Better bats, smaller boundaries reducing bowlers to virtual bowling machine: Chappell
The Hindu
"The administrators need to find the ideal balance between bat and ball and educate fans on cricket's values"
The ludicrous combination of better bats and smaller boundaries is reducing bowlers to virtual bowling machines, says the legendary Ian Chappell, calling on the guardians of the game to take corrective steps to maintain a balance between sports and entertainment in T20 cricket.
"The administrators need to find both the ideal balance between bat and ball and educate fans on cricket's values," Chappell wrote in a column for ESPNcricinfo.
"It is fine when middled deliveries finish up in the stands but a bowler should be extremely angry if a blatant mis-hit still clears the ropes." The former Australia skipper believes "this problem is not so pronounced on larger Australian grounds." "...but I'm not sure what genius produced the ludicrous mixture of better bats and smaller boundaries. This combination is reducing bowlers to virtual bowling machines. It is a serious slight on good bowlers and needs to be rectified immediately," Chappell wrote.