Wellington, Feb 11 : Legendary New Zealand batsman Glenn Turner has said fifty over cricket continues to be hindered by several questionable catch phrases, assertions and clichés that need to be challenged. Turner said catchphrases such as (a) Keep wickets in hand for the death overs: the need to consolidate after the loss of a wicket, and there is no need to take a risk of the last ball of an over should be given amiss.

Calling for simple logic and focus to make the one-day cricket format attractive and relevant, Turner said: “In the 50-over game when batting, a greater emphasis should be placed on scoring runs as quickly as possible and less on conserving wickets.” When bowling and fielding, he said the focus should be on restricting runs and less on taking wickets at the expense of runs.

Turner said that by restricting the flow of runs bowlers and fielders put pressure on the batters to score quickly, and this would cause their downfall. “The stark reality is that no wickets need to be taken to win a game of 50 overs”, Turner says in an article that he wrote for Stuff. co. nz He said cricket captains need to move away from “preconceived theories” about constructing a team’s innings or setting targets, as he felt this is a mistake.

“An innings should be allowed to evolved, able to take on its own dynamics, free from preconceptions. A consistently dynamic approach to the game by its players opens up limitless and unrestricted possibilities,” said Turner. The overall approach should represent an approach aligned to winning games, rather than hoping the opposition plays poorly enough to lose,” he concluded. (ANI)