Custom Bats Cricket Forum
General Cricket => Cricket Training, Fitness and Injuries => Topic started by: stevie on July 18, 2008, 07:40:28 PM
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When i am facing leg spin i always seem to if i try and play off the front foot either miss it and drag out of the crease or block it, but it's not often i manafe to get bat on it. In the end i just stayed on the back foot and used the spin but i know that if i miss one it will be plumb lbw. I had a couple in nets where i managed to get down the pitch but then if i don't quite get to the pitch it'll go in the air or i'll miss it and be stumped.
Has anyone got any tips on how to play it?
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I would say try and pick the delivery and if possible get to the pitch of the ball nice and early
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yer, i agree with leo you have to pick the right delivery. What I will say is that be positive. I presume your right handed? if it pitches outside leg stump you can be out so sweeping is a good option. If a leggie is bowling outside off stump wait for the bad one, the drive and cut are shots you should be looking to play.
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I am right handed sheeno and thanks for the advice.
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When facing a leggie theres two shots i like to use the sweep (whether it be conventional, slog or reverse) and using my feet to get to the ball. Once i see that ball come above eye level i back myself to get to the pitch of the ball, depending on how it lands or in what position i'm in depends on the shot i play (In the air or along ground.)
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watch it out of the hand. watch for dip and drift. watch the actions. generally faster actions result in subtle trurn and a flatter trajectory ball. slower leggies generally produce more turn and more loop.
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Key Point: Stay On Your Toes! Make sure you are able to move about the crease very easily! Almost dance around the wicket. By staying light on your feet and being able to adjust very easily, i think, is a key point to playing against any type of spin bowler!
Hope this helps. Jd.
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Switch hit is always good, or using various sweeps
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Whats the main reason you are missing the ball? is it because you cannot pick the delivery or something else?
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AS a right hander I am wondering how often you are going to be plumb LBW against leg spin?
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If he goes back, or stays still to a straight-ish ball, spinning back to carry it down the line...
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Hmmmwell I guess you are correct a wrong un can get you and so will a straight one but if you are worried about those then perhaps he isn't a real leg spinner after all.
Practice at understanding where your stumps are. Simple procedure if you know where your leg stump is then that is 80% of the battle against a leg spinner. If you can't read it out of the hand and you can judge length then playing forward or back becomes part of a normal cricket shot while watching for drift or dip. Practice where you can get safely forward to in the nets otherwise for the time being go back and watch for the straight dart.
I have umpired a lot of leg spinners (and played against a few) and there are not a huge number of really good ones around that should have you too bambazooled on all but viciously turning wickets.
Know the line, know the length and you are almost there.
I saw a leg spinner in a senior schoolboys match this year get 9 for 14. I was at square leg and watched the most idiotic group of 'batsmen' lunging forward to short pitched bowling that should have been cut or pulled.
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as u know keeper i dont have a clue how to play it but maybe u should stand further out of ur crease so u can either get down the pitch quicker or move back and defend, what do u think?
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Good idea mate but remember that would increase the chance of getting stumped with the keeper being up.
I would just make sure you get to the pitch of the ball and try to read the delivery!
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i like to sweep and reverse sweep alot
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Phil i know you dont have a clue :D Standing out my crease though unless I have a trigger back i would be stumped if i missed it.
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try and get it on the full by stepping up to it this is what i try to do and it seems to work for me:)
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forward press is the way to go
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yeh ive been taught that if its above your eyes then use your feet if its lower go back just practive this in nets you dont have to use it in matches yet just get comfortable doing either then choose you ball looking to play straight helps
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i just try to look at length as much as possible and not try and pre-empt anything. A lot of people say watch the seam to see which way its spinnings but i dont bother with that! Just try and pick length early and either get right back or right forward. I dont try and hit spinners out of the ground find them very easy to milk for singles and just wait for a ball in my hitting areas
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Sorry to drag our a super old topic, but this is on Cricinfo today and is pretty good...
http://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/460196.html?addata=col_mod
A few key skills and attributes needed to be succesful against spin bowling
Aakash Chopra
May 20, 2010
Comments: 20 | Text size: A | A
Haven't we heard a zillion times that batsmen from the subcontinent are not comfortable against quick bowlers on bouncy tracks? A lot of Indian batsmen received flak in the recently concluded World Twenty20 in the Caribbean for their ineptness against bounce. But are the same experts and critics equally harsh on overseas players who are found wanting while handling spin on the subcontinent? Isn't playing the turning ball as difficult an art to acquire as handling short-pitched stuff? I think it is and if you don't believe me, ask Ricky Ponting about his horror series in India in 2001.
Playing the turning ball on a spiteful pitch needs not only technical prowess but also a certain amount of decisiveness in terms of foot movement, and courage in shot selection. Not that the slow bowler can hurt you physically, but the mental scars, at times, are more difficult to heal.
This is an attempt to outline the basics of playing spin bowling effectively.
Reading it from the hand
The reason most English batsmen struggled against spin for the longest time was that they were told to play the spin off the surface. Instead of trying to read the spin from the hand, they waited for the ball to pitch before setting themselves up, which was obviously way too late - though they managed if the ball spun in the expected orthodox manner, i.e. from leg to off for a legspinner and off to leg for an offspinner. But the moment the bowler bowled a doosra or a googly, they were at sea.
On the contrary, batsmen from the subcontinent are taught to read the ball right at the time of the release. A bowler needs to deliver a doosra or googly in a completely different manner to his stock ball, and if picked at the point of delivery, the batsman is always better equipped to handle it.
It doesn't end there. The seam position after release tells a story too. The direction in which the seam is tilted gives you a fair indication of which way the ball will spin after pitching. The shine on the ball informs you a bit about which way the ball will drift and also if the bowler has bowled an arm ball. An offspinner keeps the shiny side facing his palm for an arm-ball.
These may not be foolproof methods of reading spin, but isn't batting a lot about educated guesswork? Of course, all of this goes for a toss if you're playing a spinner like Muralitharan, who likes bowling with a scrambled seam; in which case you have to completely rely on your judgement at the point of release.
Playing late and using your feet
Your job doesn't end with managing to read the spin from the hand and drift in the flight. On the contrary it starts there. Just like while playing fast bowlers, you must allow the ball to come close to you and play as late as possible. Your foot movement needs to be decisive and distinct if you are to be a good player of the turning ball. Since the deviation off the pitch is far greater for a spinner than for a fast bowler, it's mandatory to get to the pitch of the ball to smother that movement. While getting to the pitch of the ball is always advisable, it is more practical against a spinner rather than a quick bowler.
Good players of the spin also use the depth of the crease to good effect. Michael Clarke is one of the best players when it comes to using the feet. I watched him from close quarters (standing at short leg) when he scored a century on his Test debut, in Bangalore. Gautam Gambhir is equally competent when it comes to using his feet.
The golden rule while stepping out is to wait for the bowler to release the ball, so that he can't alter his length or line. Another rule of thumb to use is to advance against balls that go higher than the eye level.
Body-weight transfer
Correct transference of body weight is absolutely crucial while playing the slower bowlers. Since there isn't any pace to work with, it's the transfer of body weight at the time of impact that generates power and timing. Playing on the up is rarely an option against spin bowling and hence the weight must go forward in the direction in which you intend to play the shot. Good body-weight transfer also ensures that you hit the ball along the ground and not in the air.
The importance of the hands
Contrary to popular belief, keeping the bat and pad together while defending isn't the best method. Yes, there shouldn't be any gap between the bat and pad, but the bat must always stay slightly in front of the pad for a proper impact. Keeping the bat beside the pad occasionally results in the bat being hidden behind the pad, and it also gives the impression that you didn't offer a shot.
The golden rule while stepping out is to wait for the bowler to release the ball, so that the bowler can't alter his length or line. Another rule of thumb to use is to advance against balls that go higher than the eye level
Another thing one must keep in mind while playing spinners, especially in the longer formats, is to keep the hands very soft. The top hand should hold the bat firmly, while the bottom hand should be there just to support. Soft hands will ensure that the ball doesn't carry to close-in fielders.
Hands and wrists play a bigger role in manoeuvring spinners and putting the ball into gaps, as compared to while playing the quick bowler. Watching VVS Laxman or Mohammad Azharuddin play slower bowlers was like watching a painter working his magic on a canvas. Obviously the lack of pace allows you to work it around, but it's still an art.
Pushing the fielder back and sweeping
Being aggressive on rank turners is extremely important, because regardless of how solid your technique is, pushing and prodding won't be enough to survive. Vikram Rathour, a brilliant player of spin at the domestic level, told me that you must take the aerial route to push the fielders back. Once the bowler employs a long-on and long-off, batting becomes a lot easier.
A lot of non-Indian players are taught to sweep spinners as much as they can. While sweeping is a good option to disrupt the rhythm of the bowler, you must have other tricks in your bag. Matthew Hayden was one of the most ferocious sweepers of the cricket ball, but what made him dangerous was that he didn't shy away from using his feet. If the bowler knows that you only sweep, he varies his length and speed to make it tough. But once you start using your feet, along with sweeping, even good bowlers find it tough to negotiate. Brian Lara's epic series in Sri Lanka comes to mind straightaway.
Playing the ball from the rough outside leg
Negotiating balls pitched in the rough is extremely tough for a couple of reasons. One, since the ball pitches outside the leg stump, there's a blind spot to deal with. Two, you can never be sure of the amount of spin when it pitches in the footmarks.
Virender Sehwag has a unique way of handling it. He stands in his stance with both his feet in the crease. He reckons that this allows him to make the length shorter and play the pull shot. Laxman, on the other hand, has a completely different method. He steps down the track frequently and gets to the pitch of the ball, and he doesn't hesitate to play against the spin. But the majority of batsmen like to pad it away for as long as possible before trying an occasional sweep - normal or reverse.
A player is, more often than not, a product of his environment. If you're exposed to quick and bouncy tracks early, you'll automatically become comfortable against pace. Similarly, if you play your entire cricket on dirt-bowls, you'll be at home against spin. But like Clarke, Hayden and Lara, you could also work your way towards mastering this craft.
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In nets try practicing this, if the ball is above your eye line then you use your feet if it not then your on the back food, always moving your feet helps!
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I tend to look for the cut to the leg break if it's short, drive to a very full delivery and sweep to anything drifting down leg. Picking the length is key to cutting and driving, as is quick footwork. I work on the assumption that a leggie has a leg break and not much else, very few have the googly and can bowl it well. Googly give away's involve the bowler dropping his shoulder, slight changes in wrist action or finger action ( trying to bowl it as an off break). Most decks are slow enough to read the googly off the deck if all else fails. Overall, look to be positive and attack the bowler.
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Anything on middle/leg - legside, anything middle/off straight, not a fan of playing with the spin if it's turning away.
As a leggie I prefer people playing my offside, and prefer lefties playing my legside
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the best tactic to play leg spin or left arm is to stand on middle stump and play open chest
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the best tactic to play leg spin or left arm is to stand on middle stump and play open chest
Personally I have been working on batting on off stump against left arm around slow stuff to force them to bowl on the legs.
A normal right arm leg spin I'd probably look to play normally to be honest and just get outside leg stump and pad away and wait for it to be too straight or short etc. not sure if I'd have a specific place to stand etc
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Personally I have been working on batting on off stump against left arm around slow stuff to force them to bowl on the legs.
A normal right arm leg spin I'd probably look to play normally to be honest and just get outside leg stump and pad away and wait for it to be too straight or short etc. not sure if I'd have a specific place to stand etc
Here Here. ;)
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I hate leg spin. My boy gets me out all the time if I play forward >:(, so now I just play off the back foot to him. Still gets me out :( but not quite as much
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For me, Saunders has probably come up with the most simple advice although I am gonna have a go at the rule of thumb for choosing wether to go back or forward depending on height of delivery next time I net.
Personally I think you sound too keen to impose yourself on the bowler. What level are you playing at mate? You're garunteed at least one four ball per over with almost any club leg spinner you'll face bar the higher echelons. Wait for that long hop, smash the full toss! Nothing will wind him up more and you'll probabaly get a couple more duffers.
Or try Sir G's advice and stay at the other end!
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try play it on the full or off the back foot, easier said than done....
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Pro's would say to use the depth of the crease, and to play back to as much as possible and play through the off side with a straight bat. A small forward press gives you a good base to push backwards from.
When coming forwards, unless sweeping, try not to play through midwicket(ish) look to go toward mid-off and extra cover.
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Oldest active thread ever?!