- One of the most eye-pleasing aspects of cricket is the ability of the batters to score runs in an attacking manner. Attacking batting means a slew of fours and sixes, which the paying cricket-crazy fans would die for. Since the time cricket was introduced, what was most obvious was the natural inclination of fans to root for batters who were not only attacking in their performances but also coming out with a mindset to take on the might of the opposition bowlers with gay abandon. The fascination with the attacking batters of yore like Vivian Richards, Gordon Greenidge, Alan Lamb, Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Ian Botham, Kapil Dev, Dean Jones, Brian Lara, and Martin Crowe, just to name a few from scores of them, was contagious. They were an absolute joy to watch.
PC: Moneycontrol.com
- The moment these attacking batters came to bat, the crowd would go berserk, knowing fully well that they may be about to witness a scintillating performance, satiating them with a barrage of fours and sixes. This was a five-day Test match back then. The introduction of the white-ball 50-over ensured the paying public was treated to entertaining performances interspersed with nail-biting, attacking batting displays, offering a keen contest between the bat and the ball most often. The dour and boring five-day cricket, which often resulted in tame draws, now had a great entertaining factor added, bringing in much-needed urgency to the proceedings. Further, the unveiling of the shortest format T20 completely altered the way cricket is played. We know this.
PC: NewsBytes
- The slam bang variety has gained such prominence, popularity, following, and penetration across the world that the flagship Indian Premier League (IPL) T20 tournament ranks among the most popular sporting leagues in the world now. The revenue generated by the IPL is mind-boggling but not surprising. The nineteenth edition of the IPL, underway now in India, is proving to be such an eye-popping enjoyment for the patrons that the ridiculous ease with which the batters can tonk the ball hard and far away must be making the connoisseurs uncomfortable. The reduced boundaries, the flat pitches, the heavier/meatier bats, and the rules largely favouring the batters have made life miserable for the bowlers to stop the marauding gladiators slaying the hapless lot.
PC: India Today
- The batters in the T20 format have decided to go for the kill right from the first ball. So much so that many openers do not mind taking an aerial route on the first ball of the innings as well. Gone are the days when a score of 150-160 in 20 overs was considered par. In fact, even a score of 210-220 is being chased with ridiculous ease now. Little wonder the IPL has already witnessed a humongous amount of sixes clearing the boundaries with ridiculous ease. Of course, the paying public is not complaining one bit, though. It’s high-octane entertainment right from the word go. Amazingly, bowlers, despite being on the back foot, are devising shrewd/cunning ways to beat the batters by embracing tactics to slow down the batters and scuttle the mad scoring rates.
