AS TWENTY20 cricket evolves, batsmen and coaches are seeking novel means of getting the ball to travel farther and faster, exhorting groundsmen to bring in the boundary ropes and unearthing bat manufacturers who can enlarge the so-called sweet spot. They know that spectators – at any rate those who prefer a slog to the first-class game – want to see the ball hit out of the ground every over.

“The upper body strength of batsmen and their equipment is much improved and the weight distribution of the bats is a huge advantage,” says Brian Rose, Somerset’s director of cricket and a member of the Schofield group that looked into the game this summer. “It is debatable whether Twenty20 would have taken off 30 years ago.

The lack of helmets meant batsmen were frightened of giving themselves more room to hit the ball in case they were struck in the teeth.

“When I played with Geoff Boycott, he used a bat weighing 2lb 2oz. Not only are bats much heavier now, there are a lot of meaty areas in them. The players look forward to Twenty20 matches and one-day cricket has come on since captains started with two slips and a gully when the 40-over Sunday League started in 1969. But the England and Wales Cricket Board has to make sure there is no overkill.”

Mick Newell, director of cricket at Nottinghamshire, reckons the approach to batting in Twenty20 has become more scientific: “Batsmen have got into a mentality of trying to hit the ball out of the ground, but we are stressing that there are other ways of picking up eight or 10 runs an over through collecting runs in ones and twos. Bilal Shafayat is good at that, whereas Samit Patel, our leading scorer, likes to hit fours and sixes.

“The batsman not out at the end of 20 overs is benefiting the team as well as himself. Samit, who has every chance of playing for England in limited-overs cricket, is excited by Twenty20. He is usually at the wicket inside six overs and and can take advantage of field restrictions. He has become more adept at chipping the spin bowlers.”

Newell admits: “Nottinghamshire have sometimes struggled away at the game. This season we have continued playing in conditions that would not be fit for any other form of the game. We picked up a couple of injuries as a result, but it is crucial, given the size of the crowds, the game goes on.”