Masterclass: Don’t Make A Bad Ball Into A Good One
One of my previous Masterclass articles is entitled Don’t Make A Good Ball Into A Bad One where I discuss the importance of shot selection in the context of a great player who I was fortunate enough to play a lot of first-class cricket with David Boon.
Basically, this article talks about how Boony rarely, more so than any player I have played with, attempted to hit a good ball for runs. If you bowled him a good ball, he would respect it with a fortress like defensive stroke. However, if you bowled to Boony in one of his key scoring areas, cut, drive and off his legs, he would pick off runs with machine like efficiency. This was part of the skill set that allowed him to play 106 tests in Australia’s top order against teams including the then formidable West Indies.
I was watching the 1st Ashes Test 2009 and noticed that at one stage Australia’s Mitchell Johnson bowled a 6 over spell where not one of the 36 balls bowled challenged the stumps, which allowed the batsmen to leave all of his deliveries. Amazingly, Andrew Flintoff the England batsman decided to defend a ball that was missing the stumps by 70cm and nicked it straight to second slip!
Don’t make a Bad ball into a good one! Flintoff made a bad ball into a good one in this case by defending a ball that could have been left alone. In defending a ball he didn’t have to he was increasing his risk all for no reward! Importantly, for a technical perspective when you defend ball wide of off-stump the bat face has to open up to reach the ball and you are playing away from your eye-line which further increase the risk associated with this already risky and pointless tactic!
As Marcus North demonstrated so well in his outstanding century in the same Test the only ball worthwhile hitting outside the line of off-stump is one you can score from.
Please find below an except from another article entitles The Art Of Leaving The Ball Outside Off-Stump and although leaving the ball may not sound like the most exciting part of cricket if you can master this skill it will make you harder to get out and give you more time at the crease which will make you more runs – which is exciting!
Here are the benefits of leaving balls outside off stump that you cannot score from:
- You are minimising the risk of caught behind the wicket by leaving ball wide of off stump and effectively making the slips fielders a wasted position.
- You can pressure the bowlers into changing their tactics and bowling straighter line, which will create leg side scoring opportunities.
- You are demonstrating to the bowlers that you will be selective in your choice of shots and therefore tough to get out.
- You are demonstrating that you value your wicket.
- You are giving yourself time to get comfortable at the crease.
- You can begin to develop a feel for what attacking opportunities will be available outside off-stump later in your innings by having a good look at the bowling while you adjust to the conditions.
- You can get your eye in and establish yourself at the crease at the most difficult part of your innings, the start. If you bat for long enough you will make up the runs later as your confidence grows and the bowlers tire.
Cheers
Mark
One of my previous Masterclass articles is entitled Don’t Make A Good Ball Into A Bad One where I discuss the importance of shot selection in the context of a great player who I was fortunate enough to play a lot of first-class cricket with David Boon.
Basically, this article talks about how Boony rarely, more so than any player I have played with, attempted to hit a good ball for runs. If you bowled him a good ball, he would respect it with a fortress like defensive stroke. However, if you bowled to Boony in one of his key scoring areas, cut, drive and off his legs, he would pick off runs with machine like efficiency. This was part of the skill set that allowed him to play 106 tests in Australia’s top order against teams including the then formidable West Indies.
I was watching the 1st Ashes Test 2009 and noticed that at one stage Australia’s Mitchell Johnson bowled a 6 over spell where not one of the 36 balls bowled challenged the stumps, which allowed the batsmen to leave all of his deliveries. Amazingly, Andrew Flintoff the England batsman decided to defend a ball that was missing the stumps by 70cm and nicked it straight to second slip!
Don’t make a Bad ball into a good one! Flintoff made a bad ball into a good one in this case by defending a ball that could have been left alone. In defending a ball he didn’t have to he was increasing his risk all for no reward! Importantly, for a technical perspective when you defend ball wide of off-stump the bat face has to open up to reach the ball and you are playing away from your eye-line which further increase the risk associated with this already risky and pointless tactic!
As Marcus North demonstrated so well in his outstanding century in the same Test the only ball worthwhile hitting outside the line of off-stump is one you can score from.
Please find below an except from another article entitles The Art Of Leaving The Ball Outside Off-Stump and although leaving the ball may not sound like the most exciting part of cricket if you can master this skill it will make you harder to get out and give you more time at the crease which will make you more runs – which is exciting!
Here are the benefits of leaving balls outside off stump that you cannot score from:
- You are minimising the risk of caught behind the wicket by leaving ball wide of off stump and effectively making the slips fielders a wasted position.
- You can pressure the bowlers into changing their tactics and bowling straighter line, which will create leg side scoring opportunities.
- You are demonstrating to the bowlers that you will be selective in your choice of shots and therefore tough to get out.
- You are demonstrating that you value your wicket.
- You are giving yourself time to get comfortable at the crease.
- You can begin to develop a feel for what attacking opportunities will be available outside off-stump later in your innings by having a good look at the bowling while you adjust to the conditions.
- You can get your eye in and establish yourself at the crease at the most difficult part of your innings, the start. If you bat for long enough you will make up the runs later as your confidence grows and the bowlers tire.
Cheers
Mark
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