All-rounders make way for pacemen

DERBY, MAY 28: The amazing thing about the World Cup is that teams look at it as the occasion to unfold innovative strategies on unsuspec...

DERBY, MAY 28: The amazing thing about the World Cup is that teams look at it as the occasion to unfold innovative strategies on unsuspecting opposition.

Often, when moves like opening the batting with a pinch hitter Mark Greatbatch in 1992 or even two pinch hitters Sananth Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana in 1996 or opening the bowling with an off spinner Dipak Patel in 1992, come off, even the abridged form of the game is seen as something more than a series of set-piece moves.

This World Cup too has had its share of revolutionary thinking. This time around, it is the Pakistanis, and may be even the West Indies who seem to have opened new avenues.

BOWLERS8217; MITE: Thus far, every team looked up to its batsmen to up the Net Run Rate with quick scoring and massive totals. These came in handy in standings in the group.

However, the West Indies, with their massive win over Scotland on Thursday have shown that bowlers too can contribute substantially to the Net Run Rate.Scotland opted to bat firstto deny the West Indies batsmen the opportunity to smash the bowling and improve the run rate. But the West Indies, who went in with four frontline pacemen, Courtney Walsh, Curtly Ambrose, Hendry Bryan and Reon King, besides Phil Simmons, turned the group topsy-turvy with their tactics. They dismissed Scotland for a meagre 68. As per the Playing Conditions of the World Cup, if a team is all out, then the calculation for Net Run Rate would be made for the entire quota of overs and not for the actual number of overs faced. Thus Scotland who were shot out for 68 in 31.3 overs had their total divided by 50 overs 1.36. The West Indies made the 70 runs for a win in 10.1 overs 7.

Their overall Net Run Rate 0.88 shot up so handsomely, that they overtook Pakistan8217;s NRR 0.84. This sent the Australians, playing at Chester -Le-Street into an absolute panic. They had to score at a hectic rate and defeat Bangladesh to overhaul the West Indies. But their indiscriminate hitting only helped them narrow the NRRlead 0.77.

Former Pakistan skipper Imran Khan said that packing the side with five frontline bowlers is a very positive move and in this World Cup, the teams that do so would call the shots. He believes that the bits and pieces bowlers are the ones permitting a recovery and should therefore be kept out of the playing eleven here in English conditions.

Story continues below this ad

This is directly contrary to the line of thinking of England and even teams like Australia and New Zealand who have many bits and pieces cricketers in their team. The English bits and pieces men helped South Africa recover from 168 for seven while Australia have struggled right through. Imran holds that West Indies would have beaten Pakistan if they had fielded four fast bowlers in the first tie itself. With all the innovation coming into the game, One-Day cricket is unravelling into a game of chess. Adapt and you prosper. Stagnate and be overtaken by innovation that8217;s the motto.