Best and worst shots

[Dasa]

One of my favourite shots is also one of my least favourite actually. I like to play the sweep shot occasionally, and there's not much better than a proper sweep (not a slog sweep) played all along the ground...but it's a frustrating shot as well because so many people just resort to the sweep against spin and it seems like such a high-risk shot.

Another favourite would be the leg glance where the bat comes down at the last possible minute and the ball just races away to the boundary. Tendulkar probably does that one best. Of course, I love the cover drive as well but I think I enjoy seeing the 'Caribbean' style back-foot cover drive to the full length delivery the most. No-one better than Lara at playing that shot. I'm not too good at the technically correct cover drive, but I can pull off the back-foot version occasionally.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

To be honest, I like the slog over cow corner, no matter how ugly it looks as it normally makes something happen. Also the cover drive and square drives are another couple of favourites to watch, particularly by Lara.

M least favourite is the late cut and reverse sweep, late cut when I'm bowling, and the reverse sweep when watching cricket. It can be great when played, but there's too many examples of a person playing a successful one, and then going overboard and getting out looking like an idiot.

 

[Richard]

I'm not really sure when a premeditated shot like that would be necessary. There is usually a better option than to reverse sweep a ball. It is quite dangerous, and unless you need a boundary or six off the last ball or something...I can't ever see its use.

If you need a six off the last ball the reverse-sweep is about the worst possible choice!

Only ever seen two people (Rhodes and Pietersen) hit a reverse-sweep for six, and both were off the same bowler.

 

[Richard]

The Slog Sweep: Patented by Steve Waugh against the slow bowlers, but was at it's most exciting and extravagant when he did it to the pacers.

Patented maybe, but people had been playing it for many years.

Did Waugh really play Loye-esque Slogged-Sweeps to seamers? If so, I never saw it.

 

[Richard]

To be honest, I like the slog over cow corner, no matter how ugly it looks as it normally makes something happen.

So does bowling a head-high Beamer...

 

[shortpitched713]

Definitely like the on drive and the cut. I've had to cut down on my use of the cut though, as it tends to be the shot which I get out to most often. I used to like the sweep a lot, but now I've gotten real dire at it, and it also tends to be a high risk shot.

Used to hate the cover drive with a passion. I always thought it was an over described and over used shot. Sure, its quite useful, and a well played one is a testament to the batsman's skill, but I still fell that more often one is better off using the feet a little more and getting more of the bat behind the ball, ie with an off drive.

 

[Fiery]

Used to hate the cover drive with a passion. I always thought it was an over described and over used shot. Sure, its quite useful, and a well played one is a testament to the batsman's skill, but I still fell that more often one is better off using the feet a little more and getting more of the bat behind the ball, ie with an off drive.

A cricket-lover who "used to hate the cover-drive with a passion". You must have been a rare breed. I'm glad you've changed your mind because a well played one is very pleasing to my eye

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

One of my favourite shots is also one of my least favourite actually. I like to play the sweep shot occasionally, and there's not much better than a proper sweep (not a slog sweep) played all along the ground...but it's a frustrating shot as well because so many people just resort to the sweep against spin and it seems like such a high-risk shot.

A sweep shot isn't high risk if you play it right. For example, Lara, Chanderpaul and Hayden play it constantly against the spinners. And there's little risk involved there.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

I'm not really sure when a premeditated shot like that would be necessary. There is usually a better option than to reverse sweep a ball. It is quite dangerous, and unless you need a boundary or six off the last ball or something...I can't ever see its use.

Speaking from personal experience, the reverse sweep shot can be very handy in opening up your preferred scoring areas. While I was facing an offspinner, an opposing captain once positioned the field so that I practically could not score with my preference of the orthodox sweep. As such, I began to reverse sweep the bowling for twos and eventually the field settled to more orthodox, allowing me to play normally. Against medium pacers I've used the reverse sweep to open up the legside field.

The reverse sweep is an unorthodox shot, definitely, and the main value of such shots is to force the opposing captain into something either more unorthodox or less so. I play the reverse sweep when it will open up more options for me to play freely in an orthodox fashion.

 

[Dasa]

A sweep shot isn't high risk if you play it right. For example, Lara, Chanderpaul and Hayden play it constantly against the spinners. And there's little risk involved there.

Yeah, but they're all good players of spin bowling. I'm referring more to the G.Jones type who sweep mindlessly because they generally have no clue against spin.

 

[R_D]

Straight drive and cover drive, Love the straight drives played by Sachin... When he plays one of those you know he's in good touch.
Used to love the flicks to the onside by Mark Waugh.. they were awesome to watch. Whenever bowler bowled on his pads he would creame it

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

For all those questioning the value of the reverse sweep, I think (when played properly) it's one of the most useful ways of combating spin in one-day and Twenty20 cricket. The off-spinner usually has his five men outside of the fielding circle at deep cover, long-off, long-on, deep mid-wicket and deep square-leg (or deep backward-square). Without the two men down the ground, you can induce a poor drive and still concede four runs, so they're a must. The amount of times the ball goes out the deep cover must be huge, so he's a must. The two leg-side fielders are essential as well, for the sweep/slog-sweep and the loft to mid-wicket, both of which have little risk without a fielder out there.

So when a batsman begins reverse-sweeping, proper reverse sweeps, like Lehmann, Flower and several of the Warwickshire batsmen (Michael Powell and Jonathan Trott in particular) play and not a dab that brings a single or two at the most, the captain suddenly has a dilemna. The fielder at deep-square is removed, and mid-wicket brought around. Cue a regular sweep shot, that goes for four. Big problems for the fielding side.

The reverse sweep only has a poor reputation because of its unconventionality and relative recent introduction and because it is played so inappropriately by certain batsmen. It has to be hit, or at very least paddled, rather than deflected or dabbed.

 

[silentstriker]

The batsman should do one of the following:

1. Leave
2. Hook
3. Pull
4. Foward/Back Defense
5. Off Drive
6. Straight Drive
7. Cover Drive
8. On Drive
9. Square Cut
10. Leg Glance
11. Sweep

OK, so maybe not, but I'm unhappy if I see anything but the ones above.

 

[Richard]

Square Cut

I like an apple...

 

[PhoenixFire]

Leg-Glance through midwicket or wide mid-on can look really classy too. Inzamam plays it really well.

 

[open365]

I love the shot where the balls pitched up and the batsman stands tall and plays a perfectly straight lofted drive back over the bowlers head, it's a shot Flintoff plays really well when he's in form.

I just love the connection and seeing something slightly un conventional but seemingly un-risky too.

 

[Richard]

Leg-Glance through midwicket or wide mid-on can look really classy too. Inzamam plays it really well.

He certainly played one rather well earlier today, yes...

Haven't ever seen him play that one before... always seemed the preserve of Murray Goodwin and Ricardo Powell (a study of style+substance and style-vs-substance).

 

[Fiery]

He certainly played one rather well earlier today, yes...

Haven't ever seen him play that one before... always seemed the preserve of Murray Goodwin and Ricardo Powell (a study of style+substance and style-vs-substance).

How can a leg-glance go through mid-wicket or wide mid-on? or even in front of square? I leg-glance is a deflection

 

[Richard]

I know, what we were describing was really a kinda glance-ish On-Drive.

You must've seen Murray Goodwin play one or two of them? He played it better than anyone I've seen.

 

[C_C]

Personally, i love playing the 'horizontal swat' that S_L and Faaip are talking about or seeing it played.
I know how it must look from a purely cricketing perspective but i always played it and played it rather decently.I used to play tennis a lot as a kid and for a short while when i did pay attention to cricket, i was already deep into tennis. It just seemed instinctive to me to bat that way to anything short and not so fast and high. Its harder than with a tennis racket, simply because the 'sweet spot' of a cricket bat is lot more asymmetrical and harder to adjust to (or atleast, was for me).
Sometimes i'd just bat left handed and think i am playing tennis and its my double-handed backhand. Ironically, though i didnt last very long lefthanded ( i am a rightie-batsman), it'd always be more explosive.