ICC Champions Trophy 2017: 5 reasons why teams have struggled in the middle overs

#2 Drying up of runs during the middle overs

Ravi Jadeja has bowled well in the middle overs

The popularity of T20 cricket has brought about a huge change in the way batting teams approach the game nowadays. Gone are the days when teams would try to go ballistic and take advantage of the fielding restrictions in the first 15 overs.

Batting teams now are more concerned with not losing too many wickets and getting off to solid starts. They then gradually accelerate, with wickets in hand, hoping to score big off the last 10-15 overs.

With wickets in hand, teams approach these last few overs like T20 cricket to try to double their score. The way India have played in this tournament so far is a good case in point.

But this also poses a troublesome dilemma for batting teams. If they have lost a couple of wickets, they very often try to consolidate and ensure they do not lose any more batsmen. This necessitates a more cautious approach and the bowling opposition, very often, sensing it as a good opportunity, put a squeeze on.

Indeed, fast bowlers like Hasan Ali or spinners like Ravindra Jadeja who operate during the middle overs have been crucial to their respective teams’ success.

As teams have adopted a more conservative approach during these middle overs, they sometimes fall into their own trap on seeing that the run-rate has gone a tad low. This in turn has led to unnecessary shots and wickets in the process.