Runs and the resultant pressure are the central points around which One-Day Internationals revolve.
In the early days, batting was about gradual accumulation, but once the ODI evolution witnessed fielding restrictions in the first 15 overs — with only two allowed outside the 30-yard circle — change was imminent.
Skippers asked openers to shed dormancy, and plunder. Soon, World Cup history was enriched by the exploits of New Zealand’s Mark Greatbatch, Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya and Australia’s Adam Gilchrist.
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In the 1992 event down under, Greatbatch (313 runs at a strike rate of 87.92) ensured that the ‘opener as a force-multiplier’ idea was here to stay. In 1996, when Sri Lanka emerged champion, Jayasuriya (221, 131.54) reiterated that thought.
Emphatic beginnings got more strident through Gilchrist during Australia’s hat-trick of World Cup triumphs. In England in 1999, Gilchrist was relatively sedate (224, 78.87), though there was no mistaking his aggression. Four years later, in South Africa, the southpaw set a frenetic tempo (408, 105.42), and carried on the good work in the Caribbean in 2007 (453, 103.89).
The introduction of Power Play, primarily to lessen the predictability of the ‘tri-cycle’ — initial burst, middle-overs consolidation and slog-overs biff — has further altered the dynamics. Now scaled down to just one Power Play, taken by the batting team within 40 overs, the captains have to find ways to maximise those five overs when only three fielders are allowed outside the circle.
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The new rule — minimum of five fielders inside the 30 yards right through — will further recalibrate batting. The soft dab, seeking a quick single, might not be so productive as there could be a fielder within breathing distance. The middle-overs are no longer about the long dawdle, with the troughs and crests in the run-rate almost levelled off.
In a recent tri-series game at Hobart against Australia, England was 69 for no loss in 10 overs, moved to 244 for two in 40, and finished with 303 for eight in 50. The middle-overs yielded 175 at 5.83, while the first and last 10 overs saw run-rates of 6.9 and 5.9 respectively.
The near uniformity of scoring rates was replicated in the Australian chase: 67 for no loss in the first 10; 163 for five in the next 30; 74 for two in the last 9.5. The rates were 6.7, 5.43 and 7.78.
This may not be an ideal example as England is deemed conservative while Australia tends to stay ahead and yet there is no denying the template – a regular flow with no slackening in the middle-overs. This is a contrast to the past when the last 10 often saw the rate being cranked up to double digits to offset the passivity that defined the middle-overs.
In the forthcoming World Cup, the massive grounds in Australia will test the fitness levels of batsmen as there may even be all-run fours during the middle stages. Getting steady runs and also conserving energy will be of paramount importance while fielding captains may be tempted to reduce the spells of part-time bowlers as grabbing wickets will be the main speed-breaker.
The middle overs influences results, and captains who control that segment will stay relevant in the World Cup.