'Need to find ideal balance between bat and ball' - Ian Chappell feels bowlers have been reduced to virtual bowling machines

Cricket has evolved a lot in the last decade, with new rules and formats coming into play. With an entertainment factor also getting into the mix, the game has gone too much in favour of the batters. However, the bowlers have also found a way out, bringing different variations, change of pace into the picture. Yet, the batters still hold an edge due to bigger bats and smaller boundaries.

Former Australia skipper Ian Chappell is not happy with the game tilting too much in favour of the batters and said that smaller boundaries and better bats are reducing bowlers to virtual bowling machines. "The administrators need to find both the ideal balance between bat and ball and educate fans on cricket's values," Chappell wrote in a column for ESPNcricinfo.

The former Australia cricketer further opined that bowlers should be extremely angry if miss-hits clear the ropes easily. "It is fine when middled deliveries finish up in the stands but a bowler should be extremely angry if a blatant mis-hit still clears the ropes." The former Australian skipper believes "this problem is not so pronounced on larger Australian grounds." "...but I'm not sure what genius produced the ludicrous mixture of better bats and smaller boundaries. This combination is reducing bowlers to virtual bowling machines. It is a serious slight on good bowlers and needs to be rectified immediately," Chappell wrote.

T20 and the latest venture of England Cricket Board (ECB) The Hundred has seen bowlers grasping for breath. Although both the formats have provided entertainment to the audience, Chappell feels the game should also focus on maintaining strong roots. "Cricket needs to entertain, but it must also maintain a strong association with its roots. The administrators need to remember this crucial point when they plan for the game's future."