The T20 World Cup 2024 has moved to its next round with 12 out of the 20 teams that participated in the tournament being eliminated and the remaining sides marching towards the Super Eight stage of the T20 tournament.
This T20 World Cup has been a bit different from the previous editions in the sense we have seen a lot of low scores in this particular edition as compared to previous T20 World Cups. So the big question that everyone is asking after watching the kind of cricket that has been played so far in this tournament Is T20 really a batters game? In this article, we will discuss this highly debated topic.
Decoding The Game: Is T20 Really A Batters Game?
The Conditions
One of the biggest reasons why people are even contemplating the thought of questioning whether T20 is a batter’s game is because of the conditions that have been on offer during the T20 World Cup 2024 which has been highly in favour of the bowlers, especially in New York where the drop-in wicket assisted the fast bowlers due to the uneven bounce that was on offer as some balls kept low while some bounced from the same length making it difficult for the batters to play their shots. Having said that few batters played fearlessly and Rishabh Pant was one of them. The left-hander was the highest run scorer on a difficult wicket in New York.
The Habit
There is no hiding from the fact that the patience of batters has decreased in the past few years which is evident by the fact that the majority of the batters have started playing Test matches like limited-overs cricket as a result of which bowlers have more opportunities to get them out. It is something that has had a ripple effect in white ball cricket as well as batters nowadays lack the technique required to play on difficult wickets where you have to trust your defence.
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The Balancing Act
As they say, there are two sides to the story so if we are blaming the batters for poor batting technique then we should also spare a thought for the bowlers who were taken to the cleaners during IPL where the batters enjoyed full autonomy as they made full use of the conditions that were on offer with flat wickets and short boundaries that has been a feature of the league over the years. As a spectator, if we don’t have any problem with bowlers getting smashed all over the park then we should not question the pitch which has something in it for the bowlers.
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The Mismanagement
Having said that the ICC should make sure that the balance between bat and ball is maintained and neither of the two should overpower the other which has been the case in the ongoing T20 World Cup which has resulted in people taking less interest in the multination tournament this time around as the sole purpose of T20 cricket is to attract new audiences through big scores which can be achieved only when you prepare good wickets that assist both batters and bowlers.
