Cricket has changed drastically through the last two decades but not all changes are good. What was once supposed to be a fierce contest between the batsmen and bowlers of two teams has now turned into a battle of batsmen. Although the people seem to enjoy the never-ending streak of boundaries in cricket, they fail to assess how seemingly boring the game has become. It's the like watching the same movie over and over again but with a different ending, every time and that's why people are more interested in results now than how the match goes down. People have forgotten the joy of watching a nail-biting low scoring match. While ICC thinks that they are making the game more interesting but this batsman dominated cricket is not the elixir that will keep cricket immortal instead it is a slow poison that is killing it. Let us have a look at the factors which are responsible for this change.
RULES The game has not drifted away to this state on its own but the administrators have guided it here. The rules are being modified continuously to favour the batsman. The No-ball which was once a warning for overstepping on the crease now comes with a free-hit. To add to the bowler’s woes, comes the new field restrictions which allow at max 4 players outside the 30-yard circle.
Another addition to this list is the one bouncer per over rule. Bouncers were the bowler's ultimate weapon to prove their dominance but now they are stripped off of that too. Now they are allowed to bowl a limited number of bouncers, making them not only helpless but also predictable. The introduction of DRS has brought forth another headache for the bowlers. The umpire's’ decision can now be overturned. Having read these rules you would be thinking that cricket ground is batsman's heaven and you are right beyond any doubt.
PITCHES AND GROUNDS Since day one, a good pitch in cricket is the one where the runs flowed seamlessly and the bad one is where the bowlers thrived. It is this thinking that has brought the state of the pitches to such lows. Every curator wants to make a good pitch and hence they even go to the extent of changing the original nature of the pitches. For example, Australia always boasted of fast and bouncy pitches while the Indian subcontinent was always proud of it's rank turners but today we find the same flat pitches everywhere in the World.
The ever decreasing size of boundaries is another blessing in the seemingly never-ending list of boons for batsmen. Even the edges fly over the boundary for sixes. With no help from the pitch, the bowlers are forced to bowl straight and are hit around the park.
BETTER EQUIPMENT With advancements in technology, the gears are improving and with it, the batsmen get even another blessing. With a good bat in your hand and your body well protected the only thing on your mind will be to hit the ball out of the ground. One of the most controversial topics is the thickness of the bat and even the regulated size is enough to clear the short boundaries of the grounds. Let alone the size of the bats, the quality of willow has also improved a lot adding quality to the bats.
ARE THERE ANY BENEFITS? I see one and only one benefit in this new style of the game and that is it will build the character of the bowlers. All of us understand how tough this phase is and will be for the bowlers but we must appreciate the fact that even after knowing that the odds are stacked against yet the bowlers give their best on the field. This shows how strong their mindset is moreover they are adapting fast to these situations but not enough to stop the flow of runs. They are trying variations like the knuckleball or the slower ones and the wrong ones but this won't be enough to resurrect their pride. The administrators need to work to regain the balance of the game otherwise the day is not too far when bowlers will be replaced by bowling machines on the field of Cricket.
