The emasculation of cricket

This article in Yahoo Cricket looks at how innovations to the game have gradually made it easier to play over the years.

This week, West Indies and New Zealand played two T20s at the CBRP Stadium in Lauderhill, Florida, USA, where the boundaries were about 65 metres on all sides. West Indies struck 12 sixes in the first match and 13 in the second. Even checked drives cleared the ropes easily. There was a time when sixes were a rare treat batsmen helped themselves to after getting their eye in. Now, they go for it from the first ball. The dessert is now the main course.