Tristan Lavalette says in the days of big-hitting and huge totals, it’s still the India legend who could emerge as the World Cup hero this summer
ODI cricket is different these days. You just have to watch England’s matches to realise how much the format has gone into overdrive since the last World Cup, which now feels like a bygone era.
Back then, Australia’s deep and destructive batting order at the 2015 World Cup saw them take the 50-over format to new heights. It proved a successful formula that helped spearhead Australia to a memorable triumph on home soil and then became the blueprint Trevor Bayliss used to fuel England’s astounding ODI turnaround.
In these exciting times, England’s batting is loaded with firepower to make Australia circa 2015 look rather pedestrian. This nastier version of 50-over cricket was showcased during that utterly mindboggling 4th ODI between England and West Indies in Grenada.
England plundered 418-6, including unbelievably striking at 10 an over for the last 25 overs, but it was barely enough with the West Indies almost gunning it down before falling just 29 runs short.
It was almost all too surreal and felt reminiscent of playing the classic Nineties video game Brian Lara Cricket, when you used cheat mode to hit sixes at will. It’s not fantasy anymore; no total appears implausible and no total feels safe to defend in ODI cricket.
Amid this run glut, MS Dhoni’s throwback batting to a more sedate period stands out. It has been almost jarring to flick between watching the pyrotechnic show in the Caribbean to the more staid matches India and Australia have played in the past six weeks.
This story is from the March 8, 2019 edition of The Cricket Paper.
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This story is from the March 8, 2019 edition of The Cricket Paper.
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