The changes in cricket and the sidelined fan

Rules like the ‘free-hit’ have made the life of a bowler even more challenging.

Pardon me for giving in to the cliche, but the only thing that never changes, is change itself. From the stone age to the modern era, change has been inevitable. A wave of changes has been hitting the shores of cricket, engineered sagaciously by the bigwig administrators. Their calibre in economics or other financial dynamics is unquestionable. But does that expertise extend to cricket, is a question which looms large. The changes have been ushered to the centre or rather, bulldozed inside the boundary ropes. The modern cricket enthusiasts or the T20 aficionados have embraced it warmly, wetting their foot in the wave. Yet, the vintage followers or the ones to whom cricket was preached, which they followed as a tradition over the years, refrained from the wave and stayed ashore.

The ICC has been spearheading a slew of changes in the recent years. To stay in the scheme of things, the game was tweaked. The invention of ODI was one such historic change. To aid the batsmen, for whom constrains lay on the number of overs he’s got in hand, the concept of fielding restriction was introduced. Since then, there was no looking back. To woo the spectators on the ground or the viewers on TV, the game has been rigged. Rigged might be a harsh parlance, given the legitimacy of the current game. Yet, the cynical changes qualify to be termed the same.

The most bizarre or bemusing change of all is the advancement of the boundary rope, a move aimed at increasing the count of sixes. Over the years, sixes have always enthralled the spectators. From ‘Sixer Sidhu’ to the ‘helicopters’ of Mahi, the big hitters have struck a chord with the spectators. With the advent of T20 cricket, it was visibly clear that the spectators are wooed by the sixes. The success story of T20 cricket elucidated a tale or two. The patience of the spectators has shrunk and what lures them is the excitement of high voltage encounters. An average cricket fan walking into the stadium, contemplates a jaunty and a rollicking ride. He receives his “value for money” only if the action that unfolds is pacy and bustling. He would walk into the stadium again only if the previous encounters enthralled him. Same is the case with the TV viewers. Cricket after all, is competing with the soaps and other riveting programs on countless TV channels. Hence, to rake in the moolah and to keep the cash registers ringing, the viewership needs to soar.

Succumbing to such fears, the lawmakers have compressed the size of the boundary. The marketing minds have intervened, while the cricketing minds have remained absent from active participation. The modern fans have been lured and captivated. Overlooked, are the ones who have loved the sport before the latest avatar of T20 came into being. The lawmakers have made their intentions clear. Their target spectators are the ones with shallow knowledge of the sport. The erudite fans have been ignored downright. Top edges flying past the ropes and the mistimed ones going the distance, by no means would fascinate the erudite ones. Yet. they remain loyal to this sport.

Shorter boundaries, shorter gains

Another ludicrous change is the cap on the number of fielders outside the circle. The sole motive of this change is akin to the one above – to aid the batsmen to go over the top. The implications of this rule has been severe for the spinner. It makes the life of the spinners difficult in the limited over formats. A typical dismissal by a spinner would be tossing up the ball, tempting the batsman to go over the top and hoping that in the process, he finds fielder in the deep. With more changes however, this dismissal has been ruled out to an extent. Even the mistimed shots, thanks to the modern bats, clear the infield with ease. With two new balls in ODIs now, the spinner is for sure in trouble waters. This answers the question regarding the current dearth of spinners. Reverse swing, one of the most astute arts in cricket, patronized by Wasim and Waqar, has come to a tragic end with the rule of two new balls per innings.

In hindsight, this hides the inefficacy of modern batsmen. With the modern bat, the area which is called the sweet spot has grown. Yet, such bats did not suffice. To bolster the big hitting, to the bowler’s dismay, the boundary has been shrunk and fielders have been called in. A meagre 56m was the distance of the long on boundary from the middle in one of the recent games. Would a football fan like the length of the ground to shrink in order to increase the number of goals and captivate the fans? The sport needs to live up to its standards and the players need to evolve in order to meet the grinds of it. The fun of batting lies in the toil and labour that goes behind every run. The fantasies of an ODI game lie in the accumulation in the middle overs, and with the slew of changes intended, the ODI game is transforming into an extended T20. The joys of such swashbuckling cricket is ephemeral. The joys of the sport incorporating all its diverse skills, is eternal.

Modern bats pack quite a punch

Changes are inevitable for the game to stay afloat. But there are other areas craving for a change. The experience of a spectator calls for an enhancement, in terms of what he endures at the stadium. Barring a few metros and other big cities, the hardship he faces in the low profile stadiums has been biting the loyal spectators. The conditions of the restrooms, the seats, the food stalls, the ticketing process and other basic amenities need refurbishment. D&L has been abhorrent and it remains to be looked into, persisted with despite the interesting developments by proven mathematicians, which are conveniently overlooked. If you’re looking for areas that need a change, the box’s full of it.

For the sport to sustain and persist, it needs to come in enticing capsules, but not at the cost of losing its charm. The charm of spin bowling lies in the flight and in turn, the befuddlement of the batsmen, and not the flat trajectory to avoid the long handle. The charm of the death overs lie in the reverse swing and not the incessant six hitting. With the changes that have crept in, the charm and charisma of the sport has faded.

My dear ICC, we, the traditional fans, have been loyal to the sport and this sport has made our livelihood. It is a religion for us. Please uphold its austerity and sanctity.