Battle for the death

Against Sri Lanka yesterday, Australia were at 159 for two at the end of 30 overs, and ended up with 376 for nine. It was the sixth instance in this tournament of a side scoring more than 200 in the last 20 overs, all while batting first. A certain pattern has developed in this World Cup. In the 16 completed matches between Test nations, 12 have been won by the side batting first. Of the remaining four, three have featured sub-200 totals in the first innings.

Sides batting first seem to have a distinct advantage, and the reason for that may lie in the new regulations of playing with two new balls at each end and allowing only four fielders outside the 30-yard circle (it was five before November 2012) in non-Powerplay overs. The result seems to be that sides batting first keep wickets in hand for the first 30 overs and then, with a block of five Powerplay overs (when three fielders are allowed outside the circle) and balls just 15 overs old and flying off the bat, go hell for leather in the last 20.

The same however cannot be said of sides chasing 350-plus totals as Sri Lanka were yesterday. In that case, the pressure is on from the start and the luxury of playing themselves in is not available to batsmen. Sri Lanka batted brilliantly; Tillakaratne Dilshan and the sublime Kumar Sangakkara built a great partnership but they were still left needing 10 an over in the last 20. Batsmen coming in had to start hitting out from the start; too big a task against bowlers of the calibre of Mitchell Starc and James Faulkner.

The most damaging regulation for fielding teams has been the reduction of fielders allowed outside the circle. It often means that all batsmen have to do is pierce a gap or clear the in-field for the ball to go for four. Having no sweeper cover or a long off in the last 10 overs was unthinkable five years ago, yet that is what captains have been reduced to now. 

The death overs have become the battleground for supremacy in this edition and sides seem to be built around that gameplan of maximising returns in the last 20. Yesterday Glenn Maxwell played as only he and AB de Villiers can in making the second-fastest World Cup century. Taking full advantage of the gaps in the outfield, he drove Angelo Mathews to distraction by reacting to his field changes and hitting boundaries where gaps were created.

Australia's bowling is also in rude health because in Starc and Faulkner, they have two of the best death-over bowlers, which Sri Lanka discovered to their detriment. 

A DIFFERENT TAKE

New Zealand are the only side that have taken a different route. Perhaps recognising the strategy of their opponents, led by the hyper-aggressive Brendon McCullum, they have consistently sought to deliver the knockout blow in the early exchanges, with both bat and ball. Although they have fielded first in four of their five matches, they have won all of them and that is down to taking early wickets, which has sapped the batting side's momentum. No side has yet batted the full 50 overs against New Zealand.