by Abhishek Mukherjee
Limited-overs cricket was not always like this, at least not for the spectators.
Consider the first edition of Gillette Cup, back in 1963, when these were known as "one innings, limited overs" matches. The innings were 65 overs each with a restriction of 15 overs per bowler. These were the first set of List A matches.
Kent hosted Sussex in a round-of-16 match (the entire tournament was knockout) at Tunbridge Wells. Sussex did well for a massive 314/7 with Suttle scoring 104. Cowdrey, probably still trying to figure things out, kept slips and a gully throughout the innings. Underwood had figures of 11-0-87-0 (thank goodness Cowdrey did not give him his full quota).
Cowdrey and Richardson then took Kent to 99/2 after they were 19/2. Richardson was looking dangerous, so Dexter put the field back. The idea was to allow Richardson singles and attack at the other end.
But this obvious strategy, ahead of times, did not go down well with the crowd, who started barracking Dexter: who resorts to such unsporting strategies in this supposedly gentleman's game?
But it worked. Richardson could manage only 56 runs in boundaries in an innings of 127 (Suttle had got 70 out 104). Kent were bowled out for 242 and were knocked out.
Sussex went on to win the first edition of the Gillette Cup.
23 May 1963.