Boycott calls existing light law 'stupid'

Former England skipper Geoffrey Boycott slammed the existing light laws and said the earlier rule on fading light worked better, days after England were stopped agonizingly short of notching up a record fourth victory in the recently concluded Ashes. England were poised to win the Oval Test when the umpires decided to walk off after checking the light meter. The hosts needed only 21 runs off the four possible overs but a capacity crowd was left booing at match officials even as England players insisted that they understood why the umpires had to go off when they did. However, Boycott slammed the law and stressed the earlier one was more pragmatic. "First of all, you can't blame the umpires for applying the law. What you have to accept is that the law is stupid. The law for years was that if there was any danger to batsmen, the umpires would ask the batsmen if they wanted to go off. And that seemed to work very well, because bowlers and fielders are not under danger like the batsmen," Boycott told ESPN cricinfo. Boycott however was pleased with the 3-0 scoreline and said the margin did not come as a surprise because Australia had a poor batting line-up leading up to the series. The Australian batting was a cause for concern right through the summer when even Michael Clarke's form deserted him after a fine 187 at Manchester. Shane Watson was a disappointment at the top before redeeming himself with a breathtaking century in the last Test but it was a masterpiece that had come too late in the contest for the Baggy Greens. The only exception was Chris Rogers, whose consistent performances at the top helped avoid embarrassing batting collapses. Rogers ended up with an impressive 367 runs from the series but never really found an able ally in an otherwise inexperienced batting line-up. "I never thought Australia were going to beat us, because their batting is so ordinary, sometimes poor when it comes under pressure. Pressure is the name of the game and that sorts out the temperament, character and technique of batsmen. You've got to be mentally strong and have good technique and if you just watch some of the Australians you'll see some of the technique is very ordinary to poor," Boycott said.