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The half-cock batting stance...

 
Ewart 2019-01-07 23:48:56 

Why are so many batsmen (Blackwood for example) getting out caught nowadays?

When I interviewed the run-making machine (now known as Sir Everton Weekes) he told me to my utter amazement that he had never hit a six! (Some people say he hit one, but only one – he might have forgotten).

But the point is this: you can’t get out caught if you don’t hit the ball in the air. And I think I have found what is at the root of this new propensity to hit in the air.

No, it’s not just trying to copy Chris Gayle, six hitter par excellence. Nor is it just a matter of the speed with which you have to make runs in the T-20 game. Well, it might be a little of that too…
Have you watched how most of today’s batsmen take their stance as they face the bowler? They no longer crouch (with the bat grounded on the pitch). No, they stand up straight. With the bat pointing to the ground somewhere near Point. I call that a half-cock batting stance.

What this standing up straight means is that if they want to hit a ball pitched up outside the off-stump they have to move further. But 99 times out of 100 they cannot get to the pitch of the ball; they just swing the bat (which is no longer straight but swinging across the line and leaving them far from the ball). This induces the aerial drive.

Put another way, when you took your stance, bending over the bat, this created two things. 1) you were better balanced to address a ball outside the off-stump, and you did not stretch but employed your superior footwork to make the shot. 2) You had better sight of the ball coming towards you as you crouched.

It seems to me that the half-cock batting stance produces many more opportunities to get out caught.

Perhaps coaches should tell their batsmen that outside of the T20s they should go back to a crouched stance.

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XDFIX 2019-01-08 00:35:59 

In reply to Ewart

Good observation, I have also noticed the same, and reflected on my own short-lived batting experience!

The current batters also move b4 the bowler releases the ball - this is Hemraj's weakness!

When I saw him for the first time bat, I hissed my teeth!

 
djdrastic 2019-01-08 01:54:04 

There's a very good cricinfo article about this.Will have to dig around a little to find this.You've made some very astute observations.



Found it


The Downside of Up


"From 1989 to 2001, when Australian Test teams touring England featured batting line-ups composed entirely of bat-down batsmen (with the notable exception of Geoff Marsh in 1989), Australia comfortably won every Ashes series played in England. Since the mid-2000s, when bat-up batsmen started filtering into the Test XI, Australia have not won a single Ashes series in England. From 1989 to 2001, Australia's regular top six averaged 52.17 per batsman and scored 31 hundreds in 23 Tests. From 2005 to 2015, Australia's regular top six averaged 37.62 per batsman and scored 17 hundreds in 20 Tests.

Moreover, Chappell observes: "I've seen more low scores in top-level cricket in recent times than I've seen throughout my life because of that reason - [bat-up] batsmen are not able to change their position." That limitation, he explains, is exposed when the ball seams, swings or turns: see, for example, Australia's 60 at Trent Bridge in 2015, 131 in Hyderabad in 2013, 47 at Newlands in 2011, 98 at the MCG in 2010 and 88 at Headingley in 2010. "

 
mikesiva 2019-01-08 04:20:29 

In reply to Ewart and djdrastic

A very interesting read. Thanks guys,
cool

 
Maispwi 2019-01-08 07:43:18 

In reply to Ewart

A few other things to me are more responsible. Players nowadays are clearing their front foot earlier and lose the ability to use their feet and are driving with a straight rather than bent at the knee front foot. They are also trying to hit the ball too hard and frequently lose their shape and balance.

 
Tryangle 2019-01-08 09:11:09 

In reply to mikesiva

Ditto. Food for thought.

 
Ewart 2019-01-08 10:03:25 

In reply to XDFIX and djdrastic


The bat-down position also made it easier for the left hand (right-hand batsmen) to dominate.

Bat-down removes that essential dominance, giving way too much leeway to the right hand. Two results -

1) more skied shots, and

2) far less power to the shot except when pulling a short ball to square leg.

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Ewart 2019-01-08 10:05:56 

In reply to Maispwi


Good point! But it all begins with the stance.


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Maispwi 2019-01-08 10:53:12 

In reply to Ewart

While the stance is important, the rest of the batting mechanics to playing the ball is in my view more important as Shiv ably demonstrated.

The difference between a crouched and upright stance is really a matter of line of flight perception and as such will improve with repeated sightings.

The bat up and bat grounded is another story. Some are of the school of thought the bat has to come up at some point in order to generate power in the shot and if they could eliminate an extra movement in the batting sequence, particularly to fast bowling, they would be better prepared.

I am with you on the positioning of the bat face on the uptake, which tends to be towards point/gully rather than straight down the wicket. This is something I have started to see more often regardless of the stance.

 
natty_forever 2019-01-08 13:48:38 

Larr, Spuds any input?

 
jelfew 2019-01-08 14:17:00 

I have often wondered about this phenomenon in our cricket today. The first (great?) batsman that I noticed using this stance was Graham Gouch (England). It certainly brought him some success. However, I believe this stance also allows batsmen to play shots all around the wicket in addition to being out, caught more often. They tend to play shots a little too early and move a little too early. They tend to get off balance. However, are they scoring more runs these days?

 
Ewart 2019-01-08 15:02:01 

In reply to jelfew


The question: Are they getting out more often and more easily??


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Kay 2019-01-08 17:17:43 

In reply to Maispwi

The bat up and bat grounded is another story. Some are of the school of thought the bat has to come up at some point in order to generate power in the shot and if they could eliminate an extra movement in the batting sequence, particularly to fast bowling, they would be better prepared.

You nailed it. That coupled with the fact that batsmen these days do not only aspire to represent their country at test level where they can just wait on the bad balls, they want to excel in all three formats (at least two) of the game where they have to score off the good balls too ….

 
Khaga 2019-01-08 17:50:47 

So EDWeekes never lifted err..lofted it.

 
Ewart 2019-01-08 22:40:25 

In reply to Khaga

That is what he said. Best average of the 3 Ws.


big grin big grin

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