A batsman's game

Glenn Maxwell's innings against Afghanistan yesterday could be a classic example to illustrate how more and more cricket is evolving into a batsman's game.

The outrageously talented all-rounder came to the crease in the 38th over, the third of the batting Powerplay. He reverse-swept the second ball over point for a boundary, curved one over long on for a six in the next over from Dawlat Zadran, and two overs later, reverse-flicked a 140kph delivery from Shapoor Zadran over the third man boundary. The most outrageous shot, though, came in the 45th over when he flicked Shapoor over square leg, with a minimalist movement of the body. By the time Maxwell departed, he had added 88 runs in 39 deliveries, 28 of which scoring shots, including six boundaries and seven maximums.

Now as much as these shots owe to the skill-set of the batsman, there is no denying that factors and changes in rules have also played a conducive role in manufacturing those shots.

In International Cricket Council's endless endeavour to make the game more television friendly (read batsman friendly), a number of new rules were introduced after the last World Cup. The most significant of those changes was reducing the number of fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle (except for the two Powerplay blocks when only two and three fielders are allowed outside the ring respectively) from five to four. The other change -- although on first thought may seem a bowling-friendly move, but turns out to be a batting-friendly one on further analysis – is the use of two new balls from two ends. What these two changes do in combination is that it sort of discourages the pinch-hitting approach at the start of the innings, but more than compensates for that by allowing more opportunities to score as the innings progresses. How?

The two new balls wear off less than one would; meaning that the balls remain harder to hit and offer less reverse swing at the death.

Unless the bowler produces swing in the air, the batting friendly wickets at use give the bowlers less assistance off the pitch. And the longer the innings progresses, it becomes easy pickings for batsmen. Hence most teams try to lay a solid platform in the mandatory Powerplay rather than going bonkers, and maximise it during the batting Powerplay and the last ten overs, sending the most powerful and improvising hitters in that part. In the first 24 completed matches of this World Cup, teams batting first have put on 10.81 runs every over on average in the last ten overs, a rise of 3.17 runs per over from the last World Cup.

The end result is: Three 400+ scores, another fourteen 300+ scores, a double century and 19 centuries -- all in a matter of 25 matches. The batsmen are having everything going their way. Almost everything.