Ponting, Woolmer push for Supersub amendment

Vikram Solanki being announced as one-day cricket's first Supersub © Getty Images

Ricky Ponting, the Australia captain, and Bob Woolmer, Pakistan's coach, have urged the ICC to amend the Supersub rule presently used in one-day cricket.

Under the Supersub rule, teams are allowed to use a substitute player - named before the toss - in place of another during the 50 overs of play. "A bit of fine-tuning could be made to make the game even better," Ponting told Reuters."To be able to name your sub after the toss would work better for everybody. In its present form I'd probably say scrap it because the team that loses the toss can quite often be stuck without having that other option, so it's almost 12 against 11."

Woolmer echoed Ponting's thoughts on the Supersub being named after the toss, adding: "I am actually not a great fan of it. I think it is loaded in favour of one side because you have to name your Supersub before the toss." Pakistan are due to play their first one-day match under the new rulings in the first of five matches against England, beginning Saturday.

Daniel Vettori, the New Zealand spinner, said the Powerplay ruling - five-over blocks with fielding restrictions - could be `spiced up' if the batting team was given the chance to decide when to apply them. "It'd be interesting. The 40th to 50th overs could be a bit of fun if the opposing captain had a say in those," he said. "I think captains are just trying to get through them as quickly as possible as opposed to using them in any advantageous way. That's probably not what they were designed to do but that's basically what they've become." Vettori is New Zealand's captain for the ongoing Chappell-Hadlee Trophy against Australia, standing-in for Stephen Fleming who is recovering from surgery.

The Supersub and Powerplay rulings have been implemented on a trial basis and are due for review in April of next year.