Spinners as opening bowlers?

With scores of 300+ becoming more and more common, different tactics from bowling sides are bound to evolve.

In T20 this has already become a trend with Gayle, Bhajji, Amit Mishra and Yusuf Pathan regularly bowling the 1st over. This isnt a new tactic. In the 1992 World Cup, Dipak Patel was used as an opening bowler for NZ, initially against Australia, in an attempt to counteract the tactic of hitting over the in-field during the first 15 overs. That strategy paid off, and Patel was often used in the same role in other matches.

The goal being to stop the ball coming on nicely for the stroke players and hard hitters, and making it a little tough for them to play by slowling down the pace of the ball.

This will become a trend in the next few months leading to WC 2011. Esp since the slow Indian sub continent tracks have more joy for spinners than the faster bowlers.

Lets keep track of this in the next few months and lets see who opens the bowling for India... this will set the basis for the rest esp the lankans, bangladeshis and possibly the kiwis.