Best Forward Defence in the game

[Hurricane]

Many many thanks to Kippax for providing this clip for this thread.

I have always been a fan of a good forward defensive stroke. So I thought I would start a thread to admire them.

Here is Jamie How's who I believe has the best FD in NZ

Jamie How, Forward Defence - YouTube

Who else has an outstanding forward defence in terms of technique and style? Clips encouraged...

 

[Flem274*]

Jamie How wag.

 

[kingkallis]

Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting, Sachin Tendulkar, Damien Martyn, Younis Khan comes to my mind....

 

[Hurricane]

Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting, Sachin Tendulkar, Damien Martyn, Younis Khan comes to my mind....

Rahul got clean bowled a few times in his last series playing it. But even then I am not sure I remember it as being visually pleasing as I would like. I couldn't find a good clip of it. Here is the best I can find Rahul Dravid Training at the MCG Outdoor Nets - YouTube which is side on.

In this footage his back foot stays pretty much in the same place. I prefer stylistically a forward defence where the back foot moves as well so that you maintain your balance and play from a position of power. I prefer it when the back foot moves across to off stump after you have planted your front foot.

What I do admire about his FD is his head position and transition of weight as he plays the shot. Gets well on top of it and plays it with authority.

Cheers

 

[Dan]

Fantastic at dealing with the left-armers. Dominates all with his forward defense.

 

[Hurricane]

Fantastic at dealing with the left-armers. Dominates all with his forward defense.

HaHa (you shouldn't be hanging out in NZ threads ).

 

[Dan]

HaHa (you shouldn't be hanging out in NZ threads ).

EDIT: I take that back, I only just saw the video of him getting out to left armers for the entire season then.

 

[Hurricane]

EDIT: I take that back, I only just saw the video of him getting out to left armers for the entire season then.

Oh - I thought you said this..

Fantastic at dealing with the left-armers. Dominates all with his forward defense.

Because you had seen him get out to all those left armers in that clip in the NZ thread...why did you make a post about left armers then? I think Nathan Bracken used to have it over him.

 

[Red]

Mike Hussey I reckon.

 

[Dan]

Oh - I thought you said this..



Because you had seen him get out to all those left armers in that clip in the NZ thread...why did you make a post about left armers then? I think Nathan Bracken used to have it over him.

I looked at the video and thought his forward defense looked pretty good, but he didn't look as comfortable against the left armer in the FC clip IMO. In fairness, I thought the List A shot looked the best.

More a random coincidence than anything else, unless I'm subliminally picking up technical faults to be exploited by left armers in YouTube videos.

Mahela Jayawardene plays a forward defensive stroke with ease and grace while Dinesh Karthik looks on, appearing suspiciously like a wicketkeeping rabbit.

 

[silentstriker]

Tendulkar has played the forward defence for four a few times - looks majestic. Dravid's technique is nowhere near as good as tendulkars.

Hussey is a great shout as well.

 

[fredfertang]

Sir Geoffrey

 

[benchmark00]

Modern Bat Power: Shane Watson Defense! 4 Runs - YouTube

 

[vic_orthdox]

Kallis has to be mentioned.

Dravid was great for years because he played the ball so late, but when he's off it means he never plays it over his front leg, which happened in Australia this past tour regularly.

Not sure I'd nominate Hussey's forward defence, he plays at a few he doesn't have to, and plays with a slightly open face to try and steal singles. Risk/reward it comes off, but from a purists point of view, he doesn't play it as straight as others.

 

[Spikey]

nevill is rock solid

 

[fredfertang]

Modern Bat Power: Shane Watson Defense! 4 Runs - YouTube

**** me - Sir Geoffrey couldn't do that with a full blooded drive

 

[Spark]

Mussey gets bowled a bit too often for me to think of him as having a particularly great forward defence tbh

 

[Bouncer]

Tuk Tuk

 

[ankitj]

Tendulkar has played the forward defence for four a few times - looks majestic. Dravid's technique is nowhere near as good as tendulkars.

You can say that again I get a tad bit irritated when someone suggests Dravid is technically more sound than Tendulkar. In fact, I maintain that Tendulkar's technique is simply the best among all his contemporaries. His foot movement and balance is all about precision and economy.

 

[Pup Clarke]

Hayden