Cricket: changes to the powerplay overs

So the batting side gets to decide when they are taken now. I thought the point of them was to add some tactics for the fielding side. Well, that's no longer going to be the case. Saving a powerplay for the last 5 overs of a match is going to be interesting.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10535263

Thoughts?

Don't like it. I thought it was supposed to be a fielding-side weapon too..

Stupid rule change. Things are totally against the bowler enough as it is.

I guess the problem is pretty much every fielding captain chooses to take them one after the other. They rarely get used for tactical reasons.

I don't like it.

With the advent of Twenty20, ODIs should be kept as serious as possible, not diluted with gimmicks.

How many more times do we need to kick the bowlers in the teeth? Are we going to keep doing it until scores of 400 will be the norm?

Bring back the days of heroic gritty innings of 70 odd hauling down an imposing total of 210 on a seaming track!

Theres seems to be the assumption that everyone loves watching the ball clattering into the advertising hoardings all day, well some of us like to see the ball beat the bat too

This is all f*cking Adam Gilchrist, Sanath Jay's and Matthew Haydens fault btw. Woggers

Urgh, this is terrible news

20/20 has started the inevitable demise of the battle between bat vs. ball I fear

I say we don't cover the wickets
then it won't matter where the fielders are
actually better to have 5 slips in :>

yeah, complete bollocks...

good interview with Glenn Turner where he says they will start changing the rules back in favour of the bowler:

http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/current/story/371756.html