Should Free Hit be included in Test cricket? South Africa's legendary pacer Dale Steyn comments
The ongoing Freedom Test Series between India and South Africa has seen quite some No Balls. Meanwhile, Dale Steyn has hinted that introducing Free Hit in Tests can be a good idea.
FollowNo Balls in limited-overs cricket nowadays have been subdued due to the introduction of the Free Hit concept, in which the batter cannot be dismissed except for a run-out. However, in Test cricket, the idea of Free Hit is not available. As a result, the ongoing Freedom Test Series between India and South Africa has seen many No Balls.
In the meantime, former South Africa speargun Dale Steyn has suggested that the introduction of Free Hit in the longest format is not a bad idea. According to him, not just does it curb the percentage of No Balls in the game, but it also aids the tail-enders. He feels that the lower-order batters are likely to survive more to over short-pitched deliveries against some of the lethal world-class bowlers.
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"Free hit for No Ball in Test Cricket. What you think? Will definitely help the bowlers (when batting) survive those extended 7/8 and sometimes nine-ball overs we've seen happen before. Six balls is Hard enough for the tail-enders facing a top-class life-threatening fast bowler," Steyn reckoned in a tweet.
The concept of Free Hit came in ever since the Twenty20 (T20) introduction. If a bowler bowls any form of No Ball, it is followed by a Free Hit delivery. Later, the concept was also added to the One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and has widely been accepted by all. The idea of Free Hit in Test cricket has never been pitched to the International Cricket Council (ICC) to keep the format evenly balanced, while it would be exciting to see if ICC gives a thought to it.
