Hitting v Batting: the choice that dictates the shape of a T20 contest

81 All Out - A Cricket Podcast

In the latest episode of the podcast we discuss a fundamental question that underpins a T20 contest: does batting have a place in T20? Are elite batters like Virat Kohli, Babar Azam and Steve Smith good fits in the T20 format - and what metrics tell us how good a batter or hitter is.

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Talking Points:

• The intrinsic logic of T20 - a resource-heavy format with limited time
• Who is better? A batter who averages 50 and scores at a strike rate of 150 or one who averages 35 and also scores at a strike rate of 150?
• The evolution of T20 - from a game that resembled cricket to a different sport
• The problem with picking hitters from an ecosystem that encourages batting
• Ways to measure the excellence of a T20 batter/hitter
• Why a single in a T20 is vastly different from a single in an ODI
• Is there any value in picking an anchor in the top order?
• Can a team full of hitters find a way in bowler-friendly conditions?
• Chris Gayle v ABdV v Kohli v Babar v Buttler: who is the better T20 pick?
• The great T20 hitters - and a formula to rank them

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview)

Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)

Ashoka (@ABVan)

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Related:

• An essential point in T20 - Kartikeya Date - - A Cricketing View
• Kohli's T20 problem - Kartikeya Date - A Cricketing View
• Is a single in T20 the same as a dot ball in ODIs? - Kartikeya Date - ESPNcricinfo
• How do batters train for the demands of T20? - Tim Wigmore - The Cricket Monthly
• Who is T20s greatest player? - Cricviz