The level of natural advantage afforded to batsmen and bowlers is a divide that is gaining distance. In an effort to bridge this gap, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced it will push back the boundary to the maximum distance for all international matches.
As the professional standard of international cricket has increased, and the athleticism of players has skyrocketed, it is impossible to deny that the balance between batsman and bowler has been thrown off as harshly as a Shane Warne miracle ball.
Not only has the technology behind batsmen’s tools improved out of sight, allowing them to hit further with little extra effort, but the sheer power they can exert on a simple 160-gram ball of cork and leather has been boosted significantly by modern training methods.
Concurrently, as a batsman’s ability to clear the ropes has improved, the distance of the rope from the wicket has reduced.
For many cricketing pundits, this development has made little sense in the interest of producing fair and riveting cricket.
The advent of T20 cricket has, of course, been a driving force behind the boundary creeping in, but with bowler’s and spectator’s brewing frustration beginning to boil over every time a batsman miss-hits a good delivery for six, the ICC is at last making a move to rectify the imbalance.
Speaking on their intentions to reverse the boundary’s advance on the wicket, the ICC’s general manager of cricket, Geoff Allardice stated: “For all formats we want grounds set up to their maximum size. It’s a maximum of 90 yards but with the way that bats are performing these days, and the way the batsmen are hitting the ball, sometimes mis-hits are carrying for six and there is concern that that balance is a bit skewed at the moment.”
The ICC met in Melbourne this week to discuss a range of plans that include giving more weight in cricketing schedules to series that are competed for by two of either India, England and Australia.
Former Indian cricket chief Narayanaswami Srinivasan is also set to be appointed as the new ICC chairman.
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