The cricket betting world will be watching closely this week as the MCC held a meeting to decide what to do about the issue raised by Kevin Pietersen’s switch from a right handed stance to a left handed one in order to strike the ball to a shorter boundary protected by only one fielder who was guarding the offside of the field when the ball was bowled.

The field is set, usually by the bowler, in conference with the captain, to counter the threat posed by a right handed batsman and the strategy of these two is guided by the stance of the batsman. If the batsman changes his stance from left to right while the ball is in the air then the question arises: has he infringed the laws of the game or is this an issue of etiquette?

The MCC has decided that Pietersen’s ‘switch hit’ variation on the reverse sweep is legal within cricketing law and therefore, presumably he can continue to use it. The MCC went further and welcomed the shot as a positive addition to the game. According to them, the shot is ‘innovative and exciting for the game of cricket’. Others have said that it will help to increase the popularity of the game with the public but some argue that it is not what sports betting purists want to see.

These people may be right and probably are in the game of Twenty20. This is a cricketing environment in which changing various rules might offer more popular excitement. I can’t help feeling uneasy, however, and suspect that the acceptance of Pietersen’s innovation might further undermine the minutely and carefully controlled structure of test cricket. The challenges created by the rules are what hone the mettle of the player and too many ‘exciting’ departures may take their toll on the future skill quality of players and the age-old strategies and tactics of the game.