Noticed teams prefer batting first instead of chasing in 2023 World Cup? Let's unpack that

Many would have noticed a trend in the ongoing ODI World Cup where teams opt to bat first instead of chasing. Well, it has been a while since it became a pattern in 50-over cricket where teams try to claim victory by posting a huge margin on the board after batting first. What is the strategy behind it? Are teams afraid to bat second or is there a real advantage? Let's analyse it in this article. 

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Barring dew going against the opposition bowlers, chasing a target of more than 275 is a challenge in the ODI format in sub-continent conditions. Teams generally prefer batting under hot conditions in day/night games. It is not easy to take the game deep in the 50-over format as you see in the Indian Premier League (IPL). If the players hold down the accelerator, the team is more likely to be bowled out for a lower score. 

However, the abundance of franchise T20 cricket has made the batters go all guns blazing right from the start. They are less bothered about losing the game for a huge margin and for the same reason they try to go over aggressive. 

Here's a look at recent trends of teams losing in ODIs while batting second 

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Analysing on a team basis in this regard, India is the strongest unit that has enjoyed more success while chasing in ODIs. Only six of their last 20 losses have been by over 40 runs. Bringing the sample size to the last five games, the Men in Blue came close to the target as they lost three games by just 10 runs and one by less than 20 runs. Moreover, since July 2017, the team has suffered only one defeat by a margin of more than 100.

Talking about South Africa, all of their last 14 ODI defeats while chasing came by a margin of more than 10 runs. Only two of these defeats went to the last over when the target was not that difficult to chase. Coming to New Zealand and England, of their last 12 defeats, 16 have been by a margin of more than 50 runs. Of these 24 games, only six have gone to the last over.

Australia's last five ODI defeats have all been by 99 or more runs while chasing. Notably, in the last six years, the five-time World Champion has lost only one game in the range of 50-70 runs. Meanwhile, six of Pakistan's last seven defeats and Afghanistan's seven of the last eight defeats were by a margin of 40-plus runs.