In the first two or three World Cups, several cricket players have freely said that they had no concept what T20 was. When the first World Cup was held in 2007, the format had just been formally adopted a few years before, but few players, especially the more seasoned and established ones, were interested in playing it. With their own franchise leagues, Australia and India at last accepted the concept, albeit it took them a good three years to get established. Professionalism did not begin to permeate the game until around 2011, at which point it began to employ matches, data analysis, and specialized abilities to make itself smarter.
As a result, T20 matches are now more exciting and captivating, which has helped franchise cricket grow by gradually changing from a product mostly viewed by spectators to one that is centered on broadcast. The impact of T20 on the other two forms has also been irreversible, causing ODI strategy to be reevaluated and yielding more wins than losses in tests. T20 as it exists now has undergone several changes throughout. And nowhere has it been more obvious than during the World Cup, where tactical adjustments have been necessitated by changes in the surface, overhead conditions, and ground dimensions.
Changing batting approach
As expected, the 2007 version adhered to the ODI model of progressive batting, taking advantage of the field constraints by hitting for an overall strike rate of 112.3 in the first six overs, 122.6 in overs 7–15, and 142.9 in the last five overs. Since then, batsmen have been much more cautious in the opening six overs, but this was never more evident than in the previous two editions, when run rates (6.7 in 2021 and 6.89 in 2022) and strike rates (104.3 in 2021 and 106.6 in 2022) fell to their lowest levels since 2012.
The most likely explanation is that, in contrast to Australian pitches, UAE pitches in 2022 weren’t totally suitable for stroke play, but larger boundaries in 2022 also contributed to some degree. Additionally, it was evident in the boundaries, as 2021 and 2022 produced the fewest fours per game since 2010 (20.9 and 21.64, respectively). In terms of statistics, six-hitting was particularly difficult on Australia’s large fields, when an average of 7.88 sixes were scored each game—the fewest since 2009 in England (6.14).
The bright spot in all of this gloom is that in 2022, hitters have improved their middle-overs performance, hitting at 116.3, the most since 2012 in five editions. The fact that teams like England didn’t mind cheap wickets as long as the run rate was maintained while hitting a larger target is another important lesson from the previous tournament. As a result, the average runs scored per wicket dropped to 20.16, which is also the lowest level since 2010. Both are breakaway tactics, but it’s unclear if they’ll turn into a trend this time.
Pacers setting up opening act
Fast bowlers haven’t generally been as expensive in the first Powerplay as they ought to have been given the state of T20 cricket right now. However, before 2016, they were also less sharp, striking at around 24, or every fourth over. The strike rate has only increased to almost 21 in the previous two editions, suggesting that the fast bowlers have been trying to pick up more wickets. This is hardly unexpected, given that early advances were being made by players like Trent Boult, Mohammad Shami, and Jasprit Bumrah. Due to favorable seaming conditions at several locales, fast bowlers particularly benefited from the most recent tournament in Australia. With a strike rate of 18 and a tournament average of 22.64, this makes perfect sense.
Spinners providing the finish
Additionally, the past two editions have seen a lot of experimentation, with more teams beginning to take a chance on spinners during slog overs as opposed to bowling them out during middle overs. Additionally, the outcomes have indicated. While the spinners in the UAE in 2021 were particularly effective at every stage of the innings, the spinners in the 2022 World Cup stand out for having made the most of the large boundaries to cause havoc more frequently in the final five overs—striking at a rate of 10.2 balls, the highest in the tournament’s history—while conceding just 7.25 runs per over. This is a dramatic departure from the results of the first three events, which showed that spinners finished.
Prepare for more sixes
For the game overall, the 2010 World Cup in the Caribbean was a mixed bag. The least amount of boundaries were hit (an all-time low of 18.6 fours per match), yet the biggest number of sixes ever recorded in tournament history—10.29 per match—came in quick succession. Spinners have never been more economical (9.14 rpo) in the slog overs since 2010, but they have also never been more frugal (6.06 rpo) in the Powerplay. At that time, fast bowlers were unable to repeat a rare period of domination (a strike rate of 19.8, the highest in World Cup history), which was highlighted by the successful deployment of the short ball. However, Caribbean pitches have also slowed down significantly, making it less likely that hitters would be startled by pace in the future.
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