A gentleman’s game. Thy name is cricket. It’s played with all seriousness and manly etiquettes or supposed to be played that way. But every action has an opposite reaction and sometimes demons, atleast that’s what the media calls them are born out of normal beings when they go overboard and challenge the set norm.
Ramchandran Ashwin is currently undergoing such flack as he ran out over enthusiastic Jos Buttler in an IPL match. The run out divided cricket fraternity into 2 worlds, confused BCCi for their official stand and made fans getting biased as per their local team affiliations.
Sportsmanship will always give verdict against Ashwin but one needs to look into this episode beyond virtuosity and revisit few basics through which the game is played.
Over the years, the game of cricket, atleast the limited overs format has become batsman friendly and rules tilt more in favour of them rather than the bowlers.
Gone are the days, fearsome fast bowlers had the liberty to scare batsman. The surprise element with bouncers are now under restrictions per over. The batsman then sorts out even the lethals amongst the lot.
Spectators pay to watch the batsman score and feel dejected if wickets tumble. The game is moving towards box collections which ultimately have reduced the sporting pitches and made bowlers mentally prepared to get hammered. A strike rate of under 30 and economy rate below 7 are hugely appreciated against the old standards of the game.
The field restrictions add to the woe of the bowlers all the while. Batsmen are assured with restrictions and wilfully play for the gallery as records tumble, bowlers fumble and spectators roar.
The extras, especially no-balls changed the way they behave in contemporary cricket. They have become boon to batsman with the new rules incorporated few years ago.
Not the least, DRS has taken away the X-Factor of human errors which used to add spice to the game with human umpiring and many times, the bowlers getting it their way if not always !
So where does the bowler stand in today’s cricket?
He has to become more innovative and bring the variations all the while and add additional skills.
The competition for spot in 11 is extremely tough with youngsters tottering all the way.
With replacement options easily available, pressure to perform and provide results loom over the mind.
Ultimately, it’s out of box thinking and going against the tide bring wickets to the bowler.
With corporate IPL, the pressure to contribute has reached sky high and especially if you are a captain of struggling side, everything seem to be fair to win the game. That’s what precisely happened in the game between Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals. Staying within the rule books, Ashwin did what many perceived as unwarranted.
The discussions would drag on for fair play, but the game is bound to face challenges if rules of the game are written with spectators as top priority, then batsmen and bowlers being last on the list.
Disclaimer : The blog primarily looks to bring two sides of coin when the game of cricket is looked into batsman versus bowler sport. The opinion is individual and does not not intend to be judgmental on any specific individual or team.
Image courtesy: newsd. In
- Jayawant
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