78-721: [REDACTED] Look up pull in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Pull may refer to: Sports [ edit ] In baseball, a pull hitter is a batter who usually hits the ball to the side of the field from which he bats Pull shot , a batting stroke in cricket A phase of a swim stroke A throw-off in the sport of ultimate (originally called ultimate frisbee) The Hope College Pull , an annual tug-of-war competition at Hope College in Holland, Michigan Music [ edit ] Pull (Winger album) (1993) Pull ,
156-434: A cover drive (struck towards the cover fielding position), an off drive (towards mid-off), straight drive (straight past the bowler), on drive (between stumps and mid-on) or square drive (towards point). A drive can also be played towards midwicket, although the phrase "midwicket drive" is not in common usage. Drives can be played both off the front and the back foot, but back-foot drives are harder to force through
234-419: A 1993 album by Arcwelder Pull (Mr. Mister album) (2010) "Pull", a song from the album Nico by Blind Melon "Pull", a song by Candiria from the album The Process of Self-Development , 1999 Other uses [ edit ] Muscle pull , a strain injury Drawer pull or handle Pull (physics) , a force that acts in the direction of the origin of the force " The Pull ", an episode of
312-419: A 1993 album by Arcwelder Pull (Mr. Mister album) (2010) "Pull", a song from the album Nico by Blind Melon "Pull", a song by Candiria from the album The Process of Self-Development , 1999 Other uses [ edit ] Muscle pull , a strain injury Drawer pull or handle Pull (physics) , a force that acts in the direction of the origin of the force " The Pull ", an episode of
390-500: A batter during the first few balls he receives, to give himself time to judge the conditions of the pitch and the bowling before attempting to play a shot. Leaving a delivery is a matter of judgement and technique. The batter still has to watch the ball closely to ensure that it will not hit him or the wicket; he also has to ensure that his bat and hands are kept out of the path of the ball so that it cannot make accidental contact and possibly lead to him being out caught . Batters only leave
468-596: A batting team in Test matches usually includes its most skilled batters in terms of shot-playing ability, because during the middle overs of a day batting is relatively easier than in the initial stages of the innings. If the batting innings of a team begins after the last half-hour of the day, the team might employ a nightwatchman to bat after a dismissal. The nightwatchman is usually a lower-order player, able to protect his wicket primarily by defending dangerous balls and leaving non-dangerous ones rather than looking to produce
546-461: A career Test average of 99.94, 38 more than any other batter. Sachin Tendulkar set many modern-day batting records, including being the first player to score 100 international centuries across all three formats of the game. Brian Lara holds the record for the highest individual score in a first-class match (501 not out), and in a Test innings, with 400 not out. Mithali Raj is widely regarded as
624-578: A fielding team cannot manoeuvre fielders while the bowler is in their run-up, the fielding side is effectively wrong-footed with the fielders out of position. The shot was pioneered by Kevin Pietersen , first performed off the bowling of Muttiah Muralitharan in England's 2006 home series against Sri Lanka. It was subsequently used in the New Zealand series in England in 2008 when Pietersen performed
702-409: A full straight delivery on the stumps is generally not recommended because of the risk of lbw . Since a batter is free to play any shot to any type of delivery as he wishes, the above list is by no means a complete list of the strokes that batters choose to play. Many unorthodox, typically high-risk, shots have been used throughout the history of the game. The advent of limited overs cricket has seen
780-420: A lack of defensively minded lower-order batters. In the third innings, the batting team may score quickly to set a large target to the opposition. This scenario usually occurs on the fourth day's play. The batting captain decides how many overs he is prepared to allow the opposition to chase the batting team's total in their fourth innings. The captain usually declares his team's innings at a predetermined time on
858-432: A large number of runs for his team, but not a complete rabbit , liable to expose other players late in a day. This move prevents a regular players from having to face the last few overs left in the day or bat early the following morning; however, some teams do not employ nightwatchmen for various reasons, including a belief that middle-order player should be able to protect their wicket in poor conditions as well as good, or
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#1732776611173936-410: A low bouncing ball, usually from a slow bowler (However, players like Mal Loye also play the sweep against fast bowlers), by kneeling on one knee, bringing the head down in line with the ball and swinging the bat around in a horizontal arc near the pitch as the ball arrives, sweeping it around to the leg side, typically towards square leg or fine leg. A paddle sweep shot is a sweep shot in which
1014-445: A measure of a player's effectiveness. The main statistic for batting is a player's batting average . This is calculated by dividing the number of runs they have scored by the number of times they have been dismissed (not by the number of innings they have played). Don Bradman is widely regarded as the greatest batter of all time, and he set many batting records during his career in the 1930s and 1940s which remain unbeaten. He achieved
1092-455: A six. Kevin Pietersen , who pioneered switch-hitting, is adept at this, but one could argue that the resulting shot is basically a sweep rather than a reverse sweep. A more classic example of such a shot would be Yusuf Pathan 's six off Robin Peterson. South Africa's AB de Villiers is well known for his ability to hit sixes with the reverse sweep at ease and Glenn Maxwell also often plays
1170-442: A stroke and will shift their weight onto the balls of their feet. By doing this they are ready to move swiftly into position to address the ball once they see its path out of the bowler's hand. Although the textbook, side-on stance is the most common, a few international players, such as Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Steve Smith , use an "open" or "square on" stance. Backlift is how a batter lifts his bat in preparation for hitting
1248-399: A team's innings does not end on the fifth day then the match is drawn , or a stalemate is reached. However, in trying to do so, if the batting team manages to overhaul its deficit and gain a substantial lead (an excess of runs) over the opposition, the captain may consider declaring the innings so they can "force" a victory on the final day, depending on the size of the lead, the readiness of
1326-467: A traditional sweep. The advantage of a reverse sweep is that it effectively reverses the fielding positions and thus is very difficult to set a field to. It is also a risky shot for the batter as it increases the chance of lbw and also is quite easy to top edge to a fielder. It was first regularly played in the 1970s by the Pakistani batter Mushtaq Mohammad , though Mushtaq's brother Hanif Mohammad
1404-422: Is a cross-batted sweep shot played in the opposite direction to the standard sweep, thus instead of sweeping the ball to the leg side, it is swept to the off side, towards a backward point or third man . The batter may also swap his hands on the bat handle to make the stroke easier to execute. The batter may also bring his back foot to the front, therefore, turning the shot into a switch-hit and making it more like
1482-460: Is increasingly the preferred term in some media outlets. Over time a standard batting technique has been developed which is used by most batters. Technique refers to the batter's stance before the ball is bowled as well as the movement of the hands, feet, head, and body in the execution of a cricket stroke. Good technique is characterized by quickly getting into the correct position to play the shot, especially getting one's head and body in line with
1560-490: Is limited. However, the Marillier shot is played over the batter's shoulder to fine leg, but the basis of the scoop stroke is for the batter to go down on one knee to a good length or slightly short-of-length delivery off a fast or medium paced bowler and scoop the ball over the head of the wicket-keeper. The scoop shot is a risky shot to play as the improper execution of this shot may lead to a catch being offered. A version of
1638-418: Is no requirement to score runs as quickly as possible, thus allowing the batter to choose which deliveries to play. A leg glance is a delicate straight-batted shot played at a ball aimed slightly on the leg side, using the bat to flick the ball as it passes the batter, and requiring some wrist work as well, deflecting towards the square leg or fine leg area. The stroke involves deflecting the bat-face towards
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#17327766111731716-409: Is sometimes credited as the inventor. Cricket coach Bob Woolmer has been credited with popularising the stroke. The most famous example of a reverse sweep backfiring was in the case of Mike Gatting of England against Allan Border of Australia in the 1987 Cricket World Cup Final . With England on course for victory, Gatting attempted a reverse sweep off the first delivery bowled by Border, top-edged
1794-471: Is widely used in modern cricket. The shot is advantageous in fast bouncy tracks and is seen commonly in Twenty20 cricket. Notable players to hit upper cut include Sachin Tendulkar , Virender Sehwag and Brendan Taylor . A switch hit is a shot where a batter changes their handedness and posture to adopt a stance the mirror image of their traditional handedness while the bowler is running in to bowl. As
1872-671: The ball with a bat to score runs and prevent the loss of one's wicket . Any player who is currently batting is, since September 2021, officially referred to as a batter regardless of whether batting is their particular area of expertise. Historically, batsman and batswoman were used, and these terms remain in widespread use. Batters have to adapt to various conditions when playing on different cricket pitches , especially in different countries; therefore, as well as having outstanding physical batting skills, top-level batters will have quick reflexes, excellent decision-making skills, and be good strategists. During an innings two members of
1950-457: The clip off the legs . The shot is played with the bat coming through straight as for the on drive, but the bat face is angled towards the leg side. It can be played both off the front foot or the back foot, either off the toes or from the hips. The shot is played between the mid-on and square leg region. Typically played along the ground, the flick can also be played by lofting the ball over the infield. The second class of cricket stroke comprises
2028-460: The TV series Sons of Anarchy See also [ edit ] Pulling (disambiguation) All pages with titles beginning with pull All pages with titles containing pull Push (disambiguation) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Pull . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
2106-412: The TV series Sons of Anarchy See also [ edit ] Pulling (disambiguation) All pages with titles beginning with pull All pages with titles containing pull Push (disambiguation) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Pull . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
2184-432: The accuracy of its conception and the technical ability with which it is carried out. A key aspect of the strategy of batting is the trade-off between the level of aggression (trying to score) and the risk involved of being dismissed. An optimal batting strategy balances several considerations: the number of wickets left, the target that has been set (if batting last) and how the risk of losing a wicket increase when increasing
2262-403: The back foot is known as a backward defensive . These strokes may be used to score runs, by manipulating the block to move the ball into vacant portions of the infield, in which case a block becomes a "push". Pushing the ball is one of the more common ways batters manipulate the strike. Leaving and blocking are employed much more often in first-class cricket (including Test matches ), as there
2340-404: The ball , one's feet placed next to where the ball would bounce and then swinging the bat at the ball to make contact at the precise moment required for the particular stroke being played. The movement of the batter for a particular delivery depends on the shot being attempted. Front-foot shots are played with the weight on the front foot (left foot for a right-hander ) and are usually played when
2418-412: The ball and was caught by wicketkeeper Greg Dyer. England subsequently lost momentum and eventually lost the match. Because of the unorthodox nature of hand and body position, it is often difficult to get a lot of power behind a reverse sweep; in many situations, the intention is to glance or cut the ball to the back leg area. However, on rare occasions, players have been able to execute reverse sweeps for
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2496-399: The ball downwards. A mistimed cut with an open-faced bat (with the face of the bat facing the bowler) will generally lead to the ball rising in the air, giving a chance for the batter to be caught. Although confusingly named a drive, the square drive is actually a horizontal bat shot, with identical arm mechanics to that of the square cut. The difference between the cut and the square drive is
2574-407: The ball into gaps where there are no fielders . Unorthodox shots are typically—but not always—more high-risk than orthodox shots due to some aspects of good batting technique being abandoned. The stance is the position in which a batter stands to have the ball bowled to them. An ideal stance is "comfortable, relaxed and balanced", with the feet 40 centimetres (16 in) apart, parallel and astride
2652-403: The ball is deflected towards fine leg with a stationary or near-stationary bat extended horizontally towards the bowler, whereas the hard sweep shot is played towards square leg with the bat swung firmly in a horizontal arc. Typically the sweep shot will be played to a legside delivery, but it is also possible for a batter to sweep the ball to the leg side from outside off stump. Attempting to sweep
2730-412: The ball is pitched up to the batter, while back-foot shots are played putting the weight onto the back foot, usually to bowling that is pitched short. Shots may also be referred to as vertical or straight-bat shots, in which the bat is swung vertically at the ball (e.g. when playing a drive or leg glance), or horizontal or cross-bat shots, in which the bat is swung horizontally at the ball (e.g. when playing
2808-407: The ball when they are certain that it will not hit the stumps. A drive is a straight-batted shot, played by swinging the bat in a vertical arc through the line of the ball , hitting the ball in front of the batter along the ground. It is one of the most common shots in a batter's armory and often the first shot taught to junior cricketers. Depending on the direction the ball travels, a drive can be
2886-427: The ball, bending their front knee to bring the bat down to the anticipated height of the ball. By moving forward, the batter is also able to intercept the ball immediately after it has pitched, thus nullifying any potentially dangerous lateral movement. A back foot shot is typically used to address a ball arriving at between thigh and head height. The batter will step back and, if necessary, stand on their tiptoes to raise
2964-421: The ball. While the bat should be raised as vertically as possible, coaching manuals often suggest that correct technique is for the bat to be slightly angled from the perpendicular; a common instruction is to point the face of the bat in the direction of first or second slip . Some players (notably, in recent times, Brian Lara , Virender Sehwag ) have employed an exaggerated backlift. Others, who have employed
3042-423: The bat is a vertical alignment at the point of contact. Vertical-bat shots are typically played with the batter's head directly above the point of contact so he is able to accurately judge the line of the ball. At this point, the bat can either be stationary and facing straight back down the wicket – known as a block or defensive shot; angled to one side – known as a glance or deflection; or travelling forwards towards
3120-430: The bat to the height of the ball. By stepping back towards the wicket, the batter also receives the advantage of having an extra small amount of time to react to any unexpected lateral movement or variation in bounce. Vertical-bat or straight-bat shots can be played off either the front foot or the back foot depending upon the anticipated height of the ball at the moment it reaches the batter. The characteristic position of
3198-449: The batter have time to sight the length and adopt the kneeling position required for the slog sweep. The front leg of the shot is usually placed wider outside leg stump to allow for a full swing of the bat. An upper cut is a shot played towards third man , usually hit when the ball is pitched outside the off stump with an extra bounce. It is a dangerous shot which can edge the ball to keeper or slips if not executed correctly. The shot
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3276-431: The batter must take into consideration the bowler's strategy, the position of the fielders, the pitch conditions, and his own strengths and weaknesses. The strategy he will decide on will incorporate a number of preconceived attacking responses to the various deliveries he may anticipate receiving, designed specifically to score runs with minimal risk of being dismissed. The success of this strategy will be dependent upon both
3354-405: The batter's head typically not being perfectly in line with the ball at the point of contact. A cut is a cross-batted shot played at a short-pitched ball, placing it wide on the off side. The batter makes contact with the ball as it draws alongside or passes him and therefore requires virtually no effort on his part as he uses the bowler's pace to divert the ball. A square cut is a shot hit into
3432-419: The batting side are on the pitch at any time: the one facing the current delivery from the bowler is called the striker , while the other is the non-striker . When a batter is out , they are replaced by a teammate. This continues until the end of the innings , which in most cases is when 10 of the team members are out, whereupon the other team gets a turn to bat. Batting tactics and strategy vary depending on
3510-419: The batting side speeds up the run rate (runs per over) until the captain declares. If, however, a batting team is significantly behind the opposition in terms of runs going into the fourth day of a Test match, a typical strategy by the batting team involves playing defensively to avoid losing their wickets. This ensures that they occupy the most time until the match draws to a close on the fifth day, because if
3588-402: The boundary edge. The slog can be an effective shot because all the batter's power and body weight can be put into swinging the bat at the ball. A slog sweep is a slog played from the kneeling position used to sweep. Slog sweeps are usually directed over square-leg rather than to mid-wicket. It is almost exclusively used against reasonably full-pitched balls from slow bowlers, as only then does
3666-432: The bowler – known as a drive. A block stroke is usually a purely defensive stroke designed to stop the ball from hitting the wicket or the batter's body. This shot has no strength behind it and is usually played with a light or "soft" grip (commentators often refer to "soft hands") and merely stops the ball moving towards the wicket. A block played on the front foot is known as a forward defensive , while that played on
3744-592: The bowlers, and the state of the pitch. As One Day International matches have a limited set of overs , batters try to score quickly. Doing so, batters should aim for a higher run rate than the one which would maximize their expected personal score. It is optimal for batters to take the risk of being dismissed and being replaced by another teammate. This higher risk strategy makes the best of the limited number of overs. Scoring quickly typically means trying to score at least one run per ball bowled. Most batter manage to score at an average of four runs an over (i.e. four runs in
3822-458: The crease. Additionally, the front shoulder should be pointing down the wicket, the head facing the bowler, the weight equally balanced and the bat near the back toe. A slight crouch is adopted in order to be in a more effective striking posture whilst also isometrically preloading the muscles; this allows the stroke to be played more dynamically. As the ball is about to be released, the batter will lift their bat up behind in anticipation of playing
3900-406: The direction of the fine leg fielding position. The stroke is very difficult to play intentionally, and is more often a mistake by the batter. It is a risky stroke, and can easily result in the batter playing on to their stumps, resulting in the batter being dismissed as bowled . The fundamental aim of each batter is to find a means of safely scoring runs against each bowler he faces. To do this,
3978-402: The end of limited-overs matches because it is difficult to hit such balls to the boundary. The shot got its fame through MS Dhoni , who played it on a regular basis as a way to score boundaries against full and yorker length deliveries. The French cut is a stroke where the ball is hit with the inside edge of the bat, meaning it is directed between the batter and the stumps, and moves away in
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#17327766111734056-417: The fourth day so they can bowl at least 20 overs on that day and 90 overs on the last day. A good number of overs to bowl at the opposition team in the fourth innings is essential because usually on the fourth and fifth days of a Test match conditions are good for bowling (especially slow bowling), with the pitch having experienced a fair degree of wear and tear. Thus, to make the target as difficult as possible,
4134-517: The free dictionary. Pull may refer to: Sports [ edit ] In baseball, a pull hitter is a batter who usually hits the ball to the side of the field from which he bats Pull shot , a batting stroke in cricket A phase of a swim stroke A throw-off in the sport of ultimate (originally called ultimate frisbee) The Hope College Pull , an annual tug-of-war competition at Hope College in Holland, Michigan Music [ edit ] Pull (Winger album) (1993) Pull ,
4212-412: The greatest batter of all time in women's cricket . She set many modern-day records, including being the highest run-scorer in women's international cricket. Any player, regardless of their area of special skill, is referred to as a "batter" (historically as a "batsman" or "batswoman") while they are batting. The batter's act of hitting the ball is called a "shot" or "stroke". A player who is selected for
4290-429: The height of the ball at contact: the cut is played to a ball bouncing waist high or above with the batting batter standing tall, whereas the square drive is played to a wide ball of shin height with the batter bending his knees and crouching low to make contact. A pull is a cross-batted shot played to a ball bouncing around waist height by swinging the bat in a horizontal arc in front of the body, pulling it around to
4368-419: The horizontal-bat shots, also known as cross-bat shots: the cut, the square drive, the pull, the hook, and the sweep. Typically, horizontal bat shots have a greater probability of failing to make contact with the ball than vertical bat shots and therefore are restricted to deliveries that are not threatening to hit the stumps, either by dint of being too wide or too short. The bat is swung in a horizontal arc, with
4446-437: The increased use of unorthodox shots to hit the ball into gaps where there are no fielders placed. Unorthodox shots are rarely used in first-class cricket as the pace of the game is slower and it is relatively more important to keep one's wicket than to try to score runs off every ball. A few unorthodox shots have gained enough popularity or notoriety to have been given their own names and entered common usage. A reverse sweep
4524-424: The innings when the number of overs left is small (there is not much to lose in taking the risk of ending all out). Research has shown that teams broadly follow these principles. A noticeable exception is when batters face the possibility of scoring a personal milestone (e.g. century ), in that case, they tend to decrease their risk-taking below what is optimal for the team in order to increase their chance of reaching
4602-417: The leg side at the last moment, head and body moving inside the line of the ball. This shot is played "off the toes, shins or hip". It is played off the front foot if the ball is pitched up at the toes or shin of the batter, or off the back foot if the ball bounces at waist/hip height to the batter. Although the opposite term off glance is not employed within cricket, the concept of angling the bat face towards
4680-420: The leg side towards mid-wicket or square leg. The term hook shot is used when the shot is played against a ball bouncing at or above chest high to the batter, the batter thus "hooking" the ball around behind square leg, either along the ground or in the air. Pull and hook shots can be played off the front or back foot, with the back foot being more typical. A sweep is a cross-batted front foot shot played to
4758-417: The leg side. To play a scoop shot, the batter is on the front foot and aims to get beneath the bounce of the ball and hit it directly behind the stumps, up and over the wicket-keeper. This shot, though risky in the execution, has the advantage of being aimed at a section of the field where a fielder is rarely placed – particularly in Twenty20 and One Day International cricket where the number of outfielders
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#17327766111734836-401: The line of the ball. Although most drives are deliberately struck along the ground to reduce the risk of being dismissed caught, a batter may decide to play a lofted drive to hit the ball over the infielders and potentially even over the boundary for six. A flick shot is a straight-batted shot played on the leg side by flicking a full-length delivery using the wrists. It is often also called
4914-439: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pull&oldid=1229015442 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages pull [REDACTED] Look up pull in Wiktionary,
4992-408: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pull&oldid=1229015442 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Pull shot In cricket , batting is the act or skill of hitting
5070-455: The more unorthodox open stance, such as Peter Willey , had a more abbreviated backlift. Depending upon the path of the ball, the batter will either move forward or back in his attempt to intercept it. A forward movement is designated a front foot shot , whereas a backward movement is designated a back foot shot . A front foot shot is typically used to address a ball arriving at between ankle and thigh height. The batter will step forward towards
5148-406: The off side at near to 90 degrees from the wicket (towards point). A late cut is played as or after the ball passes the batter's body and is hit towards the third man position. The cut shot is typically played off the back foot but is also sometimes played off the front foot against slower bowling. The cut should be played with the face of the bat rolling over the ball to face the ground thus pushing
5226-412: The offside to deflect the ball away from the wicket for the purpose of scoring runs through the off side is a commonly used technique. This would commonly be described instead as "running (or steering) the ball down to the third man". The leave is sometimes considered a cricket shot, even though the batter physically does not play at or interfere with the ball as it passes him. The leave is often used by
5304-461: The pull or cut shot). While a batter is not limited in where or how they may hit the ball, the development of good technique has gone hand in hand with the development of a standard or orthodox cricket shots played to specific types of deliveries. These "textbook" shots are standard material found in many coaching manuals. The advent of limited overs cricket , with its emphasis on rapid run-scoring, has led to increasing use of unorthodox shots to hit
5382-546: The reverse sweep. A slog is a powerful pull shot played over mid-wicket, usually, hit in the air in an attempt to score a six . A shot would be referred to as a slog when it is typically played at a delivery that would not ordinarily be pulled. A slog can also be described as hitting the ball to " cow corner ". This phrase is designed to imply that the batter is unsophisticated in their stroke play and technique by suggesting they would be more at home playing on more rudimentary cricket fields in which there may be cows grazing along
5460-689: The scoop stroke called the Dilscoop was developed by Sri Lankan right-handed batter Tillakaratne Dilshan during the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 . The helicopter shot is the act of hitting the ball by means of a wristy flick, using the bottom-hand as the dominant force. The shot gets its name from the flourish completing the stroke, with the bat being circled overhead. It has been considered an unconventional and innovative stroke which, when hit executed effectively, can be used to score boundaries, even against good yorkers or fuller-length deliveries, which have traditionally been used by faster bowlers towards
5538-524: The shot twice in the same over against Scott Styris on his way to making an unbeaten century. David Warner , the Australian opener, is also a frequent user of the switch hit and used it to great effect against the Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in the first Twenty20 of the Indian cricket team's tour to Australia 2012. Glenn Maxwell and Ben Stokes also play the switch hit. The legality of
5616-464: The situation, batters may abandon attempts at run-scoring in an effort to preserve their wicket, or may attempt to score runs as quickly as possible with scant concern for the possibility of being dismissed. Unlike various other bat-and-ball sports , cricket batters may hit the ball in any direction to score runs, and can use creative shots to do so. As with all other cricket statistics , batting statistics and records are given much attention and provide
5694-402: The six ball over). The optimal level of risk should vary depending on different factors. It should be higher when the team has more wickets left as they provide of a cushion of security (against the risk of ending all out). It should be higher when the pitch provides good conditions for batting, making it easier to score without great risk of being dismissed. It should increase towards the end of
5772-510: The starting players in Test cricket are often chosen for their sound technique and ability to defend their wicket, because the first 1–2 hours of an innings, especially if it begins in the morning, are usually characterized by good conditions for bowling, specifically in terms of the pace and bounce of the pitch and the lateral movement of the ball in the air. The first-drop batter is usually also chosen for his sound technique, so as to stabilize his end in case an opener gets out. The middle order of
5850-453: The strike rate. These strategies depend on the match situation and on the match format. Strategies therefore vary greatly between the three forms of international cricket: Test , One Day International and T20 cricket. In Test cricket, the usual aim is to score as high a total as possible. As the overs are unlimited, a batter can take his time to score runs. In general, 90 overs have to be bowled per day in Test match cricket. The openers or
5928-523: The switch hit was questioned when first introduced but cleared by the International Cricket Council as legal. The shot is risky because a batter is less proficient in the other handedness and is more likely to make a mistake in the execution of the shot. A scoop shot has been used by a number of first-class players. It is played to short-pitched straight balls that would traditionally be defended or, more aggressively, pulled to
6006-460: The team mainly for their batting skill is often referred to as simply a batter, regardless of whether they are currently batting, or sometimes as a specialist batter. A specialist bowler or wicket-keeper, on the other hand, would only be referred to as a batter when they are actually batting. In 2021 the Laws of Cricket were amended to officially use the term "batter" for gender neutrality , and this
6084-443: The type of match being played as well as the current state of play. The main concerns for the batters are not to lose their wicket and to score as many runs as quickly as possible. These objectives generally conflict—to score quickly, risky shots must be played, increasing the chance that the batter will be dismissed, while the batter's safest choice with a careful wicket-guarding stroke may be not to attempt any runs at all. Depending on
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