When England successfully chased a target of 359 to win the third ODI against Pakistan at Bristol last month it was the third time in five days that both teams in an unabbreviated ODI had scored at seven or more runs an over. Never in the history of cricket had it happened thrice in a single week but increasingly high-scoring has come to seem commonplace, assisted by powerplays, fielding restrictions, multiple new balls and countless technical and physical improvements and innovations.
In 1,322 ODI innings in the 20 years following the first ODI in January 1971, despite many of them lasting 60 or 55 overs, the score of 300 was reached only 22 times (that is once every 60 innings); by the time the sun set on 11 May, and despite none of them lasting more than 50 overs, there had been 24 scores of 300-plus in 2019 at a rate of one in five.
Related: Pyjama cricket, The Hundred … now it’s time to come in out of the rain | Emma John
Related: Anya Shrubsole sets standard and England cruise to win over West Indies
Continue reading...