Even 500 becoming realistic ODI targets: Dwayne Bravo

ODI totals of even 500 could become realistic targets in the future as batting continues to evolve at a rapid pace, feels former West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, who has called on bowlers to significantly upskill and innovate to stay relevant.

Bravo, who was speaking alongside West Indies great Chris Gayle on the sidelines of the World Championship of Legends here, said the growing dominance of aggressive batting has changed the dynamics of the game and placed greater demands on bowlers.

“The skills of the batters have improved significantly. Now the bowlers have to improve and innovate. They have to significantly upskill to keep pace with the changes in world cricket,” Bravo said in an interaction with Cricketaaa. “The game is changing. It is going to an uphill tempo, and that is good. But the bowlers have to improve and innovate,” he added.

Bravo, who turned 43 on October 7, also admitted that he was happy to have finished his playing career before the latest acceleration in batting.

“The way batting is happening across the world, I’m glad my playing days are over,” he quipped.

Gayle, meanwhile, welcomed the fearless approach of the new generation of batters, saying their willingness to attack from the outset was driving the latest run-scoring boom.

“I am happy that batters are now breaking records rather than bowlers. The reason is simple - youngsters are now playing fearless cricket. They attack from ball one,” said Gayle. “The game has changed. Players have changed. The batters are now hungry to score and they play fearless cricket from the very first ball,” he added.