Bowlers: indentured serfs under feudal kings

Scott Boland's figures of 0 for 74 at Perth were the worst by an Australian fast bowler on ODI debut, but Geoff Lawson feels he and Joel Paris - another debutant who endured a hiding - need not lose sleep. Writing in the Sydney Morning Herald, Lawson laments the extent that ODI cricket has become loaded in favour of batsmen.

As Paris found out, the white ball does nothing through the air even when new, and if the worn ball starts to swing then aspersions are cast on the not-so-natural wear patterns that may have caused these deviations.

The ball is being hit into the stands so often these days that umpires (who are directed to examine the ball for damage caused by stanchions, concrete terraces or low-alcohol beverages) handle the ball more than the bowlers.

Then we have the boundary ropes, which are getting closer and closer to the fielding circle. The safety factor for fieldsmen has become a nonsense - the rope is supposed to be three yards (2.78m) minimum from any fence. You could run a light rail line in the space between the fence and the rope on most grounds.

Meanwhile, as the bowlers labour like indentured serfs under feudal kings, the batsmen have been allowed to modify their bats without any scrutiny or limits.

In the same paper, Dean Jones marvels at an old-school facet of the match-winning 242-run stand between Steven Smith and George Bailey at the WACA: their running between the wickets.

As their wonderful partnership progressed, It was just filled with old-school techniques. There were loud and positive calls. Between each over, there was positive reinforcement in each other's calls and understanding of where the easy singles were to be made.

As their confidence in each other's calls grew, their placement of the ball became untouchable for the Indian fieldsmen. Their running was breathtaking, as if it were the good old game of "tippity run". Not everyone is a great judge of pinching a single.

When they ran a hard two, they took their time to get back to their crease so their heart rate would come down. This tactic is so important to help batsmen make better decisions when they face the next ball. It's also so important to change the tempo and control of the game to suit you and to maintain momentum.