CHENNAI: It was in 2003 during the World Cup when the world discovered that the nature of pitches in South Africa had changed. Not expected to witness tall scores on bouncy surfaces, the tournament saw batsmen have a good time, with Australia amassing 359 in the final.
Fast forward to 2015. Another World Cup exceeded expectations in terms of runs, with the likes of Gayle and De Villiers going berserk on Australian pitches known to be good for batting, but not for facilitating the kind of totals seen usually in the sub-continent.
With the 50-over game facing an existential crisis outside Asia, this is a change administrators have been forced to make. To compete with T20, this format has also had to be high-scoring and England is the latest country to join that list. Once famous for assisting seam bowling, pitches at the home of cricket have changed character.
In 22 completed ODIs in England since April 2015, the average run rate has been 6.19, with 19 totals above 300. The hosts even topped 400 on two of those occasions. These are unusual numbers in a country where conditions and the moving ball made stroking it freely a traditionally difficult task. “Possibly with an eye on popularising shorter formats, the nature of pitches in England have changed.
They are not as helpful for bowlers as they used to be about five years ago. There must have been an effort to make things more batting friendly, by changing the nature of pitches. That’s because there’s a notion that you need more runs in the shorter formats,” explains wicketkeeper-turned-commentator Deep Dasgupta.
This change is visible also in the county circuit and this year’s Royal London One-Day Cup results show a surfiet of 300-plus scores, including three above 400. If not anything else, this rising graph indicates a conscious effort on part of authorities to change a few things about the ‘notion’ of 50-over games.
With Champions Trophy warm-up games also recording big totals, this can be good news for a bunch of Indian batsmen who have not played this format since January. Even in the IPL, not more than a handful picked for this event enjoyed a consistent run or looked like the enforcers they can be.
Shikhar Dhawan was an exception, while the rest including Virat Kohli performed below expected levels. “They’ll be in familiar territory,” feels Dasgupta.
“Possibly with the exception of Dhoni, the likes of Rohit, Virat or Yuvraj enjoy it when the ball comes onto the bat and are comfortable using the pace of the ball. They should be good in conditions favouring touch play. Can’t say the same for our bowlers, though.” India’s present pace pack would have enjoyed English conditons of the past. That’s another story!
ICC Champions Trophy 5 Days to go... Group of death
India
India are currently ranked third behind South Africa and Australia, and that is a fair indication of where they stand at the moment. They are coming off ODI series wins at home against New Zealand and England, but things could be better. Though the squad boasts some of the most experienced players in the world, many are worried if the middle-order comprising MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh and Kedar Jadhav can deliver consistently. For a change, the bowling picture looks reassuring, with the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah in top form.
Record
Joint winners 2002, winners 2013
ODI form guide: LWWWL
Pakistan
Pakistan start the tournament as underdogs. In the rankings, they are currently sixth, and since the 2015 World Cup, they have won just 16 out of 37 matches. Last September, when they were ranked No 1 in Tests, Pakistan had slumped to No 9 in ODIs, sparking worries over CT qualification. However, teams will only write them off at their own peril, as they are perhaps the most unpredictable side in world cricket.
Their pace line-up is one of the best in the world, and the batting too has exciting talent, such as Babar Azam and Sarfraz Ahmed.
Record
Semifinals (2000, 2004, 2009)
ODI form guide: LLLWW
South Africa
Every time they have entered a major tournament in recent times, South Africa have been haunted by the word ‘chokers.’ It comes because of their poor record in high-pressure knockout games, but what is equally important is that they have reached at least the semifinals in 11 of the past 20 ICC events (including WT20s) since 1992. That is the same as India, and only two less than Australia. Ranked No 1 in ODIs until Wednesday, when they were dethroned by England, they boast a well-balanced team.
Record
Winners 1998
ODI form guide: LWLWL
Sri Lanka
Nothing has gone right for them since the retirement of stalwarts Mahale Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan. In the last 12 months, they have won only seven out of 25 ODIs, the worst among all teams in the fray. They are ranked seventh now, and a couple of days ago, their bowlers were taken apart by Scotland. However, the middle-order featuring Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal and Kusal Perera looks good, and the bowling will benefit thanks to the return of Lasith Malinga.
Record
Joint winners 2002
ODI form guide: LLLLW
atreyo@newindianexpress.com