replicated from other games like football and hockey has indeed been a hit with the spectators. Those close to the line get to see their favorite players for much longer and we get to know what a dressing room might look like. But, there has been a tendency sometimes for dismissed batsmen, losing captains and stuttering coaches to prefer the conventional dressing room up the stairs rather than its modern day transparent cousin, the dugout.

The BOUNDARIES:

T20 was supposed to be a batsman’s game no doubt, but one never imagined that it would be this biased in their favor. Many would have noticed that the boundary ropes have been pulled in a fair distance from their original positions, especially in key positions such as cover and mid wicket so that hitters like Yuvraj Singh have a more than fair probability of clearing the fence. Wonder why bowlers never threatened to walk out of T20 cricket.

BATTING:

1. The PADDLE SCOOP:

The latest invention in cricket, the paddle scoop or just the scoop. When cricket was first played in England around 200 years back, no one dreamt that batsmen one day would have evolved enough to go down on their knees to a fast bowler and spoon the ball behind the stumps on the leg side. That’s what the needs of T20 have done to batting. Dot balls are like death traps and batsmen are finding newer and innovative ways to get out of jail. Some of them are so good at the shot that they hit it over the head of the keeper, like Dilshan did the other day. Some might like to credit the invention of the paddle scoop to Douglas Marillier from Zimbabwe who first played it around 10 years back. But, it is only now that it has become a staple scoring shot, fraught with risk though; after all it is the shot that made Rahul Dravid lose his leg stump in the IPL final, a very rare sight in cricket.

2. The REVERSE PADDLE SWEEP:

Now, this is a hybrid. The paddle sweep was perfected by Sachin in the late nineties against some of the best spinners ever in world cricket. The reverse sweep has been in here for more than a decade, the best player of the shot being Andy Flower. The reverse sweep is now being played with a lot more power than what Flower did with batsmen threatening to score sixes with the shot. Now, both these have come together of sorts to give rise to the reverse paddle sweep, the one that goes fine behind the keeper on the off side. Not played very often though and looks very streaky even when it comes off. But, it does have the ability to unsettle a bowler’s line.

Then there has been the ‘BLIND SWIPE’, specialized by Roelof Van der Merwe. Over the years we have seen various forms of slogging, but never has a batsman so decisively taken his eyes off the ball before making contact. And surprisingly, the South African seems to connect a few.

BOWLING:

Many thought that T20 would be the death of bowlers in world cricket with all the power hitting and heavy bats. But, the bowlers seem to have found out ways to escape the carnage.

1. The SLOW BOUNCER:

The slower delivery has been a potent weapon for a long time now for fast bowlers off all types. But, even a couple of years back, no one thought that bouncers could be bowled at a slow pace. Well, they are working big time for the pacers and Lasith Malinga is the premiere exponent of this technique. It would not be wrong to say that not a single one of his slow bouncers have been picked right by any batsman, the tail enders are at a complete loss against this one. Sure to be adopted by bowlers all over.

2. The ARM BALL:

This delivery has been a specialty of the left arm spinner from the early days of cricket. But it seemed to be losing out in prominence to all the new kinds of deliveries that were being developed over the years. But T20 seems to have reinvented the effectiveness of this traditional weapon. Daniel Vettori must be credited with bringing it back into the limelight. He was one of the few bowlers who persisted with it throughout his career. The straight, flat and quick delivery that goes in with the arm is very useful in T20.

KEEPING:

1. STANDING UP:

If anyone’s job description has changed because of T20 it has to be the keeper. Sometimes you almost feel sorry for this hard working breed of cricketers. With batsmen like Gambhir and Graeme Smith making it a habit of going down the track even to the fastest of bowlers it has been required of the keepers to stand up to the stump, even to express bowlers. Poor keepers, they risk their noses and chins to prevent the batsmen going down the track. They are coping well though. There are new aerodynamic helmets on the ground (like the one Sangakkara’s wearing; would look good on a fighter pilot) while some have imported the baseball style face protector. One can’t get too careful.

2. SELLING THE DUMMY:

In T20, each run is precious, so is each dot ball. With umpires getting stricter by the day about wides down the leg side the wicket keeper have been resorting to very strange tactics to save a run and the extra delivery. Many of them catch the ball and raise their arms, going up in a ferocious appeal for nothing. Apparently, they are selling a dummy to ‘Big Brother’ umpire to distract them from their actual duty of calling a wide. Some keepers adopt a milder form of the dummy, just applauding the bowler and saying ‘good ball’ making everyone wonder whether the ball brushed any part of the batsman. One thing is sure, the people who wrote the MCC laws at the Mecca of cricket will not be too amused when someone tries to bluff the umpire on a wide.

Some have liked it, some have not. The old timers understandably still prefer the game played in its pristine form in all whites. But, T20 and the changes that it has brought are here to stay.