Australian Cricket Legend Urges Abolition of Historic Tradition Following Boxing Day Test Debacle

In a bold move that has stirred conversations among cricket enthusiasts, former Australian cricketer and coach Darren Lehmann has advocated for the abolition of the traditional coin toss in Test cricket. This call to action comes in the wake of the recent two-day contest witnessed during the Boxing Day Ashes Test in Melbourne, which many fans found unsatisfactory.

Lehmann challenges the longstanding tradition, a staple of Test matches since the sport’s inception in 1877. His argument highlights the undue influence the toss can have on match outcomes, especially on pitches such as the one at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), which can be either overly challenging for batters or too benign to yield a definitive result.

The debate over the toss’s impact has gained traction among experts, who argue that the coin flip often plays an outsized role in determining the course of the game. The MCG pitch, in particular, has been criticized for its unpredictability, leading some to believe that the advantage of winning the toss can skew the fairness of the match.

Echoing this sentiment, a cricket fan expressed on social media platform X that, given the prevalence of “ridiculous pitches,” visiting teams should be given the option to choose instead of relying on a coin’s fall. This perspective was notably endorsed by former Test player Jason Gillespie, adding weight to the argument.

In response, Lehmann has voiced his support for this radical change, suggesting that eliminating the toss could restore balance and excitement to the game. His stance has ignited a broader discussion on whether tradition should bend in favor of fairness in the modern era of cricket.

‘Get rid of the toss, away team chooses. Simple as that,’ he replied to the cricket fan and Gillespie.

Former Australian batsman and coach Darren Lehmann (pictured left with Travis Head) wants to see the coin toss scrapped in Test cricket

Lehmann’s call comes after a shocking wicket produced another lopsided contest as England beat Australia inside two days in Melbourne (pictured, England star Brydon Carse)

Lehmann and other experts believe winning the toss has become too much of an advantage due to the use of very lopsided pitches like the MCG’s Boxing Day track 

Lehmann has long been an advocate for eradicating the coin toss, vocally opposing it after Australia beat New Zealand in 2015.  

‘That is one that should definitely come in to cricket, where the opposition gets the right to choose what they want to do,’ Lehmann said.

‘I reckon it will stop all the wickets suiting the home team.’

Lehmann expanded on the issue the following year in his autobiography, Coach. 

‘The biggest challenge to the longest format, for me at least, comes not from Twenty20 but from the surfaces on which matches are being played,’ Lehmann said.

‘Put simply, those surfaces are either far too bland or, conversely, are far too heavily weighted in favour of the home side. In both instances, that does Test cricket no good at all.

‘On the other hand, no one wants to see 600 plays 500 on pitches that offer the bowlers nothing. Producing tracks like that is the surest way to kill off the format.

‘My solution to ensure the best possible pitches are produced is, at international level, to do away with the toss, with the visiting side given the option of whether they want to bat or bowl.

Shane Warne was a big advocate for getting rid of the toss and just letting the away side pick whether to bat or bowl

Former Australian captain Steve Waugh has also pushed for the coin toss to be scrapped by the International Cricket Council

‘That way the result is not decided by the toss of the coin, host boards have a greater incentive to produce decent pitches that are fair to both sides.

‘And the chances are that after five days the better side – rather than the one that has called correctly and thus been able to take advantage of favourable conditions – is the one that will come out on top.’

While England won the toss in Melbourne and chose to bowl first on the green top, other nations have had serious issues with the toss.

India recently lost its 14th coin toss in succession, at odds of about one in 16,000, which has played its role in the team losing a Test series in South Africa and drawing a series in England.

The late, great Shane Warne also called for the coin toss to be scrapped ahead of India’s tour of Australia in 2018.

‘The visiting team, in this instance it would be India, they choose what they want to do in every Test match,’ he said.

‘The same goes on in India, so if India want to prepare huge turning wickets, Australia say ‘we bat first’.

‘If Australia want to produce green seaming wickets, they (India) decide we’re going to bowl first. Get rid of the toss, the away team chooses what they want to do.’

West Indian great Michael Holding is one of many former international stars who also want to see the end of the coin toss

And former Australian captain Allan Border has also previously suggested the toss be axed, at least on a trial basis.

‘I’m in the camp for no toss and letting the visiting side decide,’ Border said in July. 

‘Traditionally it shouldn’t play such an important role in the game but it has become that way.

‘I don’t think we need to fiddle around with Test cricket too much but it has become an issue because all visiting sides feel like they get stitched up by pitch preparation.

‘Of course, the only way to do these things is to trial them first.’

The ICC seriously considered investigating the removal of the coin toss in 2018, in notes that became public, but no action has been taken since. 

‘There is serious concern about the current level of home team interference in Test pitch preparation,’ notes from the ICC briefing read.

‘And more than one committee member believes that the toss should be automatically awarded to the visiting team in each match, although there are some others on the committee who do not share that view.’ 

International superstars Ricky Ponting, Michael Holding, Ian Botham and Steve Waugh have also suggested the toss be abandoned in the past. 

”The minor setback there in my opinion, is that tosses are big for television. It makes for good tension, everyone is focused on that coin when it’s in the air and the winning captain’s decision and so on,’ Holding wrote for Wisden in 2015. 

‘But that isn’t relevant now, times have changed and interest is waning in Test match cricket. What you need to do now is to make sure you have even contests between bat and ball. 

‘For that, there should be no toss and the visiting captain should be allowed to decide what he wants to do after inspecting the pitch.’ 

Waugh previously argued the psychological effect could be significant. 

‘I don’t mind that, I think that’s not such a bad thing,’ Waugh told SEN in 2015. 

‘At the end of the day I think there’s probably too much emphasis placed on the toss and the conditions away from home. I don’t mind the authorities looking at some other options.’