KPL 2018: "The skill of batsmen is ridiculous today," says Scott Styris

Over the course of his 12-year international career, Scott Styris played three 50-over World Cups, but a very significant moment in cricket history, of which he was part, was the first ever Twenty20 international game, way back in 2005.

Oblivious then, just like all his New Zealand teammates, as well as the opposite numbers in Australia, to the storm he was stepping into, Styris went on to play over 200 games in the format, before retiring in 2014 to venture into broadcasting.

More than thirteen years since, Scott Styris spoke exclusively to Sportskeeda about the format that has grown from a casual experiment into a massive talent-churning conveyor belt, at the sidelines of the Karnataka Premier League, where he is doing commentary duties with the likes of Dean Jones, Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson.

"The skill of the batsmen is ridiculous today," he starts off, when talking about the evolution of the game in the last decade and a half. He adds that the skill of batting has gone up in the last five years, "and we got to see that during the IPL this year".

Backing the bowlers to come good in a format that has always been branded to be a batsmen's jamboree, Styris gave an example of this year's IPL to explain how more variations are catching batsmen off-guard.

"The bowlers will catch up and try ways to combat that (batsmen's skill levels) - in the IPL this year, for example, the knuckleball was the favourite delivery. The players are always evolving, and in the last 10 years, you just see the players defining their roles a little more and working out how to hit the ball 360 degrees," he said.

"These sort of leagues (the KPL), along with the IPL, have a big part to play in the that.

Delving further into the significance of leagues like the Karnataka Premier League, Styris said that the concept ensures that youngsters from remote corners of the country are empowered to prove themselves at a much bigger stage.

"It is part of the reason I am really excited about coming to the KPL - I am doing only a few games this year but I have heard a lot about it. I spoke a lot to Dan Vettori, who was here last year - Dean Jones and Brett Lee have of course all been here, so it is a tournament of a high standard".

"Therefore I am looking forward to it because I think it is a brilliant concept and it enables another pathway for young cricketers from all over, not just the main cities, but from the smaller regions who have the ability to now perhaps go on and play for their state, then play in the IPL and for India".

"We've seen it in the TNPL where a couple of players have done it, and from what I understand there are a lot of players that come out of Karnataka and do well in the IPL, so it is a brilliant pathway for young cricketers," he added.