'Game reduced in quality': Ex-England captains call for big Test cricket reforms

TOI Sports Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Updated: Sep 03, 2025, 17:15 IST

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Alastair Cook and Michael Vaughan have called for significant reforms to Test cricket rules. Cook suggested allowing teams to take two new balls within 160 overs at their discretion, while Vaughan advocated for broader substitution rules beyond concussion replacements to maintain match quality. Both believe these changes are crucial for Test cricket's competitiveness and player welfare.

'Game reduced in quality': Ex-England captains call for big Test cricket reforms

Rishabh Pant

NEW DELHI: Former England captains Alastair Cook and Michael Vaughan have urged the International Cricket Council (ICC) to introduce bold reforms to Test cricket, arguing that current rules are restricting both tactics and player welfare.Cook, England's all-time leading run-scorer in Tests, suggested a radical shift in the new-ball rule. Currently, teams can only take a new ball after 80 overs, but Cook believes greater flexibility would add intrigue to the game.

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Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“A new rule I would add would be, how about, in 160 overs, you can take the new ball whenever you want? You have got two new balls for those 160 overs, and you can take that second ball whenever you want. You could take one after 30 overs if you wanted to,” Cook proposed on the Stick to Cricket podcast.

Poll

Do you agree with Michael Vaughan's suggestion for more substitutions in Test cricket?

Absolutely, it would improve match quality.Not really, it could disrupt the game.

Michael Vaughan, who captained England to Ashes glory in 2005, focused on substitutions, calling cricket “behind the times” compared to other sports. Vaughan argued that the current restriction allowing substitutes only for concussion cases lowers the overall quality of matches.“In the first innings of a game, let's say Rishabh Pant takes a knock to his hand. He can still bat but can't keep wickets.

Under current rules, India can't bring on another keeper like Dhruv Jurel unless it's a concussion case,” Vaughan said.“We have concussion subs. So why don't we have substitutes? All of the other sports have it – why are we allowing the game to be reduced in quality if someone gets a clip,” he added.Both former skippers believe that innovation is needed to keep Test cricket competitive and engaging amid challenges from shorter formats.

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