Left-handed batsmen advantaged?

[Top_Cat]

http://www.newsweek.com/id/146842?from=rss

This is an article about baseball so some of the advantages claimed aren't relevant to cricket (shorter distance to first base, etc.) but the one about facing right-handed bowlers/pitchers might be. What does everyone reckon?

 

[Prince EWS]

I think there's something to it. Only about 8% of people are left handed, but I bet you'd see a much larger number if you only asked Test batsmen. That in itself is the greatest evidence you could want. I'd be interested in seeing the exact figures.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

I think the advantage of a batting left-hander versus a pitching/bowling right-hander are more significant in baseball. That said, the angle of delivery from the right-hander (over the wicket) can obviously allow for more comfortable offside play.

Also worth noting that the left-hander v. left-hander match-up appears to bear a lot more significant implications in baseball than cricket.

 

[Mard]

left handers are definatly more lucky. if you see the faliure and success rate, lefthanded batsmen are way better

 

[BoyBrumby]

I think there's something to it. Only about 8% of people are left handed, but I bet you'd see a much larger number if you only asked Test batsmen. That in itself is the greatest evidence you could want. I'd be interested in seeing the exact figures.

I'd guess (based on my entirely unscientific empirical observations of cricket over the years) that a higher portion of players bat left-handed than 8%. I think this is partly attributable to the theory amongst some coaches that one's stronger hand (in most people's cases the right) should be the higher one on the bat handle. Quite a lot of naturally right-handed players (Hussey, Hayden, Gilchrist, Lara, Smith & Thorpe off the top of my head) adopt the southpaw stance, presumably for this reason. Conversely some natural lefties (like Ash Giles & Derek Underwood) batted in the conventional manner.

 

[Richard]

"Left-handed" batting isn't entirely a true-ism. Your stronger hand doesn't impact too much - it's possible to teach yourself to bat right-handed or left-handed, and many inherantly right-handed people (who write, bounce a basketball and throw a cricket-ball with their right-hand) have batted "left-handed", and vice-versa.

As to the LHB thing - well, some bowlers prefer bowling at lefties, some hate it. I'm a mixture, myself.

 

[JimmyGS]

I'm a left handed batsmen myself, and I think the main advantage is that bowlers generally aren't very good at bowling to left handed batsmen. If I had a nickel for every time my first ball was a wide down legside.....

Although the rough outside the off stump for left handers late in the longer version is clearly a disadvantage.

 

[weldone]

and I think the main advantage is that bowlers generally aren't very good at bowling to left handed batsmen.

AWTA

 

[Richard]

LHBs can be annoying bastards too TBH. Bowled at one yesterday, had the inevitable odd one that went down leg, but I just could not get the inswinger through the gate. Every time he missed one it was heading down leg. Always hit the straight ones.

Normally I really fancy my chances at LHBs, I love swinging the ball back in. But not that time.

 

[The Baconator]

Have kind of wondered this before, but it's hard to tell really, would be nice if cricinfo or whatever ran up some stats to see if there was anything significant. Thing is, there's not that many left handed bowlers in cricket compared to pitchers in baseball, where being an LHP is often considered an advantage.

I suppose if there was an alarming difference between righties and lefties, you might seem someone trying to be a switch hitter.

 

[Goughy]

Batting opposite handed to that of the pitcher you are facing has big advantages in baseball.

As most pitchers are right handed then that favours left-handers.

Strangely the article doesnt properly look at why.

It is because most curveballs break away from batters of the same handedness as the pitchers they oppose, which is harder to hit in baseball.

That one fact explains the advantage lefties have when facing right handers (most pitchers). Its so significant that it is why switch hitters exist, in order to change hands to get the curveball to break into them.

Left handed batsmen may have an advantage in cricket but I dont think the reasons are the same as for baseball.

 

[opener]

Batting opposite handed to that of the pitcher you are facing has big advantages in baseball..

Andy Pettittes stats certainly show that to be true.

Lethal on lefties all year. Massive difference in the averages compared to vs righties.

 

[JimmyGS]

AWTA

AWTA?

 

[Richard]

We really do need this official-ish acronym\abbreviation key soon.

AWTA = agree with the above. And James, I'm sure there'll be many more that you'll need deciphered should you elect to stick around these parts.

 

[zaremba]

Quite a lot of naturally right-handed players (Hussey, Hayden, Gilchrist, Lara, Smith & Thorpe off the top of my head) adopt the southpaw stance, presumably for this reason.

Others include:

Graeme Pollock
Neil Harvey
David Gower
Clive Lloyd
Justin Langer
Shiv Chanderpaul
Kumar Sangakkara
Stephen Fleming
Mark Taylor
Sourav Ganguly
Chris Gayle
Andy Flower
John Wright
Marcus Trescothick
Jack Russell
Jacob Oram
Mark Greatbatch
Michael di Venuto
Clem Hill
Gary Kirsten
Richard Hadlee
Alistair Campbell
Arjuna Ranatunga
Jacques Rudolph
Alvin Kallicharran
Eddie Paynter
Lance Klusener
John Edrich
Kepler Wessels
Mark Butcher
Graeme Wood
Hashan Tillekaratne
Bob Cowper
Russel Arnold
Greg Matthews
Michael Vandort
Wavell Hinds
Ed Joyce
Chris Broad
Stuart Broad
and, er, Curtly Ambrose, Jimmy Anderson and Simon Jones

And left handers batting right handed:

Denis Compton
Inzamam-ul-Haq
Lawrence Rowe
Frank Worrell
Michael Clarke
Ravi Shastri
Ijaz Ahmed
Grant Flower
Wilfred Rhodes
Charles Macartney

 

[archie mac]

Well there was a great crime writer who wanted left handed batsmen banned

I wonder if this left handed advnatage came about in part because of the change of the LBW law in 1937? (I think)

If you have a look at the teams in the 20s England and Australia do not have many lefties, but in the 30s they start to come into the top order a lot more

 

[Jakester1288]

I still don't understand how left handed batsmen get an advantage over right handed batsmen. But one thing is for sure, most left handers have superior records in test cricket. One thing that would be interesting would be to compare all the right handers who have batted in more than ten test innings above number 7, and compare them with all the left handers who have batted in more than ten test innings above 7. I am fairly confident they would be close, with the possibility of right handers winning.

I am a right handed bowler and batsmen, and I have bowled to a few left handers, and I can bowl perfect line and length to them. I don't understand how so many bowlers can't ajust when there is a right hander and a left hander at the crease. I have no trouble whatsoever.

 

[weldone]

One thing that would be interesting would be to compare all the right handers who have batted in more than ten test innings above number 7, and compare them with all the left handers who have batted in more than ten test innings above 7. I am fairly confident they would be close, with the possibility of right handers winning.

Right-handers with more than 10 test innings above number 7 average 36.17.

Left-handers with more than 10 test innings above number 7 average 39.07.

Not fairly close (difference of 3 runs per wicket is huge when you consider this as data collected for over 130 years and over 25000 dismissals)...

Fact is that left-handed batsmen have a slight advantage and that's mainly because there are many bowlers who bowl better line and length to right-handers. (There could be other reasons too.)

 

[adharcric]

Yes. Left-handed cricketers have a natural psychological advantage that stems from the opponent's relative unfamiliarity with facing southpaws on the pitch. Don't think I'd call it an unfair advantage though. Very different from the more substantial advantage in baseball, which Goughy commented on earlier.

 

[Richard]

Yes. Left-handed cricketers have a natural psychological advantage that stems from the opponent's relative unfamiliarity with facing southpaws on the pitch.

Stems from some opponents' relative unfamiliarity with them.

Just because some bowlers struggle at LHBs, not all do. Some prefer it.