In a bid to address the issue of short-lived Test matches like the recent Boxing Day Ashes Test in Melbourne, former Australian cricketer and coach Darren Lehmann has proposed eliminating the traditional coin toss from Test cricket.

Lehmann suggested doing away with this longstanding practice, which has been a staple in the sport since the first Test match in 1877.

Critics argue that the coin toss has grown disproportionately influential, especially on uneven playing surfaces such as the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), which can be either overly favorable to bowlers or too benign to yield a decisive outcome.

“The toss has always played a crucial role in cricket, but with so many unpredictable pitches nowadays, I think it’s time to let the visiting team decide,” commented a fan on social media platform X. This suggestion was subsequently shared by former Test player Jason Gillespie.

Lehmann expressed his agreement with this viewpoint, advocating for a permanent change to the tradition.

“Abolish the toss; let the away team make the choice. It’s as straightforward as that,” Lehmann responded in support of the fan and Gillespie’s shared post.

Former Australian batsman and coach Darren Lehmann (pictured left with Travis Head) wants to see the coin toss scrapped in Test cricket

Lehmann’s call comes after a shocking wicket produced another lopsided contest as England beat Australia inside two days in Melbourne (pictured, England star Brydon Carse)

Lehmann and other experts believe winning the toss has become too much of an advantage due to the use of very lopsided pitches like the MCG’s Boxing Day track 

Lehmann has long been an advocate for eradicating the coin toss, vocally opposing it after Australia beat New Zealand in 2015.  

‘That is one that should definitely come in to cricket, where the opposition gets the right to choose what they want to do,’ Lehmann said.

‘I reckon it will stop all the wickets suiting the home team.’

Lehmann expanded on the issue the following year in his autobiography, Coach. 

‘The biggest challenge to the longest format, for me at least, comes not from Twenty20 but from the surfaces on which matches are being played,’ Lehmann said.

‘Put simply, those surfaces are either far too bland or, conversely, are far too heavily weighted in favour of the home side. In both instances, that does Test cricket no good at all.

‘On the other hand, no one wants to see 600 plays 500 on pitches that offer the bowlers nothing. Producing tracks like that is the surest way to kill off the format.

‘My solution to ensure the best possible pitches are produced is, at international level, to do away with the toss, with the visiting side given the option of whether they want to bat or bowl.

Shane Warne was a big advocate for getting rid of the toss and just letting the away side pick whether to bat or bowl

Former Australian captain Steve Waugh has also pushed for the coin toss to be scrapped by the International Cricket Council

‘That way the result is not decided by the toss of the coin, host boards have a greater incentive to produce decent pitches that are fair to both sides.

‘And the chances are that after five days the better side – rather than the one that has called correctly and thus been able to take advantage of favourable conditions – is the one that will come out on top.’

While England won the toss in Melbourne and chose to bowl first on the green top, other nations have had serious issues with the toss.

India recently lost its 14th coin toss in succession, at odds of about one in 16,000, which has played its role in the team losing a Test series in South Africa and drawing a series in England.

The late, great Shane Warne also called for the coin toss to be scrapped ahead of India’s tour of Australia in 2018.

‘The visiting team, in this instance it would be India, they choose what they want to do in every Test match,’ he said.

‘The same goes on in India, so if India want to prepare huge turning wickets, Australia say ‘we bat first’.

‘If Australia want to produce green seaming wickets, they (India) decide we’re going to bowl first. Get rid of the toss, the away team chooses what they want to do.’

West Indian great Michael Holding is one of many former international stars who also want to see the end of the coin toss

And former Australian captain Allan Border has also previously suggested the toss be axed, at least on a trial basis.

‘I’m in the camp for no toss and letting the visiting side decide,’ Border said in July. 

‘Traditionally it shouldn’t play such an important role in the game but it has become that way.

‘I don’t think we need to fiddle around with Test cricket too much but it has become an issue because all visiting sides feel like they get stitched up by pitch preparation.

‘Of course, the only way to do these things is to trial them first.’

The ICC seriously considered investigating the removal of the coin toss in 2018, in notes that became public, but no action has been taken since. 

‘There is serious concern about the current level of home team interference in Test pitch preparation,’ notes from the ICC briefing read.

‘And more than one committee member believes that the toss should be automatically awarded to the visiting team in each match, although there are some others on the committee who do not share that view.’ 

International superstars Ricky Ponting, Michael Holding, Ian Botham and Steve Waugh have also suggested the toss be abandoned in the past. 

”The minor setback there in my opinion, is that tosses are big for television. It makes for good tension, everyone is focused on that coin when it’s in the air and the winning captain’s decision and so on,’ Holding wrote for Wisden in 2015. 

‘But that isn’t relevant now, times have changed and interest is waning in Test match cricket. What you need to do now is to make sure you have even contests between bat and ball. 

‘For that, there should be no toss and the visiting captain should be allowed to decide what he wants to do after inspecting the pitch.’ 

Waugh previously argued the psychological effect could be significant. 

‘I don’t mind that, I think that’s not such a bad thing,’ Waugh told SEN in 2015. 

‘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.’