Former English batsman Kevin Pietersen is happy after Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma and Kolkata Knight Riders' skipper Eoin Morgan were fined for slow over-rate. Both captains were fined Rs 12 lakhs for slow over-rate during Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders match. Pietersen said that there is no place for delay in T20 cricket, because this format is completely an entertainment package and the slightest tampering with it should not be allowed.
"It sends out a great message to players that Rohit Sharma and Eoin Morgan were fined for their slow over rates this week," wrote Pietersen on his blog on betway.com."T20 cricket is an entertainment package. It's supposed to be short and sharp -- fours, sixes, wickets and misfields. And it's supposed to be done inside three hours," he added.
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"I remember when I first played T20 games in 2004 that there was a timer up on the scoreboard and you had to complete your overs in that time. It was non-negotiable," Pietersen wrote further.
"When you know that you're fighting against that, you stop procrastinating and start making quicker, better decisions. It all serves the excitement and buzz of the spectacle," he added.
He said that pressure nowadays in T20 cricket forces captains to slow down games. "I get why it happens. T20 cricket at the start wasn't particularly high-pressured, but when the money came in and careers were defined by the format then the pressure built up. Under pressure, captains want to slow the game down and bring it to their pace," he wrote.
"But in T20 cricket, that shouldn't be allowed. Hearing that two leading captains had been fined was music to my ears, and if fines don't work then I want to see runs penalties.
"Nothing should be off the table when it comes to speeding up the play, because it becomes so much harder to watch when it takes too long.