Rhodes suggests Powerplay tweak to rejig ODIs

The reinvention of one-day cricket has been a hot topic of discussion over the past few months but Jonty Rhodes, the former South African player, suggests a simple tweak in Powerplay rules to revive interest in the format.

"All the Powerplay overs, including the one by the batting side, should be taken by the 31st over," Rhodes told the Hindu. "They could bring in this rule. This way you could have plenty of action between overs 20 and 30. And the last 20 overs are bound to be interesting in any case."

The ICC is considering a trial splitting of one-day matches into two innings of 25 overs for each team, that Sachin Tendulkar had mooted earlier. Graeme Smith and Kumar Sangakkara believe the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy will be crucial in directing the future of the ODI as a viable format in international cricket.

Other trials in international cricket include hosting day-night Tests, which the England board plans for next summer if approved by the ICC.

But Rhodes was against any changes to the Test format. "You should not tamper with the rules for Tests. They should stay as they are. You ask any of the cricketers and they will tell you that Test cricket is the ultimate challenge. It is played over five days and tests the cricketers, both mentally and in terms of skills. Cricketers find out more about themselves in Test cricket."