Help with batting

Originally posted by ANIL KUMBLE I'm a specialist batsman at playing spin (any kind),I've just started practising playing the leg cut,or cutter shot and I have improved alot since I first tried the shot but one shot I have trouble with is the hook shot,sometimes I time it well and hit it for 4 or 6 but other times I hit it 15 metres in the air and get caught can you help me with this,its the only shot I have trouble with everything else is a gem oh and I forgot to mention its tough playing a yorker I aslo need help with that inswingers espeically.

When you play your hook shots do you get your body right in line behind the ball?  Do you put the head in line of the ball...? 

The way I hit my hook shots is by making sure that the ball will come and smack me in the face, once you know that its going to come straight on to your face go on to the back foot, twist your shoulders and get it locked and loaded with imense power, then make sure you hit it with a strong follow through and make sure the bat is palarell with the ground as much as possible.  Then just change the face of your blade to decide wat your actually going for ( a four or a six)

Originally posted by crownmethod I never seem to hit the ball to the off side. Is this bad for me? Can someone tell me how to fix this problem?

play straight... and look at the grip on your bat, where does the blade face?  open the face of the blade

I always seem to hit beamers for four or maybe even six sometimes, even if it's very quick.

Originally posted by warnester a very short yorker

  I meant a bouncer, I always get confused between them!!

 Thanks for pointing that out mate!

ok i have a few weaknesses.....

1, i canot for the life of me play down the leg side, anyball going dow leg that looks hittable i totaly miss. i can play of my pads with ease, but lets say a swing bowler whos bowling wide i want to help it on its way past the keeper i just cat seem to do it.

2, anythig a little short of a length with bounce. im not scared of the ball i seem unable to capitalize i end up leaving it or making a hash of a defence  shot.

3, a seeming ball........how do you play a ball that is pitched up and seems away. all i do is show the bat and find im beaten. i can judge in one seeming into me but away bahh!!!

 

 

cheers for that. i play village cricket. got a game today, anyway a guy there said the best way to play swing bowling is to, not move untill the ball has done its business and then just play the shot in the last secund. i tried this to much success, scored 25 odd, now is this what coaches suggest or was this the batsmans own technique,

ive never had any coaching learnt how to play cricket with the tape ball going down to the local park with a group of friends.....

I always have problems with the bowlers bowling wide. Whenever i see a wide ball, my instinct always tell me to smack it. But i seem to miss a lot of these shots or edge them. Can any1 help??

Originally posted by ahses winners! im  an all rounder today i got 45 not out and 1 wicket and im only 14  so im happy but im working hard on everything this year.

That doesn't mean you're an all-rounder. That's just like saying if Tendulkar got 100 and got 1 wicket, he's an all-rounder but he isn't. If you want to play for your country, I suggest you work hard on one thing so you can get good at it. I'm working hard on my batting more then ever before and I'm starting to see better results. Bowling is something I practise when I'm happy with how I've been with the bat.

I have an absoluetly solid defense, im called the wall

However, i have difficult in deciding which are short enough to pull off my body, which i should flick, and which i should defend.

Help.

Thats the thing, im very ocnfortable defending. Its more i know when to pull or flick, its just to defend or not to defend. I think i over defend, which is good, as i occupy the crease, but i dont score runs quickly

My job is to stay there. I usually come in off the back of a collapse, so i occupy the crease. My comfortabel game is to play like Hoggard or Gillespie, just occupy nthe crease and bat

Hey :)

I'm quite new to cricket but already bat high up the order for my club, thats quite a mystery to me to be honest because i'm not too great.

I have problems playing straight. I'm not a particulary good driver of the ball and am terribly bottom handed so i play across the line way too often. Any tips on playing straight or improving straight/cover drives?

Don't try and whack it is the simple answer - use your touch play to work the ball into gaps - 4 singles and a couple of twos every over soon adds up.

Keep your head and eyes still when the ball is released. Then use quick footwork to get yourself into position to hit the ball from a nice solid base with your head as still as possible on impact. Always watch the ball hit the bat. Most batsmen track the ball until it's a metre away and then they feel that they have it covered. The best players in the world track the ball all the way on to the bat! 

To help improve your ability to drive down the ground and through cover try opening up your bottom hand up a bit more on the handle so you are controlling it mainly with your thumb and forefinger. Your other fingers are just resting on the handle.

You could also use a squash ball in the glove of your bottom hand which forces you to only use your thumb and forefinger. Adam Gilchrist used to use this when he felt he was dominating too much with his bottom hand. From time to time I practice with it to get the feeling back of using my top hand more. 

Hope this helps