Since the 2012 rule change on four fielders outside the circle, 294 ODIs have been played and 2181 sixes have been struck. In the 294 ODIs that came immediately before the rule change, 1722 sixes were hit. Since the rule change, the average run-rate in all ODIs has been 5.20; in the corresponding number of games prior, it was 5.00.The ICC made the changes in an effort to make the one-day game more exciting, and remarkable innings such as AB de Villiers' 31-ball century last month and Rohit Sharma's pair of double-centuries suggests that goal has succeeded, at least in terms of exciting scoring rates. But Finch said players themselves often enjoyed low-scoring contests more, and he said bowlers had adapted as much as they could.
