Anchors at the top as teams go slow in Powerplay in bowler-friendly conditions in Australia

32-2 and 32-3 are the totals after the first six overs in the India vs Pakistan game. The ball was seaming all over the place. The conditions were reminiscent of the day one Test pitch at Lord’s.

The average Powerplay total at the 2021 T20 World cup in UAE was 40.83 and in the 2022 World Cup so far, including the game between Pakistan and Zimbabwe on October 27, is 39.21.

Apart from SCG at Sydney, the rest of the pitches have had a greenish look to them. Add to that the wet weather, this has been one of those rare world cups which has demanded different skill sets like good solid technique and defence apart from just boundary-hitting ability from the top order.

According to Cricviz, the average swing is 0.95° and average seam moment of the surface is 0.67° in the first six overs in this world cup. It is the largest lateral moment of the ball since the 2010 World Cup held in the Caribbean.

PowerPlays

In the India-Pakistan game at “G,” Arshdeep Singh bowled a delivery which seamed back into Pakistan opener Babar Azam on the very first ball he faced. He was given out LBW. Conditions which were unseen before for T20Is, especially in World cups.

In the Australia-Sri Lanka clash in Perth, the Sri Lankan openers had trouble facing the Australian pace battery. Both the teams managed 33 and 36 in their Powerplay’s huffing and puffing with a scratchy boundary here and there.

The average Powerplay total from the 2021 T20 World cup in UAE is 40.83 and in the 2022 World Cup so far is 39.21. The difference may not seem much but the biggest reason that the average is what it is because of New Zealand and Ireland: New Zealand had tallied 64 in their opening game against. And Ireland made 63against West Indies made 63 runs and South Africa made 63 against Bangladesh.

It is noteworthy that two of three 60+ scores in the Powerplay have come at the SCG where the pitches have had lesser grass, compared to other venues. The Ireland-West Indies game was in Hobart.

In the 2021 world cup, the highest score in Powerplay was by England against Australia (66 runs) and Australia against Sri Lanka (63). However, the average took a significant hit because of the qualifying game between Bangladesh and Papua New Gunie where PNG were 17/4 after their first six.

In the 2016 world cup held in India, where the fast bowlers had very little assistance with the new ball and the surfaces were batting-friendly, the numbers were higher with 45 as the average batting score in the first six. The highest Powerplay total was 89 by England against South Africa at Wankhade in Mumbai.

It is evident from the numbers that despite only having two fielders outside the 30-yard circle, the surfaces in this world cup, so far, have not been conducive for big hitting.

The other very notable point is neither West Indies in 2016 nor Australia in 2021 were the highest-averaging sides in the Powerplay; yet were champions. West Indies averaged 41 in 2016 with the highest being South Africa with 58. In 2021 Australia averaged 37.3 with Afghanistan being the highest at 51.3.

Hard lengths

Speaking to Sky Sports, Dale Steyn had said that length is the most important thing for a bowler than line. Depending on the bounce of the pitch, the length which can hit the top of the off-stump varies from country to country; what may be a good delivery in India may be a hittable ball in Australia.

“Hasan (Mahmud) and I tried a few yorkers, but we were strict on the length ball as we were getting a bit of bounce off it,” Bangladesh’s Taskin Ahmed said in the post-match press conference after a win against the Netherlands by nine runs.

Because of the similar data available to all the teams, most seamers are trying to hit back of the length instead of a yorker or the slower ones like in the previous editions of the world cups.

The dimensions of the grounds are massive compared to anywhere in the world. The back of the length is not easily hittable out of the ground unlike Sharjah in UAE. It requires a proper hoick and a bit of wind-assistance to clear such deliveries.

The slower ones or the knuckle balls allow the batters to set themselves up to hit them and it is easier to do so as these early-season wickets are offering no grip to slower balls nor spinners the balls are just skidding nicely on to bat.

“Haris had all the experience. But when there was pressure on Pakistan as well as India in the 16th over to 19th over, both the fast bowlers went for slower deliveries. Instead of trying back of length to the Indian batsman, which was troubling both of them, they tried 11 slower ones during that period. When you aim to take wickets, you can’t rely too much on slower ones. Both the sixes by Virat Kohli were hit on slower balls,” Said Wasim Akram Pakistan TV show ‘A Sports’

The anchor

In the previous iterations of 2016 and 2021, the batters were constantly criticised for their strike rates despite playing long innings.

Players like Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan have come under immense criticism of late for their slow and steady approach towards batting.

But this world cup seems primed so far the anchors.

Devon Conway scored 92 runs against Australia at SCG. Virat Kohli scored 82 runs from 53 balls against Pakistan at MCG earlier in the same game Shan Masood scored 52 from 42. All were unbeaten knocks.

Aaron Finch’s 31(42) is more an indication of the captain’s form rather than the intent to see the innings through. Nevertheless, he held an end up to see his side through. Teams are constantly trying to keep a set player in the middle so that he could anchor the innings throughout and the rest can come in and take the attack on. We are likely to see more of them in the upcoming days.