Proteas legend AB de Villiers says powerplay fielding restrictions heavily favour openers and skew statistical comparisons between batsmen.
Speaking to Pommie Mbangwa on his 360 YouTube channel, De Villiers did not hold back when addressing how batting numbers are judged.
“I hate it when they compare my runs to other players in the IPL,” he said. “I go, ‘But I haven’t faced as many balls as the openers.’ It irritates the living daylights out of me.
“This guy scored 8,000 runs, he’s the best ever. No, I’m better than him – he’s just faced more balls. Don’t do it.”
The former Proteas captain pointed out that most of the leading run-scorers in T20 cricket bat at the top of the order.
“They’re all openers, and they bat with these restrictions – only two guys out [the circle]. They’re playing a different game.
“T20s, India, short boundaries, great wickets … the advantage is the new ball. Already it’s flying,” he said.
As a solution, he suggested a radical change to the laws of the format.
“At the very least, with a new ball, have your fielding restrictions taken away in the first six overs.”
De Villiers also stressed that middle-order batsmen are often undervalued despite doing the hardest work in challenging situations.
“When it gets tough, numbers four, five and six do all the work,” he said. “But then don’t compare my stats.”
