'Bowlers are an adaptable species': Ian Bishop on imbalance between bat and ball in T20s

Sharjah: The number of runs cricketers score in the T20 cricket continues to climb each year since the turn of the decade. In 2025, 4,62,258 runs were scored across the world in game's shortest format. On an average, each team scored 295.37 runs per match.

Punjab scored 310 against Bengal in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with Abhishek Sharma scoring a 52-ball 148. At the international level, England walloped South Africa by scoring 304 runs, thanks to Phil Salt's unbeaten 60-ball 141 and Jos Buttler's 30-ball 83.



Big scores remain the central objective for everyone involved - curators with batting-friendly pitches; lawmakers allowing broader bats and organisers promising run fest to bring fans to the stadiums or keep them hooked to the TV.

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The average score in the T20 format in the past five years reads: 281.81 (2021), 280.54 (2022), 288.00 (2023), 285.40 (2024) and 295.37 (2025). The year the first T20I was played (2005), the average was 275.19.

Given the adulation they get, does that make a batter more attractive to the next generation of cricketers? Former West Indies speedster Ian Bishop doesn't think so.

"I don't think everybody wants to be a batter. I still think there is room in the game for those who want to bowl fast, those who want to bowl wrist spin, those who want to bowl finger spin," said Bishop, who is a commentator in the ongoing ILT20.

"Historically, and we go back to the inception of the game, batters have always been seen as the heroes and bowlers the villains. Even when I was playing that was always the battle," he continued to explain with a smile.

"I do think you are absolutely right in the respect that the game kind of has drifted more and more in favour of the batters but I still think guys want to come through. And bowlers are an adaptable species. The more the game changes, the more bowlers will come up with plans to counter it. That has always been the ebb and flow of cricket generally - red ball or white ball or T20.

"As administrators though, what I will agree with you on is that we have to do a better job of creating a better balance between bat and ball even in T20 cricket," he reasoned.

This isn't the only radical change he wants to make to the modern game. The 58-year-old, who played 43 Test matches for the Windies, is a strong advocate for four-day Test matches.

"I have long been in favour of 4-day Test cricket. This is especially true if you are going to have a World Test Championship (WTC) where results are imperative, necessitating pitches that yield results.

"But the arguments against it from others is (about) weather impacting games and then there is no coming back. But if you ask me, I have long said publicly, I am a 4-day Test cricket fan.


The ICC had approved four-day Tests for bilateral series in 2017, with England facing Zimbabwe over four days at Trent Bridge last year, following four-day Tests against Ireland in 2019 and 2023. Four-day Tests have as yet not been played under the World Test Championship (WTC) format.

Many smaller nations are hesitant to host Tests because of the time they require and the cost. However, shifting to four-day cricket could allow a full three-Test series to be completed in under three weeks. In four-day Tests, playing hours are extended to ensure a minimum of 98 overs per day (instead of 90) to help offset the time lost.