Techniques of batsmen from older days

[AlizeeFan]

Read a lot about defensive techniques of the batsmen. How it was superior ealier and now it's not that good.

But whenever I watch videos, I see batsmen not even coming to front foot properly and playing tailender type shots on many ocassions. Some of these techniques you won't even expect these days. Not to mention bat not coming down straight and playing too away from body in test matches.

Less talked about tailenders would be better. There was no helmet and they never bothered to cover the line at all.

Was the technique really better or batting has remained more or less same?

Not talking about greats and ATGs because if you watch their videos from any era, it would look good.

I am talking about teams in general, top order batsmen, lower order batsmen. How are they in comparison to modern day batsmen. Tail enders have certainly improved and are no mugs with bat anymore.

 

[TQ89]

Sports are never the same throughout. Every sport evolves with time. Sportsman can only play what is in front of him not ten years before or ten years in the future. Of course there will be supremely talented individuals in every era and they ahould be respected for being the best of their times. But that doesn't mean the current rop ia useless. Every sport in the past two decades had improved scientifically especially the fitness aspect which is a huge disadvantage the previous generations had.

Tyson was once asked how klitshcko would fare against him and tyson replied what i said above that athletes keep improving, there is no point in comparing era's.

Boxing used to be 15 rounds now it is 12 rounds. Ufc first few ppv's had no weight class distinction and fighters could grab the cage. Not knowledgable about football but i think there was no away goal points advantage before. Of course once regulations once came into place, each and every sports person strategize and adjust. That is life. Some oldies here need to accept that.

It ia true as matter of fact that defensive tehniques have gone down especially when i caompre todays top bats with bats in 80's/90's but that too it would be unfair to put the complete onus of blame on modern batsmen for that. The old dudes didnt have mych scoreboard pressure in test as well as odi. 2/2.5 rpo was normal in that era. Winning test match was also not important to some captains that time.

Today none of that exists which has led the batsmen to work on their offense. I mean Why would anyone learn how to defend like gavaskar and boycott when teams today have to face 4rpo and score hundred run partnerships in the first session of test matches. Those two gentleman needed lot of time especially boycott. You think you can survive in todays cricket playing like him? And i am only talking about test cricket here.

Don't even get me started about the evolution the odi batting and fielding has gone through in the last two decades. There is absolutely no comparison of the old odi players and the new ones

The past batsmen had different set of challenges while this generation has different. Time the old dudes accept that and get their heads out of wisden

 

[Major]

Potw above me.

Good read.

But if you look at the current state of cricket. Very rarely does a player with text book shots succeeds.

 

[Abdullah719]

Sports are never the same throughout. Every sport evolves with time. Sportsman can only play what is in front of him not ten years before or ten years in the future. Of course there will be supremely talented individuals in every era and they ahould be respected for being the best of their times. But that doesn't mean the current rop ia useless. Every sport in the past two decades had improved scientifically especially the fitness aspect which is a huge disadvantage the previous generations had.

Tyson was once asked how klitshcko would fare against him and tyson replied what i said above that athletes keep improving, there is no point in comparing era's.

Boxing used to be 15 rounds now it is 12 rounds. Ufc first few ppv's had no weight class distinction and fighters could grab the cage. Not knowledgable about football but i think there was no away goal points advantage before. Of course once regulations once came into place, each and every sports person strategize and adjust. That is life. Some oldies here need to accept that.

It ia true as matter of fact that defensive tehniques have gone down especially when i caompre todays top bats with bats in 80's/90's but that too it would be unfair to put the complete onus of blame on modern batsmen for that. The old dudes didnt have mych scoreboard pressure in test as well as odi. 2/2.5 rpo was normal in that era. Winning test match was also not important to some captains that time.

Today none of that exists which has led the batsmen to work on their offense. I mean Why would anyone learn how to defend like gavaskar and boycott when teams today have to face 4rpo and score hundred run partnerships in the first session of test matches. Those two gentleman needed lot of time especially boycott. You think you can survive in todays cricket playing like him? And i am only talking about test cricket here.

Don't even get me started about the evolution the odi batting and fielding has gone through in the last two decades. There is absolutely no comparison of the old odi players and the new ones

The past batsmen had different set of challenges while this generation has different. Time the old dudes accept that and get their heads out of wisden

Fair post.

Thoughts on the topic, [MENTION=134300]Tusker[/MENTION]?

 

[Junaids]

Can you be more specific about these technically-deficient older batsmen?

I'm the first to accept pre-1945 frailties. And that tail-enders were poor until around 2000, or 2016 in the case of Pakistan.

But I see no modern batsman with the defensive technique or temperament of Border, Boycott, Crowe or Gavaskar.

I would add too that the sixes of Warner or Kohli would have been caught at short mid-on if played with old bats.

 

[Tusker]

I would add too that the sixes of Warner or Kohli would have been caught at short mid-on if played with old bats.

On the Flip side leading edges wouldn't be caught at cover or point as they would fall short. It works both ways.

 

[AlizeeFan]

Can you be more specific about these technically-deficient older batsmen?

I'm the first to accept pre-1945 frailties. And that tail-enders were poor until around 2000, or 2016 in the case of Pakistan.

But I see no modern batsman with the defensive technique or temperament of Border, Boycott, Crowe or Gavaskar.

I would add too that the sixes of Warner or Kohli would have been caught at short mid-on if played with old bats.

All we get is that technique is poorer now without much details. Never read much on how it has evolved over the years. From what I have seen, great players didn't have much difference in abilities and techniques across the era. Except those players how do you compare them with other regular players of different decades?
Did batsmen use to stay on back foot most of the time because there were no helmets and they wanted to be prepared for bouncers?
Does the improvement in protection gears has brought batsmen more forward? How is game against short ball has evolved?
Are players playing more pull and hook shots? What about the drives, flicks and backfoot punch?
Most importantly defensive techniques - does the awareness of position off stump has changed in general?
Are batsmen playing more and more non-productive outside the off defensive shots which players of older days would have happily left?
Now umpires are not reluctant to give LBW even if batsmen are long way down the pitch. Earlier batsmen could easily take a long stride and pad the ball whole day to nullify the spin. Their bats used to be behind the body and that is not the case anymore.
Another blanket statement which regularly see is about ground size. I have never seen comparison about how boundaries have became smaller?

Bat sizes comparison is rather easy to see.



There can be another thread for bowling. Some differences which I can recall from top of my head are - bowlers are not using crease as much as pacers from 80s. This could be wrong observation, but from what I have seen in videos, earlier bowlers vary their delivery position regularly (wide of crease or close to stumps). Another difference is now pacers don't start run ups from wide across the pitch.



Hopefully someone will write a good book on evolution of cricket some day which I can read and get all the answers.

 

[Tusker]

Fair post.

Thoughts on the topic, [MENTION=134300]Tusker[/MENTION]?

I largely agree with that post. Sehwag is a great example of how the mindset has changed. The idea is to put the bowlers on the defensive instead of trying to wear down the bowlers and survive. I watched his 293 at Brabourne , the 319 at Chennai and the 309 at Multan ball-by-ball and it was very obvious to see the panic in the opposition. Graeme Smith actually was worried that he would lose the match despite putting 500 runs on board. Another great innings is the 80+ he made in the 4th inngs against Jimmy,Swann and Flintoff. Just put the fear of God in the opposition that they never recovered from.

The credit for all of this goes to ODI cricket the much maligned format.

 

[Big Mac]

We still on that "The ball goes further with modern bats" nonsense?