ECB to consider abolishing the toss

The England and Wales Cricket Board is considering the radical idea of dumping the toss for second division county cricket next season.

The UK Telegraph is reporting the ECB's executive board will meet on Thursday to discuss the idea of eliminating the toss and handing the away team the choice to bat or bowl first.

If approved, the move would be trialled for one season in 2016 in Division Two of the county championship in an attempt to improve the quality of pitches and provide more opportunities for spin bowlers.

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting previously suggested the idea of abolishing the toss from Test cricket to deny home curators the chance to prepare pitches that suit the hosts.

Ponting's predecessor Steve Waugh agreed, but added the importance of the toss is often exaggerated.

"I don't mind that, I think that's not such a bad thing," Waugh told Melbourne radio station SEN in September. 

"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."

After England's heavy loss on a benign pitch at Lord's in the second Ashes Test this year, coach Trevor Bayliss called for more "typical seaming English" wickets to suit his bowling attack and negate the searing pace of the Australian fast bowlers.

The call was answered with two lively, grassy wickets in the next two Tests, which Australia could not counter; they were bowled out for 136 in the first innings at Edgbaston and then 60 in Nottingham to relinquish the Ashes. 

WATCH: Australia bowled out for 60 at Trent Bridge

In county cricket, the tendency to condition pitches to suit the home team's bowling attack appears to be even more prevalent.

"At Chelmsford (the home ground of Essex) the pitches are as green as the outfield because they think that gives them the best chance of winning through guys like David Masters and Jesse Ryder,” former England and Surrey batsman Kevin Pietersen wrote in The Telegraph.

“That is understandable, but it does not help in the long run.

"Ryder and Masters running in and bowling at 75mph on a green top simply does not help England.

"It does not benefit the batters either because you do not face those kinds of bowlers at Test level. This is happening all around the county circuit."

England have struggled to replace ace spinner Graeme Swann since the right-armer retired midway through the 2013-14 Ashes, and it’s hoped that eliminating the toss will encourage the development of spin bowlers in the country.

During the four-day county championship in 2015, only 21.5 per cent of overs were bowled by spinners, with that number falling to lower than 10 per cent in home matches of Division Two teams. 

The state of pitches in Australia has come under fire following the drawn Test at the WACA Ground, where six centuries where scored and the run rate pushed four runs per over throughout the match.

Cricket Australia General Manager of Team Performance, Pat Howard, has denied there is a problem after the run-fest in the west.

"I'm not going to buy into the idea there's a significant issue here," Howard told AAP.

"Brisbane was a good Test, it got a result.

"Perth was obviously a flat pitch and I've spoken with the WACA.

"Perth traditionally has been very, very good and the WACA wicket preparation has been excellent all the other years."