Indian Express
The batting powerplay has added a healthy layer of unpredictability to the 50-over game. As England demonstrated in the Bangalore tie, the third powerplay is a mixed blessing taking it at the wrong time can play right into the fielding side’s hands.
As the incredible denouement unfolded, a commentator suggested that the events of the powerplay had shown MS Dhoni and other captains that attacking fields are the way to go when defending big totals.
The implication was that England’s innings would have taken the same course had Dhoni strengthened the 30-yard ring himself.
But this ignores the psychological implications of the batsmen taking that call themselves. In England’s case, a mindset change set in, and the batsmen went for strokes they wouldn’t normally play.
Ian Bell, who had till then found the boundary with orthodox strokes, succumbed trying to launch Zaheer Khan inside-out. Paul Collingwood slogged and missed; Matt Prior slogged and mis-hit. Amidst this mayhem, the singles dried up. Where did England’s irrational need to go over the top come from?
The batting powerplay has added a healthy layer of unpredictability to the 50-over game. As England demonstrated in the Bangalore tie, the third powerplay is a mixed blessing taking it at the wrong time can play right into the fielding side’s hands.
As the incredible denouement unfolded, a commentator suggested that the events of the powerplay had shown MS Dhoni and other captains that attacking fields are the way to go when defending big totals.
The implication was that England’s innings would have taken the same course had Dhoni strengthened the 30-yard ring himself.
But this ignores the psychological implications of the batsmen taking that call themselves. In England’s case, a mindset change set in, and the batsmen went for strokes they wouldn’t normally play.
Ian Bell, who had till then found the boundary with orthodox strokes, succumbed trying to launch Zaheer Khan inside-out. Paul Collingwood slogged and missed; Matt Prior slogged and mis-hit. Amidst this mayhem, the singles dried up. Where did England’s irrational need to go over the top come from?
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