The Indian sub continent is awash with proponents of this new game, the management and the funding of cricket at large is in their hands. It has become the equivalent of a soap opera where the story line has to change day by day and someone has to take a bashing. The skills are totally different. Hitting out, irrespective, would have been an anathma to Len Hutton as he carefully crafted his innings, runs coming according to the bowling. The bowlers could afford to tease out the shot, the slips ready to gobble the edged stroke.
Now-a-days the bowler has to admit that his skill is a lottery. He has to keep the run rate down by inhibiting the stroke, hoping to force the batsman to step away from the wicket, relying on bat and ball contact, otherwise your stumped. The fielders are restricted by the rules, the captain has to leave himself open to large spaces which attract the lofted shot and ignore the bowlers craft to lure a shot which can be covered by the well placed fielder.
England managed to swot South Africa away the other day by crabbing the batsman with pace and swing. Out, Out, Out.
Only the heroic effort of the tail-end lads left South Africa with anything to bowl at but it was not enough.
Without the chance to repair an innings with another to come, the whole affair was over before it had started, but with a short term attention span, society doesn't have the imagination to become embroiled in a three day event so we are where we are.
Enter the marketing men, to feed us with hype, colour and noise all designed to submerge the game in an outdoor event that isn't cricket !!
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