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why most openers are left handed

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Just a thought, there are more right armed pace bowlers than left armed. With the new ball the majority of opening bowlers swing the ball away from the right hander (into the left hander), it is said that the ball coming into you is easier to play than the ball moving away. So left-handed opening batsmen are at an advantage when facing the new ball?

Just a theory, feel free to tear it apart :p
TBF, again based on personal experience (both in terms of what I watch and what I bowl) it's very important to differentiate between the ball that swings into you and the ball that swings back into you. I.E., is the ball angled in and continuing to swing in or angled accross and swinging back in?

Generally I find (obviously there are variants according to the technique of various players, and sometimes the amount of swing available) that the toughest thing to play is the ball that swings back into you, followed by the ball that is angled in and swings away, followed by the ball that is angled accross and swings further away, followed by the ball that is angled in and continues to swing in.

The above guidelines are why I always say that if you're swinging the ball away, you should always look to angle in (so if you're a right-arm swing-to-the-left bowler you should bowl over-the-wicket mostly, if you're a right-arm swing-to-the-right bowler you should bowl round-the-wicket mostly, and opposite for left-armers).

I'm a right-arm bowler who can - presently - basically bowl nothing but the ball which swings into LHBs and away from RHBs, and I generally tend to cause most problems for LHBs, and always relish bowling at them on the relatively rare occasion I get the chance. I also hardly ever bowl around-the-wicket, unless the ball has stopped swinging completely and I'm bowling cutters instead.
 

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