Viva la reverse-sweep! © Getty Images

Ask who invented the reverse-sweep and many cricketers will claim the honour. Ask who plays it best and most cricket fans would surely point to Kevin Pietersen. Cricket is an odd sport in that there are the laws of cricket and then there is the spirit of cricket. What is outside the laws cannot be allowed but what is within the laws and outside the spirit of cricket causes anxiety.Cricket has so many intricacies that it is impossible to legislate for all of them.

The ideal situation, now that cricket is so long established, is that the laws are seldom changed and only occasionally tinkered with. In addition, the laws should not become a needless barrier to invention and innovation in cricket. Which leads us back to KP's reverse-sweeping and the vexed conversations among MCC's Panama hat brigade.

The reverse-sweep is an exciting shot. It introduces a large element of risk, which is an opportunity for the bowling side to take a wicket. If well-executed the results are sensational. But should something so exhilarating be allowed?

Any consideration of the laws of cricket should be to make them simpler not more complex. The debate over the reverse-sweep doesn't entirely lend itself to this philosophy but the rules can certainly remain clear and straightforward. My simple suggestion is this:

1 The reverse-sweep should be allowed.
2 A batsman should not be allowed to switch his stance until the ball is released.
3 The umpire should consider any leg-before wicket or wide verdict on the basis of the batsman's original stance.

Cricket is a sport in rapid transition but the fundamentals remain. The reverse-sweep can be traced back decades earlier. Javed Miandad, for example, claims he invented it in the 1980s. Why legislate now when cricketers are executing it to a thrilling and highly entertaining level? Cricket requires flair, charisma, and ingenuity, and I would be surprised if the men in Panama hats and egg and bacon ties at the MCC do not recognise that as well.

Viva la reverse-sweep!

	Pakistan’s players have mostly struggled to make an impression on the IPL, which must be some reflection of the quality of their current team © AFP

The genius of the Indian Premier League is not only has it created an international buzz, but it has also opened up a whole new world of possibilities for cricket. Let’s be clear, the Indian Premier League has hijacked the original idea of the Indian Cricket League and ground its competitor into the dirt. The current formula is problematic, mainly because of the sheer volume of matches crammed into too many weeks.

The execution, however, is a different matter to the concept, and indeed there have been many positives, not least the colour and glitz of each T20 spectacle. Indian fans have enthused about suddenly flung together teams and Indian cricketers have seized an opportunity to shine on a different kind of international stage.

Other countries have fared less well, however. Pakistan’s players have mostly struggled to make an impression on the tournament, which must be some reflection of the quality of Pakistan’s current team. Shoaib Malik and Co can’t even claim to be overworked. If the PCB has any sense it will learn that its own players have much to do to match many of their leading international counterparts. Pakistan fans can only hope that the Packer effect of raising international standards also applies to Pakistan players and the IPL.

The second lesson the PCB should learn from the success of the IPL is that the idea of a Pakistan Premier League is an absolute folly. Why consider a tournament that can only be a pale imitation of the IPL? It might be an idea to revisit when Pakistan’s team is strong again and the country’s cricket is flourishing, but not yet.

Yet the verdict on Pakistan’s own tournament should not be the same as the many other ideas that have sprung up around the world, especially in England. The prerequisites for an IPL-imitator are a strong cricketing infrastructure that provides for fans and fills stadiums, an attractive and lucrative location for international stars, and sponsorship and that will invigorate and fuel the tournament. England, like India and Australia has all these ingredients.

And this is how the IPL –or should we say ICL—has created a whole new genre of cricket. The formula and execution still require more work but any product that produces such an instant global buzz and immediate imitators must have an exciting future—until, of course, the next brilliant idea comes along and grinds today’s crumb of genius into the dirt.