Javagal Srinath fears for the pacemen in Twenty20 format. The former India pace ace believes the administrators need to come up with some urgent steps to “restore the balance between the bat and the ball” in the game’s shortest variety.
Speaking to The Hindu on Monday, Srinath said in rather strong words, “If the present trend continues, full-fledged pacemen, with a few exceptions, will become extinct in Twenty20 cricket. All we will be seeing would be bits and pieces pacemen. Presently, too many things are against them.”
Apart from a handful of matches, a majority of contests in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League has been batting slugfests. In these games, bowlers have been severely marginalised. In this context, Srinath had an important suggestion to make. He said, “We should have six fielders outside the ring in the last five overs. That will be of some help to the fielding sides and stem the flow of runs. Now, the bowlers have very little to fall back on.”
Two bouncersSrinath also agreed with batting legend Rahul Dravid’s recent suggestion of allowing two bouncers per over in Twenty20 cricket. “It will give more variety to the bowler. There will also be a surprise element. The batsman will not quite know when to expect the second bouncer. It’s already been allowed in one-day cricket. So what’s the problem?”
Such a move will also test the batsman’s footwork. “Right now, a lot of batsmen get on to the front foot once the first bouncer is bowled. They know a second bouncer will not be coming. However, if two bouncers are allowed, then the batsman will have to be on guard.”
Former India stumper Kiran More felt the biggest problem with Twenty20 cricket was the shortness of the boundaries. “The authorities should ensure that that the distance to the boundary is at least 75 yards. This will automatically take care of a lot of issues. Right now we have 60 and 65-yard boundaries and hitting sixes has become ridiculously easy.”
More added, “A longer boundary will also bring the spinners into play. Many of the big hits that clear the boundary now, will be caught inside the fence.”
He agreed with Dravid’s suggestion of having two bouncers in an over. “Bowlers should be empowered in Twenty20 cricket. It’s a myth that the crowds come only to watch sixes in this format. A thrilling chase of 130 or 140 on a pitch with some help for the bowlers would be equally exciting.”
More spoke about the Big Bash in Australia. “The pitches for the competition have bounce and some movement for the bowlers. The totals have been mid-range and we have seen some very tight finishes. The bowlers are always in the game.”
Simply put, the bowlers should be given a fair chance in Twenty20 cricket.
