What's A Safe Total On A Belter ??

[irfan]

In recent times, scores in excess of 300 have been chased down with alarming regularity particularly if Australia is 'defending' the total.

The most astonishing fact is even if early wickets go down teams are still able to summon all their middle and lower order strength to overhaul these huge totals. Even as recent as 2 years ago this was highly unlikely, if not impossible to chase down this totals if you didn't get off to a blinder.

So... If the pitch was an absolute belter, what total would you be comfortable defending ??

 

[Somerset]

Considering the J'burg game and the two recent games in NZ amongst others in the past year or so, I honestly don't think there can be a safe total on a belter.

 

[MoxPearl]

Depends on the teams playing...

 

[PakPowered]

I still think 350-375 is defendable if one has a good bowling attack.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

I think we've seen recently that no total is safe if you've got a flat wicket and a small boundary or two. One of the major advancements in ODI batting in recent times has the ability of batsmen to improvise shots to exploit a short boundary at one or two points on the ground, and in a lot of the biggest scores you see, that's part of it (though not today AFAIK). That definitely played a big role in Jo'burg.

As far as being comfortable is concerned, I think anything above 325 should be comfortable. If you bowl and field decently you should defend that, and there's no way you can blame the score if you don't. As far as "safe" goes though, I'd say you'd want to be well over 350 if it's a genuinely flat wicket, and even that isn't safe, as we've seen.

 

[Prince EWS]

Considering the J'burg game and the two recent games in NZ amongst others in the past year or so, I honestly don't think there can be a safe total on a belter.

Agreed.

 

[irfan]

I personally think 320-330 is enough to defend comfortably if you bowl accurately and smartly.

 

[Perm]

Anything over 350 is almost too difficult to chase.

 

[Craig]

Yeah once upon a time (go back 4-5 years) it was considered in ODIs that anything above 350 was unchasable, what will be the next safe unchasable target? 450 to win?

 

[vic_orthdox]

I think there's a fair argument that grounds play more of a role in such big totals than pitches...

 

[Richard]

Not to mention paucity of bowling.

Ground size = far more important than pitch-type IMO.

 

[Perm]

It is difficult in New Zealand because we play most of our games on rugby grounds, like at Eden Park I think it was only 45m to one of the boundaries which is absolutely ridiculous.

 

[Richard]

Eden Park's very much an anomaly, though, isn't it?

I mean, WestPac Trust Park (and the others) which I was watching today seemed perfectly normal for a cricket-ground, just a smaller one.

I've always been amazed that average-score isn't ridiculously big at Eden Park.

 

[vic_orthdox]

You get flat pitches all the time.

When the highest four chases are all on postage stamps, 2+2.

Australia are claustrophobic?

 

[Richard]

Well there was one near-highest chase at some ground in India, which I presume wasn't exactly small, too.

 

[Zinzan]

Eden Park's very much an anomaly, though, isn't it?

I mean, WestPac Trust Park (and the others) which I was watching today seemed perfectly normal for a cricket-ground, just a smaller one.

I've always been amazed that average-score isn't ridiculously big at Eden Park.

Thats because traditionally Eden Park pitches are slow and low. That Eden Park pitch for the 2nd ODI was easily the most batsmen friendly pitch i've ever seen there. So its no coincidence that huge total was scored

 

[Fiery]

Eden Park's very much an anomaly, though, isn't it?

I mean, WestPac Trust Park (and the others) which I was watching today seemed perfectly normal for a cricket-ground, just a smaller one.

I've always been amazed that average-score isn't ridiculously big at Eden Park.

The pitches at Eden Park have being generally pretty bowler-friendly up till now. Even the Outer Oval is not the minefield it once was.

Edit: Stole my thunder there zinny

 

[Richard]

Thats because traditionally Eden Park pitches are slow and low.

I thought they were traditionally drop-in!

 

[howardj]

Whatever Australia can set + 20.

 

[andyc]

Whatever Australia can set + 20.