Powerplay, and allow five fielders outside the 30-yard circle in the last ten overs of an ODI innings
ICC to 'tamper' with seam
The ICC chief executive Dave Richardson has revealed that the ICC along with the MCC will commission research into changes to the cricket ball. "With MCC we will be looking at not only bats, but also the cricket ball," he said. "There is a view if we sanction or look at some change to the thickness or the depth of seam it might actually be what we are looking forward to give the seam bowlers a little bit more help, also aid swing and to enable the spinners to get more grip and to spin the ball more if we tamper with the seam."
In February, at the outset of the World Cup, Richardson had admitted that the balance of power had shifted toward the batsmen and it was imperative that the administrators rectified that. "The balance may have shifted a little bit too much because sometimes poor shots or mis-hits are going for six," Richardson had said in an interview.
Nagraj Gollapudi is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo