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The most significant change in cricket has been covered wickets when it rains. If you have ever had the fun of playing on an uncovered wet wicket you will under

The most significant change in cricket has been covered wickets when it rains. If you have ever had the fun of playing on an uncovered wet wicket you will understand how elite teams were able to be bowled out for under 20 runs on wet wickets. I also think more body protection has played a massive role in more aggressive batting. When I was young I used to play with nothing more than pads, gloves and a box and had to face bowlers who could bowl over 140km/hr on very unpredictable wickets. I got out more than once getting out of the way of some bouncer that stayed low as I was looking to avoid getting hit. I have been hit enough times with a cricket ball to have learned self-preservation is the better part of valour.

jimnotgym 9y ago
You are right about the covered wickets, although when I started watching cricket in the 1990's they were already universal in the elite game. I should correct my statement and say that heavy bats have been the most significant thing in the last 20 years of the elite game with regards to big hitting. I also agree about protection, being hit by a cricket ball is something you don't forget, and can indeed be lethal[0] [0]:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phillip_Hughes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phillip_Hughes
escapologybb 9y ago
^This. As a teenager growing up in the UK I played cricket for my school and a local team, and when I was about 14 I had the "pleasure" of facing roughly four balls bowled by the Legendary West Indies cricketer Viv Richards[1] when he visited my school. I somehow managed to get the bat onto the first ball and score a 4, at which I foolishly celebrated shouting something along the lines of "in your face, I thought you were a professional cricketer!" What a stupid, stupid thing to do. There then followed a three ball lesson in bodyline bowling until I literally lost my bottle and refused to carry on leaving the wicket with what little dignity I had left. Seriously, seeing that giant six-foot tall man taking a run-up and then bowling a cricket ball at my head at what seemed like supersonic speed literally scared the crap out of me. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viv_Richards https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viv_Richards

jimnotgym 9y ago

You are right about the covered wickets, although when I started watching cricket in the 1990's they were already universal in the elite game. I should correct my statement and say that heavy bats have been the most significant thing in the last 20 years of the elite game with regards to big hitting. I also agree about protection, being hit by a cricket ball is something you don't forget, and can indeed be lethal[0] [0]:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phillip_Hughes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phillip_Hughes

escapologybb 9y ago

^This. As a teenager growing up in the UK I played cricket for my school and a local team, and when I was about 14 I had the "pleasure" of facing roughly four balls bowled by the Legendary West Indies cricketer Viv Richards[1] when he visited my school. I somehow managed to get the bat onto the first ball and score a 4, at which I foolishly celebrated shouting something along the lines of "in your face, I thought you were a professional cricketer!" What a stupid, stupid thing to do. There then followed a three ball lesson in bodyline bowling until I literally lost my bottle and refused to carry on leaving the wicket with what little dignity I had left. Seriously, seeing that giant six-foot tall man taking a run-up and then bowling a cricket ball at my head at what seemed like supersonic speed literally scared the crap out of me. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viv_Richards https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viv_Richards