West Indies - trend setters in limited overs game

It was around 40 years ago that limited-over cricket was a nice simple game!

Both teams usually bowled the same numbers of overs to each other and the team making the most number of runs won the match. The means of obtaining a result will always be the same but it is what happens between the bowling of the first and the last ball of the match that has altered dramatically over the past several seasons.

The West Indians, because of their superiority in this type of cricket, say in the early period of 1986, have been the trend trend setters with the then captain Clive Lloyd planning the tactics before the game and then ensuring they were carried out on the field. It was easy for teams such as the West Indies to carry out detailed planing because with the abundance of talent in their line-up they know that, more often than, things will go according to the blueprint.

What correct planning is all about is emphasised by the success of the Indian teams in one-day cricket over the past several seasons. They had done their homework on the previous World Cup, and the fact that they carried it out to the very last wicket to ball, enabled them to win the title from the most highly fancied teams.

There is no doubt that bowlers have quickly woken up to the then one-day tactics being employed by batsmen.

The bowlers have got used not to bowl many short pitched deliveries and the "Yorker" is number one in the popularity charts with fast bowlers.

This ball us not only difficult to score from but is also a great wicket-taker when batsmen are improvising and taking risks.

We have seen Joel Garner, Michael Holding and Richard Hadlee among the fast bowlers who picked up a high percentage of their victims with are bowled right up in the block hole.

A. C. de S