Over the past few years, we have seen a pattern of highest total records being set and broken in one-day cricket…
The game of cricket is ever-changing, with new rules being introduced every four to five years. The latest rules that have been implemented have been batsman friendly in multiple ways. These changes are often justified by saying that fans want to see high-scoring games and batsmen dominating the encounters. But the true romance of cricket also lies in low-scoring thrillers – in which teams are fighting tooth and nail for every single run. Nowadays, even a total in range of 350 is deemed achievable. Here we look at the reasons as to why the bowlers have found it difficult over the past few years.
England set a new world record for the highest ODI total – 6/481 #ENGvAUS
Highest ODI Totals:
6/481 – England v AUS at Nottingham in 2018
3/444 – England v PAK at Nottingham in 2016
9/443 – Sri Lanka v NED at Amstelveen in 2006
2/439 – South Africa v WI at Johannesburg in 2015— Fox Sports Lab (@FoxSportsLab) June 19, 2018
Changing of rules
The changing of rules has seen a drastic dip in the quality of bowling in one-day cricket. The regulations such as the introduction of two new balls and fielding restrictions (maximum of four fielders outside the circle) in the non power-play overs. The introduction of two new balls from each end has made it difficult for bowlers to make their mark in the death overs, as the ball doesn’t get old enough to reverse. It is easy to hit a hard ball, because when compared to a soft ball it will come on to the bat easily.
Fielding restrictions have played a major role in putting bowlers on the back-foot. Most of the times bowlers are looking to defend rather than attack. This frame of mind has seen batsmen take charge and we have seen many batting records tumble over the past few years.
Agree with @sachin_rt?https://t.co/ul04bhK87m pic.twitter.com/2paV6HnVqH
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) June 23, 2018
Flat Pitches
The pitches across the globe have gone a little bit too batting friendly. In the old days, different countries provided their own unique flavour of pitches. In England, the ball swung; in Australia, it bounced more than usual; and in the sub-continent, spin friendly pitches provided challenges for the batsman. But the over the last few years, the 22-yard decks all around world are pretty much the same – flat and easy to bat on.
Change of mentality in bowlers
Bowlers in modern day cricket try to save runs rather than look for wickets. This change in mentality has occurred due to the increase in T20 cricket and introduction of T20 leagues. The back-foot approach of bowlers enables the batsman to get set, which ultimately allows the batsmen to go hard in the death overs.
The bowlers coming through the youth systems have been seen to opt for a much more defensive mindset – which shows the negative aspect of T20 cricket in the game. As we do not see bowlers bowling with genuine pace and a consistently good length to get wickets, the emphasis is being put on change of pace and variation of lengths. This saves runs over the course of the game, but doesn’t get the wickets.
I think the ICC should look into this matter, and flex the laws a little bit. The bowlers deserve the breathing space they need and it will allow them to showcase their skills to the fullest – as both the batsmen and bowlers should have an even chance of success to make the game interesting.
As the importance of bowlers is rightly stated in this quote;
‘Batsmen win you games, bowlers win you tournaments.’