NEW DELHI: Proposals to scrap the time-honoured tradition of a coin toss prior to Test matches defy logic and should not be considered, according to several former cricket captains.

A ritual since the first test between Australia and England in 1877 risks extinction when the Cricket Committee of the International Cricket Council (ICC) meet in Mumbai later this month to discuss the issue.

Debating the merit of toss has arisen as a need to reduce ‘home advantage’ that often results in host nations rolling out pitches doctored to favour their players in what tend to end up as one-sided encounters.

According to media reports, the briefing notes circulated ahead of the May 28-29 meeting mention that more than one committee member believed a visiting captain should be free to decide whether to bat or bowl without the need of a coin toss.

“I’m actually at a loss to make any sense,” former India captain Bishan Singh Bedi told the Times of India.

“First of all, why would you even want to tinker with a century-long tradition?” the spin great asked.

Bedi’s former team-mate Dilip Vengsarkar admitted he was becoming dismayed by the frequent tinkering with playing conditions.

“If this is only about home team’s interference in pitch preparation then just introduce neutral curators,” the former Test batsman told the same newspaper.

“Have a panel of neutral curators just the way the ICC has an elite panel of umpires and match referees.

“Why do away with a tradition that just not adds to the charm of cricket but gives both participating teams an equal opportunity to rise to the contest?”

Former Australia captains Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh have backed a move to scrap the toss, while West Indies pace great Michael Holding also felt it would encourage an even contest between bat and ball.

Published in Dawn, May 19th, 2018