Let's take a 'tactical break' - Inbox at Cricinfo

Powerplays 2 and 3 - farcical from a bowler's point of view - 40% off all overs bowled in ODI's now have a limit on the number of fielders outside the circle. One bouncer per batsman per over - this rule has single handedly prolonged the careers of Ganguly and Yuvraj to name but two, as their main weakness (by law) cannot be exploited. Modern bats are far more effective in destructive hitting - more a natural progression of the game, but certainly not one designed to help bowlers sleep at night.

Change of ball in 34th over - The ball is no longer shiny, white and hard, spinners and exponents of reverse swing, having waited thirty four overs for their time to shine, get their main weapon removed. Boundary ropes have not exactly been pushed out either, have they? At some stadiums, especially in the subcontinent, they are brought in a full fifteen or twenty yards from the stadium's natural extremities.

Batsmen getting runners if injured during the game - what absolute poppycock! A batsman should be out in the middle as long as he is fit to do his job. Geoffrey Boycott will tell you that running between the wickets is part of his job. When a bowler gets injured, he limps off and often has his overs completed by a part timer (surprise, surprise - that suits the batsmen). These points raised do not pretend to be all encompassing. They are the few that I could think of off the top of my head. Batsmen being allowed to call on runners certainly isn't a modern development, but its development in the batsmen's favour.

Can anyone think of a development where the bowlers' interests were preserved or (god forbid) enhanced? I can, and its not a direct advantage as much as I think it is a by-product of the rules' amendments. It's called a 'tactical break'.

Lalit Modi is loving life, having generated millions in extra advertising revenue, but the small number of games in the IPL so far have shown that momentum for a batting side once lost, is very hard to regain. The overall averages for overs eleven and twelve directly after the break, do not paint the most convincing picture in the world. We are looking only at the two overs bowled directly after the 10 over 'tactical break'. To date, the 40 overs bowled in the tournament fitting the above description have yielded 18 wickets at a cost of 16.5 and a run rate of 7.4. But if you look at just the first five games, those numbers drop to 123 runs in 18 overs at a cost of 6.8 per over and 13 wickets at a cost of 9.5 each. Does this suggest that teams took a while to get used to it? Perhaps. Overall numbers have improved, but are still below tournament averages. I think we have the slightest suggestion of a slight advantage to bowlers, and that's a step in the right direction.

To lose absolutely no wickets in overs eleven and twelve clearly helps team results. It has happened seven times and only once did the team concerned lose the match, Chennai in Game 1. Four teams have done it once each. Deccan Chargers have managed it in all three of their games and guess what? They won all three and sit atop the league table. A new challenge has emerged for batsmen - and even though it will only be in the IPL for the time being, in due course one should not be amazed to see it drafted into other forms and competitions.

Going forward, I would not be surprised to see bowlers volunteering for an over directly after the break. An obvious disclaimer would have to state that this analysis does not claim to be gospel. Cricket is like that, and often the numbers can be made to show whatever one needs them to show. But I reckon its food for thought. "Statistics are like bikinis .... What they reveal is suggestive, what they hide is essential" said Navjot Sidhu. If all of this is merely suggestive, I suggest batsmen start concentrating on the two overs directly after the 'tactical break'.

@ak, i would take the aussies been unpopular amoungst neutral fans as backhanded complement! its only through the australian crickets complete success on the field they are not liked for! anyone wonder why no one has anything bad to say about new zealand? because they never have had any success and certainly none for a prolonged peiriod of time! and if the aussies arent popular in "the cricket epicenter called the indian sub continent" then why do we have to go there every year for ODI's or tests or some tri series against india when india only tour here once every 4 years? and dont say money because if australia werent popular as you claim they arent then there wouldnt be a indian public interest in the series which the bcci would then caned just like anytime bangledesh or zimbabwe are proposed to tour india!

I think Andrew is right. "At the end of the day IPL is a farce" where in the sponsors are happy and willing to put more money even the tournament relocates to a very different place, players are happy that they can earn more, the organizers (BCCI and Franchise) are happy that thay earn more, the people watching (in India, who cares if anyone watches outside India) are happy for getting money's worth. If being farce means this then I accepts it.

I dont know the problem of these people, they just cant accept the truth, it was the same way last time too.

For me I will better watch IPL which is part of my daily routine rather than watch some junk matches (WI Vs ENG,AUS Vs PAK and many more). It seems people like those matches (OMG the test matches between WI and ENG last month were sooo exciting...:))

Grow up for ur good. Else live in ur false worlds...and keep watching those lively matches (ENG Vs WI). Keep off from the IPL articles (why are these people commenting here in first place)

Yes I agree with your comments on the England V WI series, boy was that dull. I got myself worked up for that for nothing. You put your finger on another thing, pitches are becoming flat all over the world, certainly not just Asia and it's ruining Test Cricket. I've found the IPL fantastic to watch and genuinly exicting even if the commentating is just awful but we've heard enough about that all ready. The tatical break is annoying I think, it ruins the flow of the game, Twenty20 is meant to be fast and furious, why stop it half way through. I think the head coach of the Super Kings said he had no idea what to do
with the tatical break. Oh and poor Ganguly, he had a hard enough time in his career without you pointing out his flaws, he was one of my favourite cricketers. I don't like to read that England fans aren't liked around the world though, I thought we were ok, it was so fantastic to see the good will after the terrorist attacks and I thought our stock had gone up.

@ak -- There is no such entity as "we" Indian cricket fans. You may be unable to look beyond your nose, but there are plenty of us who enjoy (and indeed prefer, precisely because they doesn't engage our own nationalistic instincts) good hard-fought neutral contests.

I do not however, buy into the IPL bashing that seems to be a regarded a sign of 'superior cricketing intellect' these days. Yesterday i watched Tendulkar and Jayasuriya bat in tandem, and with a delightful mix of surgical cuts and sledgehammer strokes, shred an attack to bits. The difference between that batsmanship and the Hayden-Dhoni-Yusuf Pathan type of bam-bam that dominates world cricket was palapable. I'd rather watch that than the Pakistan versus Aus ODIs or the Eng v WI Test Matches any day.

Just an aside. It seems as if some people have read a different article to the one published.

Replies along the lines of "I can understand why you wouldn't enjoy the IPL" and "Why only point out the small grounds in Asia".

I see nothing in the original article to pronpt these replies.

Are they responses to a different article ?
Or...
Perhaps it is just some strangely paranoid people who did not read it (it's really not very long) and jump to some very defensive conclusions based on nothing.

HAve to agree with posters that the Eng WI series was the dullest I've ever seen, more of that kind of turgid nonsense and tests will cease to be viable to a paying public. WI fans enjoyed it for the rare win, but as a spectacle it was terrible.

Every day, every pitch a commentator would say "A slow low pitch, suited to bowlers who can 'take the pace off the ball'"
Every game at every level I hear these words. They will spell the end of cricket soon enough.

two things.

@paul clarke - couldn't agree more with you, mate. this forum has quickly becoming a platform for some subcontinent fans to betray their insecurities and take whatever (unjustified) opportunity to bitch about the english and australians and south africans. getting defensive about ganguly and yuvraj misses the point of the article. to complain that the author doesn't like the ipl misses the point. to complain that the author is criticising only south asia's smaller grounds - yes, again - misses the point. please try to keep comments relevant. you're only revealing you're own insecurities and territorial mentality, and consequently immaturity, by not doing so. thanks in advance.

@author. nice piece. though no need to pad your conclusion with 'suggests'. those of us objective enough to see your point for your point's sake can see that your article is a suggestive one.

Now a day’s cricket is supposed be a batsman game specially T20 type slam- bang bonanza. Strict wide rule, shorter boundaries, limited bouncer rule; all are killing the excitement and the charm of a game.their should be balance for both bowler and the batsman. Its result can clearly been seen in the modern cricket: the standard of not only the bowlers but also the batsman’s are diminishing day by day. No doubt their should some breathing space for the bowlers in the game. The funny side of this story is that in early days of cricket when their were no helmet and other protecting gears for the batsman’s; bowlers were more free;their were no restrictions on the bouncers so batsman’s has to be more alert for the rising deliveries. One more rule which should immediately remove is rule of free hit after no ball.Because your leg was out of the crease by few inches in the previous delivery (some times only in Amperes view) so you cant out in the him the in next ball!Is somebody listing ?