Short ball barrage lights up World Cup as quicks get upper hand

It was billed as a World Cup in which fast bowlers would be bullied by the new breed of short-form batsmen. It hasn’t turned out like that, with bouncers the effective weapon of choice in the early matches.

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It was supposed to be a World Cup graveyard for fast bowlers.

A white ball with little lateral movement. Batsmen skilled in 360 degree hitting. Small grounds, short boundaries and a matter of when not if a team would post 500.

And yet, just five matches in and ahead of what already looks like a mismatch between the big-hitting tournament favourite and would-be whipping boys, at a venue which has witnessed world record totals of 3-444 in 2016 and 6-481 just last summer, all the talk is of pairing two electric pace bowlers in the attack.

Hashmatullah Shahidi ducks a bouncer off the bowling of Mitchell Starc in Bristol.

Jofra Archer, whose pace barrage so unsettled South Africa in England’s 104 run victory, is likely to share new ball duties with Mark Wood, another England bowler capable of clocking the speed gun north of 150kmp, when England face Pakistan in both sides’ second fixture.

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And for good reason.

Pakistan were bounced out of the contest against West Indies in their opener. All out for 105 on what proved to be a springy track at Trent Bridge, with pacemen accounting for all 10 wickets.

Hashim Amla had to retire hurt after a short delivery from Jofra Archer struck him on the helmet.

Pakistan’s batsmen left alone much of the short stuff, and often were ruffled when they looked to take it on.

They can expect more of the same on Monday night.

“We didn’t handle the short-ball really well so we practice a lot (because) we know it will come,” said Azhar Mahmood, Pakistan’s bowling coach.

West Indies' Andre Russell blew Pakistan away with a barrage of bouncers.

“When people come from the subcontinent, other teams will use that sort of tactics. In South Africa (over the winter), we had the same sort of issues.”

Of the 54 wickets that fell in the first three days of the World Cup, 23 of the balls were pitched short or short of a length by fast bowlers. Fast bowlers bowled 454 balls short or short of a length in the first four matches, with a strike rate of a wicket every 19 balls.

Mitchell Starc took a wicket in his first over of the tournament, as he always does.

Among the most exciting quicks on show so far is Archer, who took 3-27 against South Africa in England’s opening-day win and bowled at an express pace of up to 93 miles per hour (150 kph).

In Jofra Archer England have unearthed an x-factor bowler.

A late call-up to the England squad, Archer could prove to be the team’s most important bowler given how the tournament is developing.

“It could be a trend,” England captain Eoin Morgan said of the success of the fast bowlers.

“Probably over the last couple of the years in the shorter formats of the game, it’s been legspin. This might be a trend for the tournament.

“It might be the nature of the pitches. The pitches look pretty good, cross seam into the wicket might be getting a better reaction than any other bowling.”

It is unlikely to last, though, as pitches get more worn and slower. Pakistan will be among the teams hoping that change comes quickly.

The unexpected trend could be prove good news for Australia, for whom Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins both took a wicket in their opening over in an opening victory over Afghanistan — whose much vaunted spin attack was outperformed by veteran Hamid Hassan, the first fast bowler to bowl more than a single maiden over to David Warner in ODIs.

Cummins peppered the Afghanistan lower order with short stuff, and was economical as he was accurate, finishing with three wickets for 40 from his 8.2 overs.

So much talk of 500 runs ... yet team totals after four games:

🇿🇦 207 (39.5 overs)
🇵🇰 105 (21.4)
🇱🇰 136 (29.2)
🇦🇫 207 (38.2)

It’s all been about the bowlers so far. #CWC19 #AFGvAUS @NewsCorpCricket

— Sam Landsberger 🗯 (@SamLandsberger) June 1, 2019

For those worried about the imbalance between bat and ball in recent ODIs, the sight of the quicks benefiting from an aggressive response is welcome.

And productive. No batsman has yet reached triple figures, with Warner’s innings of 89 against Afghanistan the closest to date.

That’s a century drought at the start of the tournament not experienced since 1999, when the World Cup was last in England.

Bangladesh’s win over South Africa was also the first match in which the full 100 overs has been played out, with South Africa (against England), Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Afghanistan all dismissed by before the end of the 40th over in their respective losses.

Opening bowlers are dominating, with an average of just under two wickets being taken in the opening 10 overs of each innings.

“Us batters like to see that,” Warner said.

“We know the bowlers always say that one-day cricket is a batters’ game but two new balls over here means hopefully there is a bit of swing for the fast bowlers.

“Our quicks at the moment are going through the top order. For us, as batters, we’ve got to hold our nerve a little bit, play normal cricket shots and get into our innings.”

— with agencies

Originally published as Short ball barrage lights up World Cup as quicks get upper hand