Sunrisers Hyderabad spin-bowling coach Muttiah Muralitharan has made a striking observation on the modern evolution of cricket, stating that the game has become heavily tilted in favour of batters, to the extent that even legendary spinners like himself and the late Shane Warne would have struggled in today’s T20 format.
Muralitharan, who remains the only bowler to take 800 Test wickets and holds the record for the most ODI wickets with 534 scalps, shared his views after SRH’s dominant win over Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday night. Sunrisers chased down a massive target of 244 runs with eight balls to spare and six wickets in hand, thanks to explosive batting from Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen, and Sahil Arora.
Reflecting on the nature of modern T20 cricket, Murali said bowlers would find it extremely difficult to control runs on today’s batting-friendly pitches.
“We would have turned the ball, but we would not have made a big dent. Maybe we could have got one or two wickets, but they would still score freely because wickets are so good. You need three or four bowlers like that to contain under 200,” he said.
He further explained how the approach of modern batters has changed drastically compared to earlier eras.
“Earlier, 40–50 runs in six overs with one wicket was considered good. Now teams easily get 70–80 runs,” Murali noted.
He also highlighted the fearless mindset of modern opening batters who attack from ball one, regardless of conditions or opposition.
Even referencing elite bowlers, he pointed out that someone like Jasprit Bumrah also endured a tough outing in the same match, finishing with figures of 0/54 in four overs.
Murali remarked that today’s batters, including young players, come in with an aggressive mindset focused on hitting boundaries from the start rather than settling in.
“The confidence levels have gone up because this is the way modern cricket is played. Youngsters are following that approach,” he said.
However, he admitted that achieving a balance between bat and ball is increasingly difficult in the T20 format, as entertainment and high-scoring games dominate the sport’s commercial structure.
“If we prepare fair wickets, people may find it boring. T20 is about entertainment, fours and sixes. It is also a big business with sponsors involved,” he added. (Agency)
