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World Cup 2019 - Balance between bat and ball: Low scores have made ODIs interesting again

gazza619

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Must thank ICC for this.

Was really fed up with the string of 300, 350 plus scores and hacks/semi hacks getting away with it. The low scoring pitches meant that only the mentally tough with strong temperament shall survive.

Its also nice to see bowlers take wickets again. Over the last year or so we kept on blaming heavy bats and two new balls being the main culprit for heavy scores. It was actually the pitches. It was also good to see a decent size boundary at Manchester today. This also brought spinners back in the game. That shot which Pant hit where he got caught on the boundary may have been a 6 on some of the other grounds.

I sincerely hope that all cricket boards follow suit post WC with similar pitches and we continue to see more quality cricket.
 
I guess it was only the overcast and pre rain conditions today which made the bowl swing, but still the pitch was not the usual flat pancake which we have been witnessing in recent times.
 
Hmm but England cannot compete in low scoring pitches. Their bowling is exposed and their batting as well.

So ICC will make sure tomorrow game is played on road. They need big final.
 
Before this world cup started and a week into it, I thought this might be the second worst WC ever (after 2007), due to rain interfering with matches and the thought that we will just see one-sided affairs (bat vs bat). The second half of the tournament mixed in quite a few low-scoring thrillers which really saved this WC in my view. It's still in progress but it's turning out to be a decent WC. Let's see how closely fought the remaining 2 games are before we judge the whole event!
 
Its been a tale of 2 different world cups.

First half entertaining exciting with high scores and nothing for the bowlers + rain ruining games.

2nd half the World Cup has been truely exceptional with low scores, tense matches, great chases and bowlers working the magic with the ball.

Rain has played part in both halves though, one bad and one good.
 
except for rain (which is unavoidable tbh), this has been by far the best world cup organized since 1992. Close games, seamers had their moments, spinners too, match winning hundreds, hardly any dead rubbers at all despite of a long group stage, great outfields and amazing fans.

2007 super 8 was filled with dead rubbers and redundant matches. For a neutral like me (as Pak was already out), there werent any memorable contest except for BANG toppling SA, or the WC final with Gilchrist and his golf ball :))
 
except for rain (which is unavoidable tbh), this has been by far the best world cup organized since 1992. Close games, seamers had their moments, spinners too, match winning hundreds, hardly any dead rubbers at all despite of a long group stage, great outfields and amazing fans.

2007 super 8 was filled with dead rubbers and redundant matches. For a neutral like me (as Pak was already out), there werent any memorable contest except for BANG toppling SA, or the WC final with Gilchrist and his golf ball :))

Squash ball
 
some one post the average scores this wc
batting first and second both
 
Honestly. It's been so refreshing to watch ODI cricket like this. I hope it lasts. With scores in the mid 200s, a team is very rarely out of the game. Had todays target been 320 India would have no hope after being 92/6 and would just slog their way to 150 all out.
 
World Cup 2019 - Balance between bat and ball

Folks,
Must say this World Cup has been a total treat to watch. The balance that has been on display between bat and ball has been absent from cricket for a long time. The wickets have had something for everyone - seam movement and bounce for the quicks , turn for the spinners and also opportunities for genuinely good batsmen to score runs.

If ODI's have to survive against the onslaught of T20's this is the only way it can. ODI's have to be thought of as short Test matches rather than long T20's. This is how they originally started off, but lost their way to play to the galleries and became lopsided batting run-fests
 
I am not sure, I am personally disappointed with the slow wickets, sides batting second have been at a huge disadvantage where the wicket remains slow for the entire innings which compounds the scoreboard pressure whereas the side batting first makes good use of the first 20-30 overs where the pitch is at its fastest
 
India and NZ game was good.

Tonight's not so much.

Hope we get a real belter for the final
 
Low score thrillers are just so entertaining to watch.

Love it!
 
Bets thing to happen in this WC has been the balance between the bat and ball. I had nightmares about how we'd be watching ridiculous scores consistently, but those fears subsided quickly.

Not to say bowlers haven't been battered, they have but not to the extend I was dreading.

Bowlers still need help though, as Pollock pointed out in one of his commentary stints that the ICC are coming together soon to evaluate how they can assist the bowlers more [paragraphing].
 
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