NEW DELHI, May 30 (Hindustan Times): The International Cricket Council's (ICC) Cricket Committee has decided not to do away with the toss, in a crucial decision taken at its two-day meeting in Mumbai that ended on Tuesday.
The Cricket Committee, headed by former India skipper Anil Kumble, considered the issue that has been debated in a bid to nullify home teams preparing pitches that overwhelmingly work in their favour.
"The Committee discussed whether the toss should be automatically awarded to the visiting team but felt that it was an integral part of Test cricket which forms part of the narrative of the game," the ICC statement said after the meeting.
"However, in acknowledging that the preparation of Test pitches that could provide a risk to the competitiveness of the ICC World Test Championship, the Committee urged members to continue to focus on the delivery of pitches that provide a better balance between bat and ball in line with ICC regulations."
One suggestion was to give the visiting skipper the option to decide. A 'yes' vote would have led to abolishing one of the integral aspects of Test cricket since it began in 1877.
However, it had been acknowledged that there would be opposition to abolishing the toss, especially because the drama around it was a big draw for broadcasters.
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