Two List A records were made on Tuesday in England, who are going to host the World Cup in 2019.
June 19, 2018 witnessed a total of 1,355 List A runs scored in England.
There were records made and broken. While a team touched heights, the other hit rock bottom. The day was yet another example of how these days batsmen-friendly pitches are preferred over the pitch that offered equally to both batters and bowlers.
Young Indian blood, Prithvi Shaw and domestic experienced batsman Mayank Agarwal’s century each and one-down batsman Shubman Gill’s 81 helped India A put up a total of 458 for 4 in 50 overs against Leicester at Grace Road on Tuesday. It turned out to be the third highest List A score as the Indians won the match by 281 runs.
In the same region of East Midlands, only 33KMs away, England hosted Australia at Trent Bridge for the third ODI of their ongoing five-match series.
Australia Captain Tim Paine won the toss and put the hosts to bat, a decision he would regret for a very long time. The city of Nottingham went into the history books of cricket when they witnessed their home team record a world record ODI total of 481 runs in 50 overs.
England’s total was the second highest List A score in the history of cricket. Only once in the 56-year history of List A cricket - when Surrey scored 496 for 4 against Gloucestershire at The Oval in 2007 - has any side scored more.
On the same day, England, who are going to host the ICC Cricket World Cup next year, certainly prepared batting friendly pitches on purpose. There was no doubt that Trent Bridge staff was asked to offer that kind of pitch and they had just followed the orders.
We can expect more of these pitches next year in the mega event.
There has been a trend in cricket, for some time now, that has inclined towards batsmen. Apart from the batsmen-friendly tracks, the fielding restrictions and heavier bats are just additions that suppress the bowlers even more. There is a mistaken norm that the spectators enjoy heavy-scorer games but one must remember that during the chase, if the opposition begins to lose quick wickets, the game gets more or less finished.
That certainly won’t solve the purpose, right?
The game of cricket was always defined by the battle between willow and cherry but off late, it has been more about the former and it won’t be good for the game in the long run.
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