Am I a better Batsman than Chris Martin?

[Son Of Coco]

I think the issue is that fewer people play cricket in England than in decades past as the sport is rarely played in state schools (although often played and played well in private schools).

You might be right. I was surprised at the wide variety of abilities in some teams. You'd get guys who had played a decent level playing with guys who were pretty hopeless. Wasn't really an issue on the English wickets, but couldn't help thinking that if that happened back in Australia someone would get badly hurt at some stage.

Some guys honestly looked like they'd only just been told to hold the end of the bat with the grip on it an instant before they came out to the crease. They'd play a lovely forward defensive though...about a second after the keeper caught it

In the division above us Mark Lathwell was playing for one of the teams. Was a pretty big mix of abilities amongst the foreign players in different divisions too it seemed. Knew some guys playing A Division and Premier league who weren't overly great. Then there was Chris Rogers.

 

[andyc]

Our backyard was the opposite, plenty of room to drive but the house was pretty close in on the leg-side. I've never really been able to play any useful leg-side shots to quicks, but can cut and drive pretty well as a result of the shape of our yard I think.

Pretty sure Steve Waugh's autobiography mentions how their yard was set up kind of the other way around, with the best place to hit being the leg side, hence Mark's trademark flick off the pads.

 

[GotSpin]

Read that too

Weird hearing about backyard stories shaping how you play in the future.

My backyard was long and narrow, no real run up for the bowlers though. It became more narrow near the wicket with a shed on my offside and a fence on my leg side all fairly close in so any shots played in the air would be almost automatically hitting the fences on the full and thus out unless it went straight to ground. So the pull and cut shot was impossible. The leg side was a complete right off since the house ran along it too but the offside was wide open for expansive cover and off drives. ( I'm left handed)

Strangely enough, I never became a very good off-side driver and back foot shots were always my strength. Never did get why that happened

 

[GuyFromLancs]

I suppose batting simply = the processing of information in your head between the bowler releasing and you striking.

It stands to reason that the foundations for this or any thought process are laid when you play as a kid and are very hard to reverse and change later on.

I always looked for the short ball or even better a full toss that I could pull up and over. I once scored 19 runs from one ball in a primary school practice match, lofting it over the roof and into the car park , it took them 5 minutes to find the ball and I ran and ran.

The offside was somewhere I occasionally put the ball by mistake and that is all. I couldn't time a drive there if my life depended on it.

 

[marc71178]

19 runs in 5 minutes - are you Inzy?

 

[GuyFromLancs]

I hesitated as I was been heckled by the field.

 

[marc71178]

Ah Inzy had an answer to that - attack them with his bat!

 

[GuyFromLancs]

This was a school on a council estate, the bats were chained down

 

[Goughy]

This was a school on a council estate, the bats were chained down

Im sorry, what? Chained?

 

[Pothas]

My toughest opponents were always my own lack of ability, temperament and commitment

Yeah those particular opponents tended to defeat me as well, lack of technique was another tough adversary.

Really want to start playing cricket againt soon though, well by playing I mean hopelessly failing.

 

[Avada Kedavra]

I would back Chris Martin to survive a fast yorker more than you initially.