Mumbai, May 17: The ICC is mulling over doing away with the tradition of toss in Test matches to take away the advantage home teams exercise by preparing extreme wickets that suit their strength thereby leaving visiting teams not even in a position to put up a respectable fight that makes matches a dull prospect for viewers and spectators alike. The question that arises, in that case, is who will decide to bowl or bat and how will the order of the match be ascertained? If reports are to be believed, the visiting team captain will take the call whether to bowl or bat first.

The ICC Committee in its next meeting will be debating over the fact that the toss should be scrapped away to reduce the home advantage, the home team has over the visiting teams, in the forthcoming Test Championship.

The idea of this decision has divided the Cricket world into two camps. While a large number of followers of the game are mourning the possibility of the toss going extinct, there are Cricket fans who believe that in recent times, especially in Test Cricket, the form of the game where the decision is proposed to be implemented, home teams have customised pitches as per their convenience. It is being said that the decision to do away with the toss will perhaps provide a proper balance and help the visiting teams touring another country for a Test match series.

But it is also difficult to think about the game without one of its most important and integral aspects. The tradition of the toss in Cricket is so famous that kids and children who play a game of cricket in any part of the world try to imitate tossing a coin and deciding who will bat or bowl first. Other than the traditional aspect, the toss is also a chance to know what the captains of either team think and how have they prepared for the game. The discontinuance of toss in the longer format of the game is bound to invoke passions and sharp debate about its importance and will be a prominent nostalgia for cricket fans if it ceases to exist.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 17, 2018 08:10 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).