The improvement of cricket bats have played a big role in the evolution of cricket. Earlier bats were thin and light. The weight of the bat was not evenly distributed. Also the batsmen focused more on defence and did not concentrate on hitting the ball hard. The depended more on timing the ball.
This meant that if there is a miss hit the ball more often than not ended up in the hands of the fielder. So batsmen were weary of hitting the ball in the air. With time bats changed. Bats today are heavier, larger. The willow is unpressed, the bats are thicker as well. Hence if the ball hits the edge, it flies off it.
Today when the batmen is not able to connect the shot properly even then the ball goes a long distance. Many a times for six. That's why bowling has become very difficult because of the bats. A lot more sixes are hit today than earlier.
Once upon a time getting 220 runs to 250 runs in a one day match was considered a winning total. Today the team batting second can notch this runs in 40 overs, that too without taking too many risks. The batsmen today hit the ball a lot harder. The work very hard on getting stronger and their strength is apparent in the amount of force they are able to impart to their shots.
A few batsmen like AB de Villers are able to hit the ball over the head of the wicket keeper for sixes. In modern cricket even a total of 300 is not safe. These days a team has to get 330 runs or more to challenge the opposition. The pitches for one day matches are made flat and they give hardly any assistance to the bowlers.
There are players who are able to get 200+ runs in one day matches. Also many teams have crossed more than 400 runs total multiple times. People come to see boundaries and sixes being hit. The changes in games have come as per their demands.
Cricket was always exiting in the last 10 overs of the game and since 1996, the first 15 overs when field restrictions were on, yielded lots of runs. So the T20 format of cricket came into existence. A T20 game finishes within three and half hours. So so little time to play the batsmen go after the bowling from the first over.
In T20 cricket we consistently get to see a score of 160+ made in 20 overs. On many occasion it touches and crosses 200. The T20 format of the game is extremely exiting and is popular all over the world. One day cricket consumed an entire day. However T20 cricket is a wonderful evening pastime.
That's why cricket leagues like Indian Premier League(IPL), Big Bash, Carabbien Cricket League etc. have sprung up. This leagues have given players lots of opportunity to show their ability. The players who were never known to public because they never got a chance to play international cricket have shown great performances in this leagues.
While Test match cricket will always rule. T20 cricket will popularise cricket in more countries across the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment