5 Reasons why the bouncer is still relevant in ODI’s

#3 No choice but to counter bouncers with hooks and pulls

The hook and pull are ways of countering short-pitched stuff

In Test cricket, batsmen have the leeway of letting go of short-pitched bowling since the format is played with fewer risks. The ODI format requires the occasional flirting with danger. Taking on the short stuff is filled with risk, then again, the ODI format demands risk prone cricket.

The square leg and fine-leg add as cushions to bouncing out batsmen. They are boundary riders, but for short pitched bowling, they are catching positions. It’s a delivery that works effectively against batsmen of the subcontinent who don’t often find the ball near their face in pitches back home.

Bowlers with express pace and whose primary delivery is to bowl back-of-length can unleash the bouncer with success at regular intervals. No batsman likes the ball hitting the top of the bat and on the gloves.

A bit of grass and juice on the pitch only adds to the ball hurled on the middle of the pitch. It whisks up the confidence meter of the bowlers and pushes them to throw everything at the batsman.