Thanks for logging in.

You can now click/tap WATCH to start the live stream.

Thanks for logging in.

You can now click/tap LISTEN to start the live stream.

Thanks for logging in.

You can now click/tap LATEST NEWS to start the live stream.

LISTEN
Watch
on air now

Create a 3AW account today!

You can now log in once to listen live, watch live, join competitions, enjoy exclusive 3AW content and other benefits.


Joining is free and easy.

You will soon need to register to keep streaming 3AW online. Register an account or skip for now to do it later.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Cricket fan proposes new coin toss system to mitigate ‘unfair’ advantage for winning

Jacqui Felgate
Article image for Cricket fan proposes new coin toss system to mitigate ‘unfair’ advantage for winning

A cricket fan has come up with a new coin toss system he says will mitigate the at-times “unfair” advantage one side gets by winning the toss.

While the coin toss itself is a random event, winning and choosing whether your side bats or bowls is often a game-defining advantage on flat or deteriorating pitches.

Associate Professor Haris Aziz, a game theory expert from UNSW, has come up with an alternative he calls Toss, Propose and Choose.

The first step is the same, a coin is tossed in the air and a heads or tails outcome determined.

However, in his system, the losing captain then gets the chance to make a proposition to the toss-winning captain.

On a flat pitch, for example, they may propose a 100-run handicap for batting first.

The toss-winning captain then gets to decide whether they’ll bat or bowl, with or against the advantage proposed by the loser.

“The reason I think this method is quite fair is because it has a mathematic justification,” Professor Haris Aziz said on 3AW Drive.

Press PLAY below to hear Professor Haris Aziz explain his system

Picture: Getty iStock

Jacqui Felgate
Advertisement