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guyanatimesGY.com
monday, november 4, 2013
Are bowlers under threat in one-day cricket?
MS Dhoni recently complained about the new rules of the ODI game By Suresh Menon
I
ndia chased down a target of over 350 runs twice in the ongoing series against Australia Batsmen have chased down successfully targets of over 300 runs twice in four completed games in the ongoing one-day cricket series between India and Australia. Sports writer Suresh Menon examines whether the bowlers are under threat in the shorter version of the game. In the early years of oneday international cricket, 250 runs from 50 overs was considered a good score. Once the asking rate went up to six an over in the
chase, it was assumed the game had gone out of reach for the team batting second. Today, 300 is a par score at most venues, 350 a good one and so long as the asking rate is kept around eight an over, the chase is on track. Progress? Or its reverse? Is batting in one-day cricket getting too good for its own good? Are the seeds for the elimination of this format being sown by the game’s rulemakers? If a match has twice produced over 700 runs in the India-Australia ODI series, don’t blame the rules alone. We must acknowledge that the two sets of bowlers have been depressingly mediocre. Even Mitchell Johnson,
the man who rattled India’s middle order (meaning Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh) twice, bowled badly, too short, too wide and too fast. The day after India chased 350 and won against Australia in Nagpur, South Africa and Pakistan played out a close finish in Sharjah where the two teams combined made only 365. The rules didn’t make this a feast of sixes and fours because the bowling was so superior. Unlike Test matches which are won by bowlers, one-dayers are won by batsmen. This is the essential difference between the two formats. The dice were loaded against the bowler from the start––the assumption then, as now, was that spectators came to watch boundaries being hit rather than the ball beating the bat.
cause the ODI was the T20 of its time, with big hits, quick running and a technique all its own. In other words, it was always thus. The new ODI rules–two new balls per innings, and a maximum of four fielders outside the circle–have contributed to the big scores, but television is not complaining, the spectators are not, and one hasn’t heard a peep out of the sponsors. India and Australia play the final ODI in Bangalore on Sunday with the series tied at two wins each–who could have asked for more? One-day cricket is expected not only to produce results, but produce them as late as possible.
Mediocre
Once Twenty20 cricket established itself, it was always more likely that the inbetween format would move closer to the 20-over game than Test cricket. Bowlers in the IndiaAustralia series have been “mediocre” To expect the rhythm and flow of Test cricket in a limited-overs game is unrealistic. Indian skipper MS Dhoni’s recent complaint about the irrelevancy of the bowler is surprising–not just because it comes from a batsman, but equally be-
Mitchell Johnson
Par scores have gone up over the decades because technological advances in batting have been far ahead of technical ones in bowling. A mis-hit can carry for
India recently chased down two scores over 350 and won
six thanks to the quality of the bats, the “sweet spot” is spread over a greater area, and to add to that is the fact that players are fitter and stronger.
Innovations
The only innovations in bowling since the first one-day international was played four decades ago have been reverse swing and the doosra. If there were no complaints about the twoball system when it was first tried years ago, it was because there was no reverse swing either. Yes, the new rules do work against the bowlers. But not to the extent that is being made out. Can one fielder make a difference? Yes he can, when you consider there are only nine fielders who can be moved around, five of them inside the circle. Bowlers will have to choose between bowling to their strength or to the batsman’s weakness, and that’s an interesting choice. It is,
however, difficult to accept the idea gaining currency that this rule has killed the yorker as a weapon. Any sport evolves through a system of one set of performers working out either a new technique or a tactic, then the other countering it and adding to it their own leading to a further response and so on. Bowlers have had to counter back-foot play in WG Grace’s time to the uppercut in Sachin Tendulkar’s. Batsmen have had to deal with the outswinger at the turn of the 20th century to the doosra. It is the natural order of things. Occasionally, the rulemakers add their weight to the side which already has the advantage. If the bowlers and captains don’t figure out a counter-move soon, maybe the technical committee might have another look at it. But it’s too early to throw up your hands. Give the creative response a chance. Suresh Menon is editor, Wisden India Almanack. (BBC Sport)
Bangladesh chase 308, sweep series 3-0 Vettel takes
Shamsur Rahman set up the chase with 96 (AFP)
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angladesh banked on a string of partnerships and two fine knocks by Shamsur Rahman and Naeem Islam, as they swept the ODI series 3-0 after chasing 309 in the final over in Fatullah. The four-wicket win matched the 2010 clean sweep at home, which New Zealand lost 4-0. This was also Bangladesh’s second successful chase of a target of 300 or above in ODIs. The home side took full advantage of the new ODI rules that allow only four fielders outside the 30yard circle during the non Powerplay overs, continually chipping the ball over the infield, and making
sure they used the shorter, straight boundaries. New Zealand’s 307 for 5 was the highest score at this ground at the innings break, but it wasn’t enough in the end. Ross Taylor shored up an inexperienced batting lineup with his eighth hundred, but his efforts went in vain. Mahmudullah and Nasir added 35 for the sixth wicket before Mahmudullah was given out caught behind in the 48th over, although he wasn’t fully convinced and neither were the replays conclusive. A few dot balls afterwards added to the tension among the near-capacity crowd but Nasir released the pressure with a thump over midwicket at the end of the 48th over, bringing down the chase to a run-aball. Nasir kept his nerve, just as he did last year in the deciding fifth ODI against West Indies in which he also guided Bangladesh to a close win. Sohag Gazi completed the win with an upper-cut boundary off the second ball of the last over. Shamsur Rahman missed out on his maiden century, but his contribution, particularly in the absence of the ill Tamim Iqbal, was valuable. He started off briskly with Ziaur Rahman, as the new opening pair
added 50 in the seventh over. Ziaur acted as a pinchhitter, hammering two sixes and two fours in his 22 before getting out in the eighth over. But that didn’t stop Shamsur from going after the bowlers, hammering Mitchell McClenaghan for two sixes in one over. He and Mominul Haque added another quick 65 runs in 11 overs to maintain the pace of the chase. Mominul, however, fell to a soft dismissal to Anton Devcich, for 32 off
33.
Earlier it was Taylor’s hundred that gave New Zealand much-needed impetus, mainly in the last ten overs. After he had added 130 runs for the fourth wicket with Colin Munro, he made sure he took full advantage of Bangladesh’s pace bowling in the slog overs, one of their biggest weaknesses. In the last five overs, Bangladesh conceded 73 runs, after they added just 25 between the 40th and 45th over. (Cricinfo)
SCOREBOARD New Zealand innings A Devcich c A Razzak b Mahmudullah 46 T Latham c †M Rahim b R Hossain 43 G Elliott c S Gazi b A Razzak 3 R Taylor not out 107 C Munro c †M Rahim b Mahmudullah 85 C Anderson c Z Rahman b Sohag Gazi 1 L Ronchi† not out 13 Extras: (lb 3, w 6) 9 Total: (5 wkts, 50 overs) 307 Fall of wickets: 1-66, 2-82, 3-101, 4-231, 5-232 Bowling: M Mortaza 8-073-0, R Hossain 6-0-38-1, S Gazi 10-0-67-1, A Razzak 9-0-57-1, N Hossain 10-1-330, Mahmudullah 7-0-36-2
Bangladesh innings S Rahman c †Ronchi b Anderson 96 Z Rahman c Milne b McClenaghan 22 Mominul Haque c & b Devcich 32 Mushfiqur Rahim*† c Taylor b McCullum 2 Naeem Islam run out (McClenaghan/†Ronchi) 63 Nasir Hossain not out 44 Mahmudullah c †Ronchi b McClenaghan 16 Sohag Gazi not out 11 Extras: (b 4, lb 3, w 9, nb 7) 23 Total: (6 wkts, 49.2 overs) 309 Fall of wickets: 1-61, 2-126, 3-129, 4-204, 5-254, 6-289 Bowling: K Mills 8-1-55-0, A Milne 7-0-46-0, M McClenaghan 9.2-0-65-2, C Anderson 100-56-1, N McCullum 8-044-1, A Devcich 7-0-36-1
crushing Abu Dhabi GP win for Red Bull
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ed Bull’s Sebastian Vettel dominated the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to seal his seventh consecutive victory on Sunday. Vettel, already world champion, led every lap as he beat his Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber, Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg and Lotus’s Romain Grosjean. Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso enlivened the closing laps with a late charge to take fifth from Force India’s Paul Di Resta and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton. The Spaniard was later cleared by stewards for passing off the track. Alonso’s late progress was one of a number of scraps through the race for the lower positions, but it all took place behind Vettel, who was in total control once he had beaten Webber into the first corner. The Australian had beaten his team-mate to pole position on Saturday but Vettel made a slightly better start, led into the first corner and drove off into the distance. “The car was absolutely brilliant. Not much more to say. Massive gaps, big surprise,” said Vettel.
He made his first stop several laps later than Webber, Rosberg and Grosjean, which meant he could come in for tyres for the first time on lap 14 and rejoin without losing the lead. Webber’s hopes of challenging Vettel were ended when he was passed by Rosberg at the first corner. Unable to pass the Mercedes during the first stint, Webber was further delayed when he came out behind Adrian Sutil’s Force India following his first pit stop on lap eight. By the time he had cleared Sutil and further traffic in front of him and passed Rosberg for second place on lap 20, Webber was 27 seconds behind Vettel and the race was long over. “The start wasn’t great,” said Webber. “Nico’s was unbelievable, Seb’s was a bit better. Anyway I wasn’t strong enough on the soft tyres [in the first stint]. “Seb got a very good gap, I had to reposition on the primes. Seb was gone. In another category out front.” It was Vettel’s 11th win this season, equalling his tally from his second championship-winning season in 2011.
(BBC Sport)