Better Batsmen?

[Rich2001]

Better Batsmans?

I was just thinking what in cricket has changed in the last year or so.

Scoring a 100 was a speical thing, but to score 150-200 was a quite rare and special sight. Now don't get me wrong here I still think that but just looking back I can't believe the amount of very very high 100's and over this year (both domestic games and more so internationally).

R.Dravid alone has just hit 5 double 100's in like his last 10 inngs or something silly, Sehwag / Ponting etc have all got scores over 195 in this series as well so far.

Lara and Smith both hit huge scores in the first Test of the SA v WI series last week and just in general I can think of lots and lots of massive scores (lets not forget Matty Hayden, regardless of if you think it was a record or not 380 is alot of runs!)

M.Vaughan in his prime over the last year got to the 180's and 190's about 3 times.

What do you think has changed if anything, are batsman just getting better, or bowlers weaker... or is it just one of those things and you probley wont see a 150 all next year!

 

[Tom Halsey]

Yeah. Warne being banned has a bit to do with it, but not much. Pitches seem to be getting flatter, if you ask me. I think we are going to far about the preparing good pitches thing. We will end up with all draws, if it carries on (2 draws between Eng and Sri Lanka, draws between NZ and Ind, draw between Pak and NZ, etc.) or possibly N.Z. are boring?:P

 

[krkode]

But such centuries have always been made, albeit only by the Australians, English and West Indians, if we're talking about before. Nowadays, with the increase in good, competitive cricket teams, you see scores more often. They've increased proportionally to the number of good players.

If you ask me, I'd say scores are much smaller nowadays. We *rarely* see a tripple hundred or 250+ scores. 1 ever two years or so...

For the number of players playing today as compared to the old time, that's a low rate, don't you think? But more than claiming that the batsmen of today are worse, I think that is due to the extent of ODI cricket and the new aggression employed while playing test cricket as well.

 

[luckyeddie]

Flat wickets and rubbish bowling?

 

[Langeveldt]

Flatter pitches..

The ICC "ten year plan" does sod all to help the bowlers these days.. Worryingly, thats like half the game of cricket being mistreated..

 

[Richard]

Flat wickets and rubbish bowling?

Definately I think far more pitches offer less to "normal" bowlers now than they did 2 years ago.
We've also lost many bowlers who could exploit these conditions nonetheless: Donald, Ambrose, Walsh, Wasim, Waqar, Srinath. It's a real shame. Many of the excuses for replacements are good only in certain conditions, conditions we're seeing less and less of Worldwide.
Even in New Zealand seaming wickets aren't being prepared ATM. In English Tests last summer we had 3 proper English wickets (Lord's, The Riverside and Lord's), 2 piles of rubbish (no names needed), and two featherbeds that few bowlers could exploit (Edgbaston and The Oval).

 

[Tom Halsey]

Yeah, too true. Other countries seem to just be looking for draws, so they prepare a shirtfront.

 

[Eclipse]

Wickets are a bit flater but IMO it's the fact batsman are more aggresive these days and are giving themself chances to make big scores.

 

[Mister Wright]

I read somewhere that the bats are better.

Its all going against the ballers IMO. The bats are getting better, the wickets flatter, batting equipment lighter. What have the bowlers been given? Harsher penalties for wides, no-balls etc...

 

[pontingrulz]

I reckon its because the batsman are fitter than in years before and a lot stronger. Ie you dont see anyone of ranatunga's size playing now. I wouldnt think the bats are getting better because its the same willow as 50 or even 100 years ago

 

[marc71178]

Ie you dont see anyone of ranatunga's size playing now.

*cough* Ian Blackwell *cough*

I wouldnt think the bats are getting better because its the same willow as 50 or even 100 years ago

Same willow, but much better technology to enhance the sweet spot etc.

 

[pontingrulz]

how do they enhance the sweet spot?

 

[marc71178]

how do they enhance the sweet spot?

Not being a bat-maker I cannot be sure, but they are certainly making them larger, hence easier for batsmen, and that has come about due to Technology.

 

[Richard]

Wickets are a bit flater but IMO it's the fact batsman are more aggresive these days and are giving themself chances to make big scores.

Wickets are more than "a bit" flatter. If wickets helped bowlers as much as they should IMO do and catching was up-to-standard, more aggressive batting would result in far less runs, not more.

 

[Bazza]

I think wickets are tailored more for batsmen than bowlers. Pitches should offer something to both (maybe batsmen for 2-3 days then deteriorate). Saying that there are less draws, but I think these days apart from a few top bowlers, many wickets come about due to batting mistakes (maybe being over aggressive).

Eg Australia v India 2nd test - India were in a greta position and committed suicide for at least 4-5 of their batsmen. Response? Hayden and Ponting smash centuries.

Also the bowling standard is alot poorer than recently, and teams like Zimbabwe and Bangladesh just don't compete - if you took them out it wouldn't look so bad.

Anyway in 2003 we've had

Hayden 380
Smith 277
Fleming 274*
Smith 259

Plus 9 other doubles and another 16 scores of 150+ (Ponting may add to this later).

8 of these 29 innings were against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.

Lets compare with last year:

Inzamam 329
Langer 250

There were 12 doubles in total, but 3 were against Bangladesh.
Of the 31 scores of 150+, 5 were against Bangladesh and 2 against Zimbabwe.

In the whole of the 1980s, there were only 35 double tons.

So there were 35 doubles in a ten year period 1980-1989, but there have been 34 in the last 3 years. The number of doubles in the last 4 years has been 5,9,12,13.

One point I just thought of is that there is alot more cricket these days, hence the number of doubles will go up. That is another reason why most of the players at the top of the leading run scorers and wicket takers are current or recently retired.

5 of the 15 players with 3 or more double tons are current.

 

[Tom Halsey]

Some interesting stuff there. Particularly the comparisons between double tons.

 

[Mister Wright]

Ie you dont see anyone of ranatunga's size playing now.

Darren Lehmann?

 

[krkode]

Inzamam

 

[pontingrulz]

i dont think the pitches are getting flatter at all. just have a look at the mcg strip which australia and india are playing on. uneven bounce. extreme spin. I think the batsman are just playing better and the quality of bowlers is as high class anymore

 

[Rich2001]

i dont think the pitches are getting flatter at all. just have a look at the mcg strip which australia and india are playing on. uneven bounce. extreme spin. I think the batsman are just playing better and the quality of bowlers is as high class anymore

I tend to argee with a bit of what everyone has said so far I think it's a combination of lots of things rather than just X that has caused it.

- Some pitches more batsman friendly

- Weaker bowling attacks, last year England faced McGrath, Gilliespie, Lee, Warne/MacGill, Bichel... this year I don't think any team has faced that attack yet with injuries/bans... I mean no offence to Williams, Braken etc I would relish facing them every day of the week compared to the "normal attack"

Also the greats of the game bowling wise have gone - Wasim, Waqar, Donald, Walsh, Ambrose etc etc there is a hell of a lot of talent and wickets there.

- Batting Scoring rates, batsman these days go along at 4 an over in Tests that allow you to score 150-200 in a day if your in form, in a day and a bit Hayden scored 380 which is just a incrible rate, you don't see any batsman (Bar Richardson NZ, current match) grafting for runs, and ending a 10 hour long innings 167* (450 balls) for example.