From the days that I played competitive cricket, batting, bowling and fielding techniques have changed considerably. These changes have come about more in the last decade mainly due to the demands of Limited Over and T20 cricket. I would like to enumerate below the changes I have observed and the advantages and disadvantages that I perceive.
The most number of changes appear in the aspect of fielding. Today fielders are seen to roll over to stop balls that are hit along the ground as opposed to bending and stopping the ball, as this enables them to be quicker to collect and throw. However, unless a fielder has mastered this art, chances of injury to a fielder are more, as a bad roll can injure a shoulder or the back that would keep him away from the game. When chasing balls to the boundary, fielders also slide to prevent the ball from reaching the boundary line. Here again whilst this enables a fielder to retrieve the ball quicker, a bad slide could sometime result in an injury to a player’s ankle or knee.
The manner in which fielder’s attempt to take high catches has also changed. I have seen many a fielder remaining still without getting under the ball when contemplating a high catch. They tend to fall over, losing the sighting of the ball and their balance, thus spilling the catch. When a high catch is in the offing and many fielders can reach it, it is customary for the fielder closest to it or the keeper if he is close to call for it. I have witnessed many collisions on the field and injury caused to players due to the absence of a call. The deafening noise levels in the stadium may sometimes be a cause of it but players should be mindful of that fact. I have seen some spectacular and amazing catches being taken on the boundary line with a feature that has evolved recently. When the fielder on the boundary line jumps to catch a ball heading for a six and he is in danger of going over the line or when the force of a catch can propel him over the line, the fielder throws the ball high into the air of the playing area, jumps over the line without touching it and jumps back in to take the catch. A fielder backing up may also collect it and help to complete such a catch.
In the longer game, slip fielders stand with their palms resting on their knees and bring them together when the bowler releases the ball. Although this technique may reduce the fatigue factor of a fielder, more often than not it results in the fielder having to grab at the ball increasing the chances of spilling the catch. The older method where slip fielders kept their hands together when the bowler started his run up, allowed the catch to come into their palms, enabling them to present softer hands thereby increasing the chances of taking the catch.
Batting has become more attacking now, mainly due to the demanding formats of Limited Overs cricket. Even in Test matches, batsmen show more positive intent scoring more briskly than players did in the past. They take more risks and test matches are seen to finish in 3 to 4 days rather than running the full distance of 5 days. Today, when executing the square cut, batsmen do not get the back foot across but transfer their weight onto the back foot to create width. In this manner, batsmen are able to square cut deliveries that were played off the back foot with a straight bat in the past.
The pull and the hook shots which were played by moving the back foot back and across are now mostly played off the front foot, which enables a batsman to score off deliveries which are not all that short. Batsmen employ the lofted drive over mid-on and mid-off fielders in order to overcome the high standard of fielding these days.
It must also be pointed out that modern bats have more thickness at the back and are well balanced which enable batsmen to clear the boundaries even with miss hits.
Reverse sweeps, paddle sweeps and scoops are used to good effect by batsmen mainly in the limited overs and T20 games. These strokes were not thought of in our era.
In the past, fast bowlers were taught to bowl with a side on action. However now, fast bowlers are encouraged to bowl either with a side on action or a front on action, whichever is natural to the individual. A mixed action which is a combination of the two is discouraged as it puts undue strain on the body leading to injuries. Spinners should always adopt a side on action to be effective. Fast bowlers now have developed the art of swinging an old ball which is referred to as ‘reverse swing’. In the good old days some fast bowlers were able to move the old ball and it was called late in swing or out swing. My advice to batsmen is to play the ball as you see it, from the time it leaves the bowler’s hand and reaches you. One cannot predict the behavior of a cricket ball either in the air or off the wicket and it can only be played on its merits.
The slow ball bouncer is an effective weapon in limited overs cricket, as it is difficult for a batsman to time his stroke. Slow ball cutters and back of the hand deliveries are those used by pacemen to break the rhythm of a batsman. Spinners have developed the doosra and the carrom ball to add to their repertoire of deliveries to deceive the batsmen.
The changes that I have highlighted in fielding, batting and bowling have added variety to the game of cricket, making it an enriching experience to those who follow the game.
