The batting forum

[benchmark00]

Nah his trouble with spin has nothing to do with shot selection. It's all to do with him having concrete shoes on. Never ever uses his feet so he can't turn good length balls into half volleys. Just lets the off spinner dictate terms and bowl where he wants.

 

[NUFAN]

Yeah I agree about his concrete shoes being the major issue but disagree that shot selection isn't a problem. We might just have different interpretations of what poor selection is though as I believe even with concrete shoes you can get away with things if you play the right shot.

It doesn't really matter anyway (the discussion of Hughes), as the kid can continue playing ODIs and hopefully he improves enough so one day he can wear the baggy green again.

 

[benchmark00]

Think of it like this:

If a seam bowler was bowling and was jagging it as far as what a spin bowler can spin it, what hope would the batsmen have of surviving over a significant amount of overs (providing that the ball keeps jagging that far)? The answer is 'not very high hopes', even if his shot selection is good, because eventually the chances are that he's going to get a ball that is too good to play, or too unpredictable to play.

With a spin bowler, if you don't use your feet it has the same effect as a seam bowler bowling jagging deliveries on a good length for overs after overs. You may get lucky and survive for a while but eventually no matter how good your shot selection is, you're going to get out.

Seam bowlers don't jag it that for for that long, but you can't use your feet to get to the pitch. Spin bowlers do spin it that far but you can get to the pitch.

 

[NUFAN]

Yeah Benchy I know what you mean hence me agreeing that poor footwork is his major issue. I just don't think his shot selection is particularly good against spin either.

 

[benchmark00]

Silver Spring.

 

[NUFAN]

Better than Phil's mums offspring. He kept well though, definitely an option to be Australia ODI keeper I think. Haddin really isn't anything special in ODIs. It was good from Faulkner on poking in the eye debut.

 

[wiff]

Needs another column, "can bat for over 8 hours".

 

[OverratedSanity]

I don't rare Clarke defensive footwork highly at all. The two jaffas he got in the Ashes wouldn't have been jaffas if he'd been a bit less lazy with his front foot. Too many times, it's just a half hearted plonk of his front foot just half a foot out of the crease, which ends up with him stuck in that position unable to react to seam movement. He's very decisive when he decides to drive though

 

[Riggins]

his front foot moves the same distance in both.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Clarke's footwork has been atrocious in most innings I've seen of his recently, even the during 187 in the Ashes he looked pretty ordinary like he was going to get out any ball.

 

[benchmark00]

lol

 

[OverratedSanity]

his front foot moves the same distance in both.

Most of the time when he drives through the covers, he does get his front foot out more... His front foot defence is sometimes Rohit Sharma bad though. Just a nervous half stride

Meh who am I to judge though, he's scoring big and his defence only becomes a problem when the ball starts seaming big. Then again he scored that hundred at Capetown do there goes that argument.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Clarke's footwork has been atrocious in most innings I've seen of his recently, even the during 187 in the Ashes he looked pretty ordinary like he was going to get out any ball.

Let's just say.... No

 

[Riggins]

Most of the time when he drives through the covers, he does get his front foot out more...

He doesn't though. It's all about his weight transfer when he starts banging those cover drives. They often show them side on and it's the same half stride, only his balance is dead on and he gets his body over the shot. The best example off the top of my head is probably that over off Morkel in Adelaide where he hit 5 boundaries in 3 different zones with almost the identical foot movement each time.

 

[benchmark00]

I had a batting coach couple of years back now who has since moved on to a bigger role who now teaches driving with a limited stride towards the ball (but still getting your weight across). It's done this way because it still keeps your options open to drive either side of the wicket, whereas if you stride too far you block off, or at least make it difficult, the option of driving through the on side.

 

[wiff]

Makes sense, probably harder to rock back onto back foot defence too.

 

[wiff]

 

[OverratedSanity]

I had a batting coach couple of years back now who has since moved on to a bigger role who now teaches driving with a limited stride towards the ball (but still getting your weight across). It's done this way because it still keeps your options over to drive either side of the wicket, whereas if you stride too far you block off, or at least make it difficult, the option of driving through the on side.

Very very true and a slightly shorter stride makes you more balanced as well... But Clarke's stride is still not enough imo. If he'd just get forward a tad more he'd still keep his options open and negate movement a bit more.
Gavaskar believes in this too... He always said his footwork was more about balance and compactness instead of getting to the pitch every time

 

[NUFAN]

Lolz Wiff. Chewbacca defence was good from you.

 

[Spark]

Smith's forward defence is fine from what I can tell. He doesn't get his foot out a long way - kind of like Clarke - but he doesn't push with his hands any more, keeps it very compact. He actually has more of an issue getting squared up on the back foot than the front foot.

EDIT: And obviously nicking off playing a big flaying drive a bigger issue than either.

I don't rare Clarke defensive footwork highly at all. The two jaffas he got in the Ashes wouldn't have been jaffas if he'd been a bit less lazy with his front foot. Too many times, it's just a half hearted plonk of his front foot just half a foot out of the crease, which ends up with him stuck in that position unable to react to seam movement. He's very decisive when he decides to drive though

Fully agree with this ftr re: the two jaffas and I pointed it out at the time, to less than brilliant response