Custom Bats Cricket Forum
General Cricket => Your Cricket => Topic started by: Buzz on March 02, 2011, 12:40:52 PM
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Please can anyone explain the advantages of stepping away and "giving yourself room" when batting!!
I have watched a fair amount of cricket and it seems that in an effort to force the pace batsman frequently try to give themselves room by backing away to the leg side and end up getting bowled missing a straight one. I could list about 1000 examples of batsman in one day cricket giving their wicket away like this.
If the bowler is trying to bowl straight yorkers or slower balls, exposing your stumps doesn't seem to me to be a good option. I understand the concept of wanting to be able to increase the bat speed and straightening the arms to increase hitting power. However, flaying the ball over cover or mid off by backing away is a really difficult skill and a very low percentage shot, yet consistently we see people trying it...and consistently getting bowled.
what do other people think about this?
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Making room to swing the arms. Also to hit over the off side when the field is in
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Agree buzz but with modern day one day fields i think it a high risk yet high scoring area if done correct with the cover point man going round more..
Not many have mastered it though and i think you have to be in to pull it off when you see people doing it ball one is plain daft
The Prior shoot was and is as stupid as a schoolboy trying to cut a ball spinning off spinner
If you look at the field to Prior it was a maximum scoring shot of 2 and not worth the risk he could have turned it round the corner for 2
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I can't comment too much as it is one of my shots at the end of an innings as I like to hit over cover/straight and it helps me to do that but alot of that tonight was slogging not shot making if you slog does not matter if you back away or stand still but if you watch bell back away it is a thing of beauty
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Just to add to this - the reason it is such a hard skill is because
1) you are playing the ball away from your eyes - normally you play a shot under you eyes
2) you have moved your usual standing position so you have moved your head and may not be still and you are not in a normal "unconscious competence" position with your stumps in a set position behind you
3) it is difficult to play a controlled shot as the temptation to hit the ball too hard takes over
It further is high risk because you are exposing your stumps, looking to play with a horizontal/crossbat or "45 degree" bat and likely to be trying to hit the ball in the air.
effectively you are trying to play a golf shot with a cricket bat - I suspect this is where a mongoose comes into its own.
My own view is that the risks don't justify the rewards - you can play other shots which are lower risks and will get you as many runs. I agree that watching Ian Bell batting is a delight as he really makes batting look easy.
But the questions remain - what are the advantages to taking on the risk of this shot?
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scoring runs in the area there not covering deep straight point for 4 or 6...
I only play the shot when iam in and the wicket is true and depends on two area how wide there mid off is and how straight there deep square cover fielder is
Also if pulled of well there bowling in areas they might not like ie leg stump then it opens up other areas..
it comes down to disruption and risk for shots
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Take a position with your feet planted and watch the ball carefully. Then play it like baseball. Using a Mongoose
Baseball Cricket Club, this would work surprisingly well... You might want to be positioned in such a way that you can slog as best you can across the line, so maybe at 45 degrees to the wicket.
Seems to work in the nets when I have tried it.
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my advice is on the shot move early and be adaptable and keep the head as still as possible
Buzz what about opning your stumps up the other side as well coming inside the line of the ball
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I don't see the point of 'giving yourself room'. If bowlers are looking to go full and use the yorker or dig it in short, going legside or offside won't necessarily give the batsman an advantage. What I do like to do personally is use the depth of the crease or to come at the bowler. When I hit I know the areas I am strong in and want to hit the ball (an arc from deep midwicket to long off) so I try to find ways of getting the ball in to those areas.
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The more "modern" way of giving yourself room is to clear the front leg. By this I mean standing deep in your crease and then in the bowlers delivery stride move your front leg to the leg side. This give more options to hit both leg side and off side.
Hope that makes sense ?
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i do this in the nets some times. just to get out of way really so i dont feel cramped and just try hit ball as hard as i can
tbh i think its better just to walk down the track rather than give my self room.
i have a open stance anyway so not something i really tend to do
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horses for courses i know it brings me runs but only when iam well set...
I guess turning a straight ball to leg on a true wicket is taboo to some on here but i sometimes can tell a good batsman by how the do it ...
It all about calculated risk
Yep Keiron i agree with you notion mate
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The more "modern" way of giving yourself room is to clear the front leg. By this I mean standing deep in your crease and then in the bowlers delivery stride move your front leg to the leg side. This give more options to hit both leg side and off side.
Hope that makes sense ?
Been trying to do this in the nets...
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bit on it here http://www.pitchvision.com/how-to-score-quickly-in-twenty20-cricket
Takes some practice Tim but once you get the hang of it it really gives you more options at the end of an innings.
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Nets is the best place to see if you can do it I have worked on a shot for about 18 months in nets and a few Sunday games and will be used this season
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The more "modern" way of giving yourself room is to clear the front leg. By this I mean standing deep in your crease and then in the bowlers delivery stride move your front leg to the leg side. This give more options to hit both leg side and off side.
Hope that makes sense ?
I play this way quite often. I also bat outside leg, because I'm weak through leg, but I cut well and drive okay, so I make full use of my better shots. Obviously I still get balls on my legs, and I'm still practising putting them away, but until then I'll be using this method.
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people who are strong through the off side can find this advantageous as it allows them more chance to get a ball through that area, i personally am stronger off my legs so if i feel the need to make something happen i step across to give myself a better chance of getting a shot away through that area. its good for putting a bowler off his line and lengh if you vary how you play him.
its the same as most things in cricket, personal preference.
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Personally think it can be of use in club cricket where you sometimes have shorter boundaries & field dependent.
I have used as strike the ball slightly in to out, also can helpif facing inswing as hitting ball from where it comes e.g extra cover
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I don't really believe in this. IMO good cricket shots get you runs, if I gave myself room it would more be to put off the bowler than anything, and Buzz's point in the OP was valid.
More about playing the right shot for the ball, getting your head in line and hitting through the line of the ball. I tend to stand well outside my crease to fair pace as that can disrupt their length - I was doing that in my net yesterday and thus got a lot more drive-balls...
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Just have a look at KOB batting today. I dont think he ever backed away
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he backed into the bugger
that innings was just memorable top class once in a life time stuff..
Iam still sat here in total admiration for the skill in which he pulled it off
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No backing away but plenty of clearing that front leg. What a knock
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I think it is the best innings ever technically. There was no "Luke Wright" slogging.
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I think it all depends on your strengths - Ill give a long winded and potentially boring example. I had the privelage of working one to one on a bowling machine with Chris Read. We worked on various aspects of an innings and against various bowler types and one area i really struggled to put the ball away was from cover round to backward point. This has always been a weakness for me but i hit through mid off/on very very well so have got away with it.
We discussed for a long time about ways to help hit through the former areas and a few attempts were made at giving myself room and doing so - still not great success. He explained that for him to hit through these areas were very easy for him because of how dominant his left eye/side is when playing shots, so he could watch the ball for longer with his leading eye, allowing him to turning the body and make good contact through cover/point etc but hitting through the leg side was much more of a weakness and still something he worked on regularly.
We discovered that i was massively right eye dominant so hitting through these areas was massivley difficuilt as my right eye needed to be on the ball at all times so turning my body to hit through these areas just couldnt happen. But hitting from mid off all the way round to fine leg was very very easy.
So my point of do what comes naturally and easiest applies here. If you find it easier to give your self room/stay leg sided of it and hit through the off side do it. But personally, i will always stand dead still and go straight/leg side. As thats my strength.
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I'd green dot that if I could, interesting stuff.
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this is quite an interesting topic - Kieron, I totally agree with the clearing your front leg - it is really effective as demonstrated today by KOB.
Dan - the interesting thing about Chris Read is he is a really good hockey player and has brilliant hand eye coordination which is what really helps hitting the ball through the offside.
As for the dominant right eye issue - I think that pushes the point well. I think not enough time and consideration is given to people's eyesight when batting - but that is a different topic for another day...
For the record, I encourage stepping across to the off side a little but I suspect it is because I like playing the ball through the leg side and also have a dominate right eye.
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Clearing your left leg or opening your body up in general is in my opinion a better way to go. Got more chance of keeping your head behind the ball - especially the straigher delivery.
Indeed he is Buzz and his control of the face of the bat was fantastic, he could manouvre straight balls into off side gaps and into places they probably shouldnt go. Think this is best displayed against spinners.
The whole stronger eye topic is definately one people neglect and indeed i did until then. There is a lot to be said for discovering why you have the strength and weaknesses you have. It will go along way to improving them.
Also rather than backing away or walking across your stumps, there is also the option of the depth of the crease or walking down the track.
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Agree with Buzz and Dan.
It also depends on the type of bowler you are facing. Left Arm, Right Arm, Over or Around the wkt, pace or spin !! there are lots of variables including the wicket you are playing on. That wicket today was an absolute road !!
I guess you need to work out what your strength's are and then work on how best to apply them in a game situation.
I agree on the eye theory also. I have a stronger right eye and I bat left handed so I'm lucky !! They even do eye exercises on the players at Somerset now !!
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Do you remember Ganguly doing eye exercies at Lords just before his debut knock (and he scored a ton) that was in the mid 90's?
Very unusual to have a left handed batsman with a leading right ey, I normally consider that to be a disadvantage as it is harder to keep your eyes level.
Using the crease backwards and forwards is also a really good option - and much leass risky than backing away
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Batting out of your ground allows you to take the ball early turns more into half volleys etc.
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Yes I do Buzz.
don't tell me that now !! I've been telling myself its an advantage for years. I think i bat with my eyes level and facing down the pitch ?.
Yes never thought about using the crease depth until a few years ago. I played club cricket with a county player who said to stand deep in your crease at the end of an inning and against spin as it give you more chance to get the ball in the air and clear the ropes. He is also left handed and also introduced me to batting on off stump when facing spin. It works.
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I'm a very offside dominant player and able to play drives very well so I don't usually need to "give myself room".
Usually if I do get out playing stupidly it will either be my leg stump out of the ground or lbw because of the trouble I have with my foot movements and hitting the ball down leg side leaving me too far across my stumps and finding it hard to hit the ball.
Again like you OP I don't understand the point of "giving yourself room" because I find that for the balls that should be being hit away(e.g the bad balls) I will already have enough space so as to hit them from a normal batting position...