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T20 cricket is changing right before our very eyes. There has been a shift in scoring at the franchise level over recent years culminating in an explosive IPL 2024 where run-scoring was the order of the day, with scores of 200+ regularly being chased down with consummate ease.

But what does this mean for international cricket? Are similar factors at play on the international scene which caused this shift in scoring?

In the history of the IPL there have been five scores in excess of 260. Four of them were plundered in this year’s edition, including a record score of 287! These things don’t happen by accident though.

While the increasing skill on show in the tournament cannot be overlooked, rule changes along with the way the tracks are being prepared, have led to those types of scores being a reality. Talk of 300+ scores 3-4 years ago seemed like a fantasy, but do they anymore?

The growth of the IPL as an entertainment product has clearly taken precedence. This year’s edition boasted the largest audience reach in the history of the competition. International stakeholders were paying attention.

Cricket goes Stateside

This year’s edition of the T20 World Cup is only the second ever World Cup to be jointly hosted by an associate nation, following the 2021 edition hosted by the UAE and Oman. It’s not just any associate however, with the USA long thought to represent the largest untapped market for the growth of the game.

Efforts have also clearly been made to make the game both accessible & understandable to new audiences. The inclusion of Jomboy, American media personality, among the commentary panel has raised some eyebrows among contemporary cricket fans. It does, however, point to the stakeholders being conscious of the need for relatability to its US market.

But what does all this mean for the cricket?

Fours & sixes get people’s attention, but does a slow turning wicket attract the interest of the casual fan?

Changing tides?

Match one of this year’s T20 World Cup followed suit with the trend set in this year’s IPL. USA chased a score of 196 set by Canada inside 18 overs on what was a flat surface at Dallas.

This was only their 3rd ever score above 190 in the history of USA T20 cricket. Their highest score came 3 weeks prior, also in a match against Canada.

Although conditions in the Caribbean are not conducive to teams consistently hitting large scores at this year’s World Cup, especially as the tournament goes on and the tracks get even slower, it would not be a huge surprise to see batting paradises being regularly produced for international matches in the near future.

With this in mind, will matches like West Indies’ chase of 137 in 19 overs on a slow turning track in match two, or Namibia & Oman’s duel of sub-120 totals in match 3, soon become things of the past on the international stage? Time will tell.

The powerplay holds the key

Four  venues used for the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) since 2020 are hosting T20 World Cup games in 2024. The chart below shows economy rates in the powerplay, middle, and death overs in this time at these grounds – Trinidad, St Lucia, Barbados, and Guyana.

If they’re anything to go by, the unfriendly batting conditions are far from uniform across the West Indies. They’re also far from uniform depending on the time in the game.

Teams should be able to cash in late on at Kensington Oval and Providence Stadium. Both have double-digit economies at the back end of the innings.

Batting has proved considerably more difficult at Brian Lara Stadium and the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, even at the death.

This is the biggest obstacle to erecting big scores at these grounds. There’s a limit to how much teams can ‘catch up’ with the rate.

IPL v CPL

But the key point of difference with IPL 2024 is the sluggish run rate in the powerplay. With the fielding restrictions in place, this is the time to build a solid foundation for a huge score.

But in the CPL since 2020, all four T20 WC venues all clock in south of a 7 ER in the first six. Brian Lara Stadium goes as low as 6.28.

By contrast, the highlight of this year’s IPL were the frequently monstrous scores raised in the opening salvo. The competition saw the likes of  Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma regularly blew teams away with their early blitz. This is the likely path that any switch to a batting paradise would entail – wickets that play true and assist scoring from the get go.

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