This according to the pundits and pitch curators is
set to be the sexiest World Cup ever. That is because they purely took into
consideration the number of sixes that would be hit in this mega spectacle. The
pitches this year in the southern hemisphere are mostly drop-in pitches, not
the typical Australian pitch, where the ball bounces ferociously, darts in and
out unpredictably and the pace is tremendous,
unlike low puffy, dusty Indian pitches.
This generation is growing up to heavy bats, smaller
grounds, excessive fielding restrictions, the helicopter shot, T20. Is this
helping cricket? This question can attract a real difference of opinion. But as
I am the author hence I will use my powers to let you know that the balance
between the bat and the ball has widened immensely. This surely is not good
news for the beautiful old game.
In the past, it was unheard of teams surpassing the
400 run mark. Today, even with so many runs in the bank you are not guaranteed
a victory. Rohit Sharma hits two double tons in ODI’s, ask even the great Kapil
Dev in 1983, even he would have formed a very poor impression of your cricketing
IQ. This is reality and this is modern day cricket, where even if you are not
technically sound you can survive. Class and quality take a back seat. Bowlers
today are scared to pitch the ball up to get it swing, hence a quality Kapil
Dev and Wasim Akram possessed could go extinct like the art of leg-spin almost
has.
In NZ, with grounds designed for rugby being used
for the WC, the boundaries in certain portions of the ground would be
ridiculously smaller than the others and the batsman would target these areas
and that will force them to play agricultural shots. What happens next? We lose
out on watching a gorgeous cover-drive or an all-along-the-ground straight
drive back past the bowler.
This cricketing scenario tickles me to parallels
with the Indian Bollywood, which has turned from being a trade of rich art to
being a trade of sleaze and sex.
All this analysis brings me to the moot question
again; do we go to the grounds or get glued to our T.V sets to watch just sixes
or something more?
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