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[400notout]

Okay so in my situation its reversed, playing offspin from round the wicket causes me so many problems.

I can be absolutely cruising against pace and the ball turning in, but have a mental block when a right arm offie comes on round the wicket to me (I'm a lefty)

The ball not turning tends to get me more often, sliding in on the angle.

I like to score square, so this is obviously an issue, I tend to get tied down and wait for the cut shot/loose ball.

I just cant seem to find a way to score or rotate the strike against this and most offies come round to the lefty straight away.

I don't sweep (yet) but that looks to be the option I will have to go with eventually, I have quick feet but often on softer scottish pitches the ball holds up and turns now and again.

I feel like every delivery is hitting the stumps and I go straight into my shell.

Thoughts/advice/mentality changes all welcome, cheers!

[Seniorplayer]

Being lefthanded I fully understand the problem here's what I do forget the cut as it gets me out always play the ball with the full face of the bat and drive with an high elbow always hit with the spin ie use the natural angle of the ball and hit it with a straight bat when it's turning drive the ball to cover  or flick it or hit to  mid wicket. The sweep is riskier as you are hitting across the line of the ball.
You are correct to wait for the over pitched or shorter  ball.

some recommend going down the pitch to the bowler but you have to beware of the faster wider ball with the keeper up to the stumps

[smilley792]

First ball they come on switch hit him for six. He'll lose confidence and not know where to bowl after.




But on a serious note, as the senior says, cut shot will get you out more than not, so when a right arm off spin round comes on. Leave it out of your armoury.
Rest depends on where your strong after.

If he's not turning it much(and you have decent umpires) lbw should be out of the equation. So you could move 1 guard across to the offside and look to play more through leg if he keeps bowling straight and your good off your legs.

If hes pitching everything outside off, then a big stride to get your pad outside the line and a sweep could also be utilised. This is a free shot as if it hits you outside the line you shouldn't be given lbw.




I'm right handed, and and we have a left arm round off spinner in our league, he aims to hit top off or the "4th stump" and rarely turns it much, he took a lot of wickets in his first few years, but took about 5 last year as most of the league realised lbw are out of the equation. And just get there pad out there and either sweep or nudge/nurdle to leg.

[Buzz]

I may try to do a video at some point to show what I mean here but in essence you are describing the same challenge a right hand batsman faces against a left arm bowler.
The difficulty being you are having both edges of your bat  targeted.

Key for playing spin is to be able to smother the ball when it pitches, here is cook getting it wrong:



Secondly I look to take the lbw out of the equation but moving outside the line of off stump, like Hashim Amla did to neuter Graeme Swann.
This has the duel effect of also messing around with the bowlers line.

I then look to work the ball into a gap with a horizontal bat  by knowing where the gaps are and using the change of angle I have created. Clearly punishing the bad ball is important too.

Hope that helps.

[ProCricketer1982]

Bat on off stump and force him to bowl full and straight and just clip him away. You shouldn't be out lbw unless you have terrible umpires

[HallamKeeper]

I'm just trying to get this right in my head but if the ball is spinning away from you then your scoring areas are cover to mid off if you want to play with a straight bat? Then if it holds its line straight you can work it to leg. Probably worth working on getting out of the crease to the ball and mess up his rhythm and length.

There is a very slower bowler in our league that comes around and just tries to pin you down so you play a big shot. I found the reverse sweep and switch hit very good choices as soon as it pitched on off or outside so maybe the sweep/slog sweep would be good for a lefty.

[tom line]

Try and stay leg side of the ball if it is turning as then you can just play drives through cover and if it does or doesn't turn it won't alter your shot too much because of the angles then created. If it isn't turning quite as much then as suggested get across to the line of it and work it away with the angle through the leg side


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[kdale6]

Left handed myself - sweep is my preferred option here if it's hitting the stumps and maybe a hypothetical 4th stump and is a reasonable length

If it's too full go to mid on or mid off depending on line

Too short then rock back and cut or pull accordingly

Biggest tip would be don't over think or over complicate it - have a select few base shots that you can adapt depending on the balls natural variation and stick to it - it should serve you well and help simplify things

[pranav2108]

First and foremost remove the block from your head when a righty off spinner comes to bowl at you. As you have mentioned that you are quick on the foot. Try to go as close to the pitch of the ball when the bowler is giving good flight to the ball. Leave your crease after the release of the ball to avoid stumping chance.

If he sees your feet moving in the first few deliveries you face him, he will surely try to bowl you flatter. In such scenario rock back on your back foot and try to cut such balls. Flatter balls won't turn that much compared to the flighted ones.

Remember the idea here is to make him bowl to your strengths.

All the best for your future games!

[well past my peak]

I use to struggle against spin, until a very fine coach sort me out by keeping it simple.

1. Look for the lose ball  fully/half tracker just put it away = 4 or 6
2. good length defend soft hands = 0
3. back of a length back foot drive = maybe 1 or 2
4. overpitch just drive it down the ground = 2 or 4

generally drive with the spin for 3 and 4, happy to sink back into crease and let the ball turn or not and then punch it.
Don't leave crease
and when I get on top I will start sweeping the good length ball.

Anyhow work for me

[Buzz]

There are some good suggestions here and this isn't meant to criticise any of the posters but do treat some of these with a health warning - not to say they can't work, just that they might not work for all...

Try and stay leg side of the ball

Not sure I would advocate that is it limits the areas you can hit the ball in and can hinder you ability to adjust to deviations - plus you are very vulnerable if the bowler gets some drift...

If he sees your feet moving in the first few deliveries you face him, he will surely try to bowl you flatter. In such scenario rock back on your back foot and try to cut such balls. Flatter balls won't turn that much compared to the flighted ones.

not sure cutting the faster/flatter ball is that great of a plan as this increases the likelihood of a chop on/knick off. The cut should be used if the ball sits up - not to a quicker ball in my view.

I would advocate trying to score a single off as many balls as possible, rotate the strike loads so that the bowler can't bowl at you - which spinners especially love to do. Putting a spinner under pressure isn't just about hitting boundaries.   

[FattusCattus]

If I mirror this to a SLA bowling at me then my mantra (as a legendary batsman) is to keep it simple.

Block anything on the stumps

Anything outside off, get down low and apply the 'Brucie Broom' - sweeping it through forward square leg

Anything down leg, flail at and miss.