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Has ODI batting really changed in the last decade?

Apart from the fact that there is a massive overdose of meaningless matches, the reason that I have almost completely tuned out of watching ODI cricket in recent times is that there isn't much variability to the quality of cricket. Its as if each match/series is played from a selection of four or five templates with a pinch of variation here and there. The format has gone completely stagnant and as a viewer/follower its really hard to get excited about most contests. Sport is at its best when three ingredients come together - 1) A sense of occasion/context (which is why marquee Test match series, the football World Cup, and the Grand Slams in tennis are always worth following), 2) A battle (preferably equal) of both skills and wills, and 3) An ever increasing quality quotient. The third aspect is probably the hardest in cricket (and in football) given that so much of the game depends on individual ability (as opposed to technology which makes comparisons across eras in say tennis, nigh on impossible). Nevertheless, the least that can be hoped for is that stagnation is held at bay. And in ODI cricket (particularly in batting), we seem to be nearing that precipice.

Sample the stats below from the last ten years (2002-2011) -


The above spans across a period covering three World Cups and so it would be reasonable to expect that the game has moved along in terms of the impact batsmen are having? The stats however present a different picture. All of the stats above covering quantity of runs scored, frequency of significant individual scores, proportion of big scoring shots, and overall scoring rates, are pretty much static. To paraphrase Shane Warne's cheeky comment about Panesar, its as if the same match has been played 1442 times. Not quite but you can see what I meant earlier about the format going stagnant. And while its true that numbers will not always tell the full story of how playing styles and strategies have evolved, they cannot be said to be completely misleading either.

The one heartening statistic though from the last two years is that we seeming to be heading back to a period of a healthier mix of classic Test match batsmen tasting limited overs success. The list of top batsmen (by batting average) who scored more than 1000 runs since Jan 2010 includes Amla, Cook, Trott, Misbah, and Strauss in the top ten. And neither Michael Clarke nor Jacques Kallis would feature in most people's list of "ODI-batsmen-I-would-pay-money-to-watch". Moreover, Amla, Cook, and Strauss are all striking at well over 90 runs/ 100 balls so even the usual complaint of sluggish scoring can't be lodged. Comparing this with the previous two year period where Chanderpaul was probably the only member of the top ten (Kallis again and possibly Salman Butt in a stretch case) who can be put down as a true old-fashioned Test match batter. The likes of Amla and Cook have proved that its not about style and appearances but the willingness to adapt thinking and following it up with the hard work that counts. More power to them and here's hoping its not a false dawn.

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