The lost art.

I shall try and not be cliche when i attempt to speak about cricket.So much for a start.
What worries me most about the modern game is that batting as an art has taken a severe blow.
The ease with which runs are scored in the modern game is not so much a worry as the way they are scored.
In the good old days Opening the batting was considered a specialist job.Leaving the ball outside the off stump and leaving on length were often and indicator of the ability of a batsman.A quick look at the modern openers around the world is enough to reflect that change.The sehwags and langers have taken over from the boycs and sunny era and bowlers seem to have become a mere accessory to the game.
Only recently during englands tour of pakistan as i watched afridi dismantle matthew hoggard so ruthlessly, it descended upon me that swing bowling is not so much of a weapon if you do not care to play straight.
Down the track he danced and sent the cherry flying high and handsome(there's cliche) into the stands.
Compare the same to a sachin special. A 7-2 offside field.ball pitches just short of a good length and angling away .The batsman ,nimble footed , moves on to the backfoot stands on his toes and punches the ball through extracover with the blade following through in the direction of the ball as the ball goes screaming through to the fence and not a fielder moves.
In that I hope I have sufficiently expressed the agony that the true connoiseur of the game is put to.
Dont know about the uncertainities but the game seems to be losing glory.