To bat first or bowl first? To play another specialist bowler or an extra all-rounder? To contain the batsmen or try to get them out? To smash fours and sixes or bat conservatively with singles and twos?
The answers to these questions vary from venue to venue, apart from depending on the game situation, opposition, and a team's resources. That's what makes the 2023 ODI World Cup in India fascinating. Tactics are making or breaking teams more than ever in these circumstances.
Take the toss, for starters. In most Test matches and even ODIS, it's fairly obvious how to gain an advantage from winning the toss. Not so in this World Cup. Australia won the toss in their first two games. They chose to bat first against India in Chennai and lost that game. Then they decided to bowl first against South Africa in Lucknow, and lost again. They lost the toss but won the game against Sri Lanka in Lucknow.
On the eve of their fourth game against Pakistan in Bengaluru, at the pre-match press conference, Mint asked the Aussie captain, Pat Cummins, if he was hoping to lose the toss the next day. He maintained that the toss was not a significant factor. "When you look at the statistics around the toss, just about every venue is 50-50," he said. "In the first two games, we were totally outplayed. Whether we batted or bowled first, I don't think it would have mattered too much."
Well, Australia did lose the toss against Pakistan in Bengaluru, and won the game. Pak skipper Babar Azam chose to bowl first, anticipating dew at night, which never arrived. They then succumbed to the scoreboard pressure of chasing the big Aussie total of 367.
Cummins also pointed out that hoping to take advantage of dew is a double-edged sword. "Dew may play a part in the last 15-20 overs where bowling gets difficult at the back end. But the ball might zip and seam around more under lights (at the start of the second half). So it's a balancing act."
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