5 skills of cricketers that have regressed over the last year

2015 saw some great battles between bat and ball. In all the formats whether Tests, ODIs or T20s, there were some exemplary skills on display from both batsmen and bowlers. Some of these skills are from the old school of cricket while some skills have been invented in the recent years.Some of the masters of these skills have regained those skills in the last year while there have been some players who have lost some of their skills owing to various reasons. Let’s have a look at the 5 skills of cricketers that have regressed over the last year. The list includes some high-profile players.

#1 Lasith Malinga\'s death bowling

Lasith Malinga has lost some of his death bowling skills.

Lasith Malinga’s name is synonymous with great death bowling. His toe crushing yorkers are a sight to behold for the fans but a sight which batsmen hate. Not only yorkers, but his slower balls are quite menacing as well. His four wickets in four balls against South Africa in the 2007 ODI World Cup were a testament to the fact that he is one of the best death bowlers the world has ever seen.

But injuries have taken a toll on his body in the last few years. As a result of the host of injuries he has suffered, his pace has gone down and, as a result, his bowling has lost its zip. In the IPL last year and in the international matches that followed, his death bowling seemed a shadow of its former self.

His yorkers are not coming out consistently and his slower balls didn’t seem deceptive enough. Sri Lanka would hope that Malinga rediscovers his mojo once again before the T20 World Cup.

#2 MS Dhoni\'s big hitting

MS Dhoni doesn’t hit as many big shots as he earlier used to.

When MS Dhoni burst onto the international scene, one thing that was apparent was his big hitting. His ability to thrash the opposition bowlers apart was an X-factor in his batting. He could hit sixes at will and his ability to finish games was inferior to none. His knock of 183* against Sri Lanka in Jaipur got everyone’s attention and his big hitting abilities were displayed in front of the whole world.

Recently, one thing that has perturbed the Indian fans is that MS has lost some of his big hitting abilities. He isn’t as consistently finishing the games as he earlier used to do. The big shots are not coming off the bat as frequently as before and the helicopter seems happy on the ground rather than taking its flight.

Maybe Dhoni’s reflexes have slowed down with age or it is a slight dip which he can make up for, but whatever the reason, Indian fans would hope he displays his big hitting in the T20 World Cup in 2016.

#3 Bhuvneshwar Kumar\'s swing

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has lost his swing.

25 December 2012- India were defending a paltry total of 133 and a new bowler named Bhuvneshwar Kumar opened the bowling. What followed was an absolutely brilliant display of swing bowling. In a spell consisting of big inswingers and outswingers, he bamboozled the Pakistani batsmen and India were hopeful of having found a genuinely talented swing bowler who could trouble any batsman in the world.

In the past year, Bhuvneshwar has lost that banana swing he used to get earlier. Whether the flat pitches have played their part or in the quest of increasing his pace he has lost that knack for swinging the ball. He has certainly become a more of a seam bowler than a swing bowler.

India will hope that Bhuvneshwar understands that his strength is swing and not pace. He has to rediscover his swing if he has to cement his place again in the Indian team. Without swing, he looks an average bowler with no X factor.

#4 Kemar Roach\'s test match bowling

Kemar Roach has lost his test bowling skills.

In the last decade there have not been many positives in the test match arena for the West Indian team. Fast bowling which was a fortress for the West Indians is now their Achilles’ heal. One bright spot in the fast bowling department in the last few years for the Caribbeans has been Kemar Roach. A bowler with raw pace and genuine swing, Roach seemed like a bowler who would represent West Indies for years.

But in the last year his test match bowling has deteriorated a lot. In 37 tests that he has played in his career, he has picked up 122 wickets at an average of 30.23 but since last year he has played 8 tests and picked up 9 wickets at an average of 83.66. His test match bowling skills have gone down quite a bit in the last year and if West Indies wants to become a force again in the tests, Roach will have to discover his test bowling skills.

#5 Shane Watson\'s allround skills

Can Shane Watson rediscover his all-round abilities?

Shane Watson has been one of the best allrounders in the World in the last decade. His batting can win matches on its own and his bowling is more than handy which can also be matchwinning on its day. But in the last few years and especially in the last year, his all-round capabilities have gone down. His batting has become a lot inconsistent and his bowling doesn't seem as threatening as before.

In the four tests that Watson played last year, he scored only 182 runs at a poor average of 30.33 and his bowling fetched him only four wickets. His ODI batting form was a little better, in 12 ODIs he scored 336 runs at an average of 37.33, his career average is though higher at 40.54. Watson’s abilities as a bowler though declined quite dramatically and he picked up only 4 ODI wickets last year. Though Watson still has seemingly a few years of cricket left in him, he has to rediscover his all-round skills.