It is time for radical restructuring and reforms in Indian cricket. The Supreme Court accepted most of the recommendations from the Lodha Committee on structural reforms. While the entire country is busy discussing the repercussions of the verdict, there are technical issues affecting the balance of the game.
Recently, the MCC World Cricket Committee, under the chairmanship of the former England captain, Mike Brearley, discussed the implications of the size of the bat and its impact on the balance between bat and ball. They examined the research report dealing with various factors and concluded that the bat dominated the ball much more than required.
It is a popular conception that cricket is mainly a batsman’s game and the spectators throng the stadium to watch delectable stroke play and get entertained. But the importance of skilful bowling is often neglected. This imbalance is the reason why a good bowler looks absolutely foolish on the field.
The batting enterprise against bowlers on a pitch should also help the bowlers of all types. Therefore, the purpose of the WCC was to discuss threadbare how the balance between the bat and ball could be restored.
This research paper was split into 11 sections — the anecdotal evidence, statistical evidence, scientific evidence, the size and the shape of the bats and cricket balls, other factors affecting the balance of the game, arguments to retain the status quo, methods to alter the balance of the game, player and umpire safety, is this a problem for the whole game, conclusions and recommendations.
Although the study in itself is very interesting, it could have definitely been better with inputs from experienced current players. The specifics tabulated by conducting extensive interviews with reputed manufacturers are certainly invaluable. But, the perception of the people who manufacture the bats and cricket balls are totally different from players who are actually using it. The study could have covered many other factors if players were also interviewed about their experience.
Customised bats Gone are the days when Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi used to pick the bat closest to the dressing room door and score tons of runs. Today, the players actually visit the manufacturers and get bats customised to their requirement in accordance with the format of the game.
The report refers to spine as the ‘overall depth of the bat’. A comparative study in the report showcases the drastic change in dimensions. The edges of the bats from 1905 to 1980 were 14 mm to 18 mm. But after 2013, the edges range over 41 mm and some even exceed 50 mm!
Therefore, it is not at all surprising that the balls are easily hit over the stands in Twenty20.
This is why inexperienced teenagers go for such bats. Little do they realise that eventually it all comes down to perfecting the technique! The Pakistani bowlers proved this point recently by showing the world that with high-grade skills, the structure of the willow hardly matters!
Paras Anand, marketing director of the world’s renowned bat manufacturers — SG, stated: “My opinion is that, even if the bats are reduced to 40 mm edge and 65 mm spine, it will not have any significance to the batsmen. If we are comparing to the bats 15 or 20 years ago, they had 30 mm edges and a spine height of 60 mm.
So, the dimensions mentioned in the report are still a lot higher than the bats which were used two decades ago. The world’s most feared batsmen — Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers play with 40 mm edge and 65 mm spine height bats.”
Alterations As for the cricket balls, the manufacturers have stated that they can make the balls differently. In order to get more spin, the core mass of the ball has to be increased. This will be done by using heavier thread which will give it a prominent grip. For the ball to seam, the seam will be altered by stitching it with a thicker thread, followed by polishing. This will make it more prominent and long lasting. To increase the swing, small alterations have to be made to the shape and size of the core or two-piece ball will be used.
These solutions are very interesting and fair to restore the balance. But will the lawmakers be just and permit the bowlers to change the balls like batsmen depending on the match situation, the pitch and atmospheric conditions? Why should a bowling side use the same ball for 80 overs when the batsman is allowed to change bats as many times as he pleases? Why shouldn’t bowlers be allowed to use balls which seam / swing or spin as per the situation of the game? I feel unless the bat is broken, it shouldn’t be allowed to change.
This is the aspect the report ignores. It has taken the manufacturer’s account into consideration and found the solution to restore the balance of the game. But, the reform cannot happen without taking the views of the current batsmen and bowlers in their top form.
There will always be resistance to the change but the committee will have to conduct enough field trials before recommendations become a law.
