A budding cricketer wanting to dazzle the cricketing universe with bowling performances? Then brace yourself for the tough atmosphere building against bowlers. 

Whether it’s T20s, One-day Internationals or Tests, bowlers face punishments at the hands of batters. No matter whether they bowl up, back off the length or short-pitch stuff, they only see balls sailing into the crowd. 

While that intrigues the crowd, bowlers feel disheartened as good deliveries don’t get them wickets. Sad, but true in today’s slam-bang cricketing era. 

In today’s segment, we will discuss the pain of bowlers and the possible remedies the International Cricket Council (ICC) must bring in to ensure batters and bowlers are on a level playing field.

IPL 2024 – Bowlers Left Stunned as Batters Pile on Over 200 for Numerous Occasions

The IPL 2024 is proving to be a graveyard for bowlers. 38 games have been played so far out of which 17 games saw scores of over 200. Some games saw scores of well over 250. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) scored 287 and 277 against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Delhi Capitals (DC), respectively. RCB, in response to 287, finished at 262. Had Dinesh Karthik who scored 83 off 35 balls stayed there till the end, anything could have happened. 

In another game, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) piled on 261 batting first against Punjab Kings (PBKS). However, that was not enough to win KKR the game as PBKS chased that total in 18.4 overs losing just wickets, powered by Johnny Bairstow’s 108 off 48 balls and quick-fire half-centuries from Prabhsimran Singh (54 off 20 balls) and Shashank Singh (68 off 28 balls). DC piled on 257 batting first against Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium. MI, courtesy of Tilak Verma’s 32-ball 63, Hardik Pandya’s 25-ball 46 and Tim David’s 17-ball 37, nearly got to the total, losing the game by just 10 runs. 

There have been games with scores of 180-200 too where chases didn’t see tight finishes. Bowlers have been put on the back foot from the word go. They are running short of ideas on how to contain batters as every trick of theirs proves inadequate as batters continue to assault them disdainfully. 

Batters Up and Ready to Demolish Bowlers in T20 WC 2024

The power-hitting displayed by batters in the ongoing IPL will certainly put them in the right shape in the T20 WC 2024 slated to happen in West Indies and the USA. Teams like Australia and England are full of power-hitters, and rightly so, they are potential semi-finalists for T20 WC 2024. With their batters having displayed a wide range of strokes in the cash-rich IPL, these teams won’t have been any happier. Other teams like India and Pakistan are also in contention, courtesy of strengths in both bowling and batting. The conditions in the Caribbean are much like what prevails in India. That only makes life more difficult for the bowlers.

One-day Internationals Don’t See Scores of 250-280 These Days

One-day Internationals, the most lovable format till the inaugural T20 WC in 2007, used to see nail-biting finishes more often than not. There used to be fights for every run and every wicket. Scores of 250-280 used to see fights. Not anymore! Now even scores of 300+ see a tame end to the game. Teams are chasing comfortably today as batters have just far too many shots to demolish bowlers. Thanks to the growing influence of T20s on 50-over cricket. Even if the team requires 100 off the last 10 overs, they are doing it comfortably, contrary to the earlier times when even 70 off the last 10 overs used to see a thrilling finish. Whether it’s a bilateral ODI series or a showpiece event like the World Cup, the scenario remains bad for the bowlers. 

Bowlers Don’t Find a Foot Even in SENA Countries

SENA is a popular abbreviation for South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia in the cricketing context. These are countries where bowlers used to relish in ODIs before the 2011 World Cup. But these days, bowlers have been getting smashed as there’s no swing and seam on offer for them, unlike earlier times. Wickets have become flatter with no grass on the surface, pleasing batters and annoying bowlers. 

Test Cricket Also Sees Domination of Batters Over Bowlers

The ultimate format of cricket – Test matches – has been transformed, courtesy of the Bazball theory employed by England where they go hammer and tongs while batting. No matter whether it’s the first over of the innings or the last ball of the day, their batters want to assault. Their scoring rate in tests has been around 5 runs per over, sending shivers down the spine of opposition bowlers. They have been largely successful in their endeavours. However, they lost badly to India in the recently concluded Test Series playing in that fashion. But that’s a rare failure! Other teams like India and Australia are also embracing Bazball in their own way. However, test cricket still sees something for the bowlers, maybe not as much as was the case earlier. 

What Should the ICC Do to Bring a Balance?

While slam-bang action may have entertained the crowd watching it at the stadium and the ones at their homes, it does not present a healthy picture of cricket. Seeing the same, the future generation of cricketers won’t like to be bowlers. The game will continue to be predictable if the ICC does not step in. It should start with revamping the pitches all over the world. 

Make pitches responsive to bowlers in both white and red-ball cricket. Yes, conditions differ from one country to another. Like in the subcontinent, wickets can’t hold moisture for a long time because of the blazing heat here.  But there, wickets can be slightly abrasive to help the spinners in shorter formats. Similarly, SENA countries must have hard grass on the surface to ensure breathing space for bowlers. Although host countries dominate when preparing pitches for bilateral ties, the ICC must step in to make sure the competition remains between bat and ball, regardless of the format. 

Summing Up

It all boils down to the contest between bat and ball that everyone wants to see. So, while we appreciate towering sixes, we must not ignore the hammering bowlers receive across formats. Time for the ICC and cricket boards across countries to brainstorm on ways to restore balance between bat and ball. For more such insights, visit zarooribaathai.in where you get true information based on research and analysis by our experts.