ODI Cricket Is Now Too Lopsided!

Although I have enjoyed the first 4 games of the England V New Zealand ODI (50 over) tournament, it has reinforced a view I have had for some time. That is: the game has now become very lopsided and the balance of the game has swung far too far to the batsmen.

A great exponent of the 50 over game. Can he do it in tests?

Cricket always used to be a competition between bat and ball, but by-and-large in the 50 over game that has all but disappeared. I am not talking about the completely Mickey Mouse 20/20 game here. That is no more than a circus.

England chasing down a mammoth score of 349 with overs to spare is a prime example of what has gone wrong in the 50 over game. Batsmen hammering the ball to all parts of the ground whether it is a "good ball" or not. Two balls being used per innings one at either end so that the balls both retain a hardness that augers well for the batsmen. Huge, heavy bats that mean even a thick edge can fly for six and require mostly a bit of brute force by the batsman. The game has really become very lopsided with the onus on runs being scored in whatever manner they can be.

Rebalance the game. Give the bowlers more chance.

That is not what cricket should be about, it really should be about the competition between bat and ball.

So what can be done? Well boundaries could be pushed back as far as possible but that will not really cure the problems I see. The sixes being hit nowadays clear the boundary by such huge margins that there is not room in the cricket grounds for the boundaries to go back far enough. One thing that should be done is to stop using two ball per innings. Let the ball deteriorate as it always has to address the balance. The most sensible thing to do, and the one which will make the game more balanced, is to restrict the weight of the cricket bats being used. Make the batsman rely more on technique and timing rather than brute force. Reduce the distance that the ball can be hit unless it is "middled". Bring some elegance back into the game and give the bowlers a chance to use their abilities and guile and make the batsmen do the same.

Yes less runs would be scored but that would not really detract from the game.