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Leg-side Batting

Matteh

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Having a major problem with anything either pitching on leg or inswinging to leg. Hingston's bowling at the meetup is a fine example, but at Uni nets today fuller length stuff was doing the same.
What's the best way to improve picking it up and then playing it for someone whose batting is mediocre?
 

Captain Cricket

State Vice-Captain
then playing it for someone whose batting is mediocre?
Don't understand what you mean there but I'm assuming you're the one having trouble playing deliveries on leg?

Well I had this exact problem too, not that much long ago but now I've mastered it with some good tips. A few years ago I used to get hit in the nuts with a ball almost every match due to quick bowling on leg stump (I was playing senior 2nds at the age of 15 so it kinda explains itself) and I really wanted to touch up on this issue.

1.If the bowler's not extremely quick, then look at the ball the whole way through until it reaches hitting distance

2.NEVER leg glance a good-length or short-of-a-length delivery otherwise the crown jewels are in threat, only leg glance the half-volleys and full deliveries.

3.If you do come across a good-length delivery at leg stump then put your front foot out and play an on-drive. At first, you'll feel exposed with having your front foot out at a ball heading for your jewels but trust me you will not get hit if you can play a drive with confidence.

Hope the tips help.
 

Goughy

Hall of Fame Member
Hard to say without seeing, but a ommon issue people have with leg-side batting is that they let the bat get too far out in front of them.

With most off-side shots you go to the ball, but if the ball is on the pads you need to wait for it to come to you and play it close to under the eyes.
 

Matteh

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Hard to say without seeing, but a ommon issue people have with leg-side batting is that they let the bat get too far out in front of them.

With most off-side shots you go to the ball, but if the ball is on the pads you need to wait for it to come to you and play it close to under the eyes.
They'll be a fair amount of video of it whenever Richard/Neil sort it all out.

Think Captain Cricket has probably hit the nail on the head though, i never step to leg so struggle to get the bat past my front pad to play a shot.
 

Mister Wright

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
I have always had a huge problem with leg side batting on the front foot. Back foot I've always been fine. I remodelled my grip this season and got my top hand around more (to where it should have been) and have really been concentrating on that aspect. It has also helped, as Jack said with my balance. It's amazing how just a small thing can change so much.

Also, a shorter backlift has helped.
 

vic_orthdox

Global Moderator
Few schools of thought. The one that helped me the most is keeping my hands in close to my body before the stroke is played. As soon as your hands head out towards the off side, away from your hips, then it carries your head over and distorts the angle at which you view the ball. With your weight falling towards the off side, it makes it nigh on impossible to step towards the ball if it's leg side, and play through the leg side with a straight bat, forcing you to play across the line. Keeping your hands in close, and your head pointing towards the bowler will allow you to give yourself access to the ball on leg stump or wider.
 

vic_orthdox

Global Moderator
I do that as well, although this is also because I take a small step back and across as my trigger movement.
 

Engle

State Vice-Captain
Each leg-side stroke is different ; no rule covers them all

Leg-glance. I'd suggest playing it with a straight bat, then just before contact, ever so slightly angle the bat towards leg.

Make sure you dont give the 'keeper a catch, nor miss the ball resulting in LBW.
 

Neil Pickup

Cricket Web Moderator
Get a bigger bat tbh.

Your problem against Hingston at the meet (same as mine) was footwork & weight transfer. On my part I was making a huge conscious effort to get back-and-across with my right foot, but I couldn't stop it from running away towards square leg like a frightened nine-year-old. From there everything obviously goes **** up as your entire bodyweight is a million miles away from where it needs to be.

It took me 50 minutes of throwdowns to fix this with a typical frightened nine-year-old who actually had a bit of talent last summer. For a grossly incompetent twenty-something, it'll take even longer. If I learned one thing from last Sunday, it's that I should really stick behind the stumps - broken digits notwithstanding - than venture in front of them at all often.
 

Don

State Vice-Captain
wow u have probs on the leg and i had/have probs on the off. with me i can get to most legside delieveries but when it come to the off side well lol i usually end up just leaving. and if i do go at it the ball gets worked into the on. coaches have been telling me its cuz the bat turns in my hand. anyone got any advice for that?
 

Captain Cricket

State Vice-Captain
wow u have probs on the leg and i had/have probs on the off. with me i can get to most legside delieveries but when it come to the off side well lol i usually end up just leaving. and if i do go at it the ball gets worked into the on. coaches have been telling me its cuz the bat turns in my hand. anyone got any advice for that?
Yeah mate it seems like you need to brush up on the small things that make a big difference.

First of all make sure you have a firm grip on the bat handle, and remember always play an off-side shot by guiding the bat with the top hand (left hand if you're a right handed batsman) and use your bottom hand to exert more force onto the shot (bottom hand is the right hand - as I said - if you're a right hander).

You must also know which ball to play. When facing your teammates in the nets or opponents in a match, make sure you put your front foot out and drive the fuller balls (eg. half volleys). This is how majority of world-class batsman score their runs off the front foot, and it's not hard to do whatsoever. If you're a player that's confident on your front foot then you should do these things well.

Another important factor in playing off-side shots is that before the ball is delivered, make sure your backlift is high up and the face of the bat during the backlift is facing the ground, not tilted on an angle, because this allows you to hit the ball where you want, not where the bat is tilted. Important thing to follow.

Deliveries that are good length or short and outside-off can be left alone or a back-foot drive/cutshot can be played. Once again it depends what kind of batsman you are Don but I don't know but I'll go on anyway: You must use your feet at all times. Your feet are an indicator of your playing form. The in-form players of the world use their feet excessively to get into the right position and assist in playing their preferred shot.

Leaving a delivery because you're unsure is fine. If you can't play a shot or you find that your timing/backlift has gone wrong for that delivery, just leave it.

Hope these tips help, mate.
 

Matteh

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
I can play full on the off stump perfectly, about the only thing i can do right. Anything else and i'm rubbish.
 

Don

State Vice-Captain
thanks alot the foot movement is there cuz if i need to i can usually get behind the ball. i think its the front foot and the grip that needs fine tuning
 

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