Preserving wickets in the first powerplay and accelerating through the middle & death overs may be key
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The 1992 ODI World Cup in Australia and New Zealand saw the advent of power hitting against the new ball, with Kiwi opener Mark Greatbatch being the chief exponent. Four years later, at the World Cup in the subcontinent, Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana took the art of aggressive batting at the top to another level.
The arrival of T20 cricket has had a ripple effect on ODIs, and with two new balls at either end, even scores of 350 are being chased down. In the build-up to the ODI World Cup, New Zealand posted scores of over 300 in two successive warm-up matches.
But there seems to be a difference in the way the teams are going about targeting such tall scores. The ultra-aggressive approach at the start in ODIs is no longer the key. Instead, preserving wickets to increase the tempo through the middle overs, and going slam-bang at the end seems to be the way for teams.
"I suppose you don't want to lose too many wickets in the first Powerplay, especially if a guy like Trent Boult is bowling," South African batsman Rassie van der Dussen said after their game against New Zealand here. "We knew that if we could negotiate that and get out of the Powerplay, we could play with a lot more freedom. From a top-order point of view, watch through the new ball and give the guys in the middle (order) a chance to shine.
New Zealand opener Devon Conway felt that making an assessment of the pitch is going to be vital in building big totals in this World Cup. "Assessing early (the conditions) is the key, and so is building partnerships. If we excel in our partnerships, we can always make a big impact at the end of the innings as a batting group. We need to bat accordingly. If the wickets are good, we need to accept that we will catch up in the end," said Conway.
Banking on IPL experience
Visiting teams are no strangers to Indian conditions now as most of their players feel at 'home' in India due to the IPL.
"Personally, getting an opportunity to rub shoulders with guys who have played so much cricket in India - like MS Dhoni, Ajinkya Rahane, Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja - and having conversations with these guys and how they play in different conditions in India, has been fantastic for me," said Conway, the Chennai Super Kings opener.
In a long tournament like the World Cup, knowing the intricacies of different venues will be critical. "We play all over the country. And every city comes up with its own conditions. Delhi is coming up next for us. The guys who played there (Delhi) in our group, will lean heavily on them. What the pitch will be doing, will there be dew on the night? We are definitely looking to tap into that knowledge," van der Dussen said.
