Are bowlers who can play all formats of cricket going out of fashion?
Since the introduction of the newest format in 2005, international cricket has become more competitive, and the schedule, tighter. Broad bats and shorter boundaries have no doubt made the game hard for the bowlers. A swift innings can tamper with the rhythm of the best of bowlers.
With the advent of the Indian Premier League, and the subsequent cropping up of similar leagues around the world, the average international cricketer has lots of options, and isn’t limited to just Tests or One-Dayers.
As was the case with the other two forms, it is a norm these days for teams to have T20 specialists that play only the shortest format of the game. They could include hard-hitting batsmen who can turn the game around in a jiffy, or strike bowlers who can make an impact in the four overs they get to bowl. For bowlers, stamina and persistence are making way for effectiveness.
It now seems like bowlers, who are equally adept in all formats of the game, are slowly going out of fashion. T20 requires innovation and continuous evolution, be it a batsman or a bowler. Even for bowling, teams from around the world are availing the services of specialists, bowlers who understand their role, how ever limited it might be, and use their strengths in the limited window they get to shine.
The trend, however, affects fast bowlers more than spinners, for reasons quite obvious. To balance the workload of bowling in three formats, continuing it season after season, and starring in the various domestic tournaments is a tall task.
Hence, most of the established fast bowlers today are giving up on one of the formats to ease their workload and concentrate on other formats.
Dale Steyn has been the top Test bowler for quite some time now. His control on the ball, both old and new, is unmatched. He has been playing all three formats of the game since 2007. A spate of injuries has halted his dominance, and Steyn has recently looked a pale shadow of himself. It won’t be long before he retires from one of the formats so that he can extend his career well into his 30s.
Among the active players, James Anderson has the highest number of combined wickets (720), but he hasn’t played a T20 since 2009. His last ODI was in the ICC World Cup last year. Like Anderson, other bowlers are also cutting down on their workload by retiring from one of the formats.
Stuart Broad last played a T20 in 2014 and hasn’t been in England’s T20 plans since. Morne Morkel, an integral part of the South African bowling attack, hasn’t featured in T20s since August last year.
They are making way for bowlers like David Willey, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Mitchell McClenaghen, Adam Milne, Jasprit Bumrah, and the like, bowlers who are tailor-made for the shortest format. Fast bowlers are not able to stretch themselves so much as to carry on in all the three formats with the same intensity. The top spinners, however, mostly feature in all the three formats.
Since Harbhajan Singh was discarded from the team, Ashwin has been the frontline spinner for India across all formats. His success in the IPL helped him get into the ODI team first, and eventually Tests. He has taken a combined 368 wickets in all formats since his debut in 2010.
Shakib Al Hasan has been consistently playing all formats of the game, and has been the mainstay in the Bangladeshi lineup for a decade now. It isn’t surprising, for Bangladesh has a larger core of players that play all the formats.
Ravindra Jadeja made a comeback into the team after being out with an injury last year. Since then, he has been actively involved in the three formats, and has been equally effective in all of them.
Imran Tahir has been the frontline spinner for South Africa in all the three formats. He had a fruitful World Cup last year, being the second highest wicket taker.
With cutters and slower balls in the mix, teams are consistently looking for T20 bowling specialists, who can make an impact in their stipulated four overs. A Shaun Tait can’t bowl relentlessly in Tests, but can conjure a short spell of express pace which can trouble the run-making process of the batting team.
Others, like Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Mitchell Starc are still young enough to carry on in all three formats, and continue to do so.