Allan Border wants to scrap coin toss so away sides can win Test matches

Angus Reid

Allan Border wants to scrap coin toss so away sides can win Test matches image

Heading into the summer of cricket, a debate is taking place that is set to revolutionise the Test match arena.

Teams winning away Test matches has become a lost art, and due to the rarity of winning outside of home soil, calls for the toss coin to be scrapped have become louder. This would give the opposition captain the choice to either bat or bowl first at the beginning of the match.

Home sides obviously curate their wickets so that the conditions suit them, something that happens in every single Test playing country in the world, and taking the coin toss out of the equation will negate the host's advantage.

In the last 10 years, teams have won just 109 matches from the 404 Tests away from home. That's a winning percentage of just 26.98. On average, sides are losing 50 per cent of their matches they play away from home, with draws occurring 22 per cent of the time.

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The last time Australia won a series away from home was in 2016 where we beat New Zealand 2-0 in a two match series. Before that, we beat the West Indies in 2015 and South Africa in 2013/14, but the overall results are alarming. In the last six tours, Australia has got back on the plane home with the trophy just once.

We have only won seven out of our last 20 Test matches played outside Australia, a ridiculous statistic when you consider our previous dominance over the world.

One of Australia's greatest ever captains, Allan Border, has had his say on the coin toss debate and believes it's time to at least trial Tests without the flip of the coin.

“I’m in the camp for no toss and letting the visiting side decide,” Border told foxsports.com.au.

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

AB isn't the only one to argue for the scrap of the toss, with current South African captain Faf du Plessis calling for trials to take place because of the dominance of home nations.

"I'm a big fan of taking away the toss," du Plessis told cricket.com.au after the Proteas were bowled out for just 73 in Sri Lanka, their lowest Test score since re-admission.

"I think even in South Africa you'll still prepare the conditions the way you prepare them now, but you just make sure that you bring some balance. In home conditions, teams will still win the majority of the games, but you still do even it out a little."

The English Cricket Board, perhaps the last organisation you'd expect to call for tradition to be bypassed, are also in agreement for the coin toss to be done away with.

The ECB gave away with the compulsory toss in the 2016 Country Cricket season and haven't looked back since. The visiting captain can choose whether to bowl first, but if he wants to bat, he must then rely on the toss.

The International Cricket Council are set to look at the coin toss this month, and it has been spoken about that next year's Ashes series in the UK could be the first series where the toss isn't used.

Angus Reid

Angus Reid Photo