Modern Cricket has become a batsman's game - Opinion
Since the inception of limited-overs cricket back in 1970s, the game has continuously became faster and faster. One of the major facets of the modern-day game is the domination of the batsmen. Most of the former cricketers, including the former World Cup
winning captain of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Imran-Khan-c64237 believe that the quality of batsmen have improved massively.
Entertainment is a crucial aspect of the ‘gentlemen’s game’ in the 21st century and it is something which is usually associated with more and more boundaries and high-scoring matches.
As T20 came to the fold of international cricket, batsmen have started to dominate more and more. Even the laws in the game have been amended to make things easier for the batsmen. Gone are the days when tear-away fast bowlers were able to scare the batsmen
with unlimited bouncers. In the modern-day game, just one bouncer is allowed per over in limited-overs cricket and two in the longer version of the sport.
The quality of pitches has enhanced with the passage of time and most of the tracks these days are like heavens for the batsmen, who can just plant their foot forward and smack the ball out of the park. Most of the cricket pundits have been advocating for
supportive pitches all around the world but as more and more money is getting involved in the game, sponsors and broadcasters want flatter tracks, so that they can provide the so-called entertainment to the masses.
On top of that, the use of scientific technology in making cricket equipments has brought about a revolution in the quality of bats. In the previous years, a batsman had to find the middle of the bat to strike a six but this is not a compulsion these days
as a thick top-edge can take the ball over the fence.
The situation has been made so horrible for the bowlers that most of the young and budding cricketers like to become batsmen, instead of trying to emulate the likes of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shane-Keith-Warne-c89672. This is a prime reason behind the fact that there are not
enough genuine fast bowlers in international cricket at the moment. Apart from http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Brett-Lee-c48419, there is no one in international cricket at the moment, who can be rated as an out-and-out fast bowler.
Arguably, there are not many quality spin bowlers in international cricket either. The boundaries are getting smaller in order to facilitate more runs but the cricket authorities must keep this in mind that things are getting frustrating for the bowlers.
Former Indian left-arm spinner, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Murali-Kartik-c78034 expressed his anger earlier this week and said that it is getting increasingly difficult to restrict the hard-hitting batsmen because of shorter boundaries.
"In Twenty20, we get to play in postage stamp-sized grounds and as a bowler, you know that the batsmen will come hard at you every ball. On flat tracks, there is the strategy of trying to buy a wicket (give away a few runs and let the batsman make a mistake),
but that's just not possible in this format. You have to minimize the damage and thus it becomes very important to realize what ball to bowl when and to whom,” said Kartik.
Cricket is a game of bat and ball and both the facets of the game are incomplete without each other. Hence, a fine balance must be maintained, otherwise cricket will lose its charm. The ball is in the court of the governing body of the game to take the
responsibility and make sure that bowlers and batsmen have equal chance of proving their worth.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely of the author, and do not represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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