PARITY BETWEEN BATSMEN AND BOWLERS DECREASES

 

Thanks to modern-day cricketing regulations, regulations, and practices, the myth that cricket is the game of a batsman has indeed become a reality.

For instance, just consider the current laws of field restrictions, free hits, and power plays, along with the practice of using larger bats, the principle of benefit of doubt, and the less swinging balls, all have disproportionately favored the batsman.

In addition, the stakeholders have chosen the strategy of having a high scoring game with the temptation to earn significant profit, thus requiring the use of flatter pitches with shorter boundaries.

The role of the bowler in contemporary cricket has been suppressed to be merely that of a subordinate rather than a match-winner as a result of all the reasons described above. And, the battle is more of a one-sided contest between the bowler and the batsman. In addition, the shorter formats such as T20s and T10s have increased the bowlers' pain even further.

The following graphs can be looked at to better understand the constant increase in bowlers' suffering.

It is observed from graph 1 that the percentage of match winning performances by the bowlers has been constantly declining. The player of the match percentage for bowlers was 29.4 percent in 2007, and it fell to a mere 24.4 percent in the most recent World Cup (2019). The percentage awards obtained by the batsmen, on the other hand, were above 60% by and large.

[NOTE: As per the author's evaluation of their success in a game, the assignment of players to the categories of bowlers, batsman or all-rounder was done.]

This drop in the bowlers' output is directly linked to the batsman's ability to score more runs after each edition of the World Cup, as can be seen in graph 2.

The average run scored in the first innings was as high as 274 and above in the final two editions of 2015 and 2019. This average, however, was below 250 in the 2007 and 2011 editions. In addition, from 2007 to 2019 edition, the average runs scored per match by a team batting in their second innings experienced a smooth rise. Matches abandoned or reduced to less than 50 overs have been omitted from the review.

Cricket is a zero-sum game between a batsman and a bowler, where the win of the batsman is a loss for the bowler, and, as is evident from the above figures, the bowlers have been on the losing end of this battle in the last decade or so.

In addition, the condition has also escalated with the Covid-19 pandemic, as now the bowlers are no longer able to use their saliva on the ball to reverse swing as the ball gets old. Unfortunately, if this pattern persists, then the war between the bowler and the batsman would be humdrum for the fans of cricket.

The top agenda for the International Cricket Council (ICC) should therefore be to think of remedial measures against these slanting patterns in favor of the batters. One such measurement may be, especially during Covid-19, the use of more bowler-friendly wickets. Nevertheless, it should be brought about as early as possible, whatever the remedy might be.