Best and worst shots

[silentstriker]

What are your favorite and least favorite shots to watch?

Favorites:

Cover Drive: Tendulkar.
Hook/Pull: I can't stand ducking, and I love it when batsmen can properly dispatch the short ball. Plus, I love backfoot play in general. My first real shot in cricket was a hook (the ball thudded into my face, but thats another story). Also, few Indians are confident playing such shots off hostile bowling, which just adds to the mystique for me.

Least Favorite:

Reverse Sweep: Unnecessary, and often premeditated, neither of which I like.
Sweep: To England (except KP): Just because you get down on your knee and move the bat across the body does not mean you can play spin. There is more to it, and you don't have it. Stop pretending and you might save your wickets from time to time.

 

[PhoenixFire]

Favourite:

Straight Drive/On Drive: Nothing shows quality like a prefect straight drive or on drive, the best one misses the stump on the off-side by an inch, and doesn't leave the floor once, reaches the boundary in seconds.

Least Favourite:

Reverse Sweep: Nothing gets me more angry than a really **** player trying to make themselves look good and flashy, by playing a **** reverse sweep. Unneccassery and stupid.

 

[Richard]

I certainly think tec's least fave shot is the sweep...

For me, my fave shot by a distance is the Pull-stroke. Nothing better than seeing a short-ball - the faster the better - smashed out of the middle of the bat, ideally airially and over the rope, but if there are 3 fielders out I prefer to see it along the ground splitting them and hitting the gap. The Cover-Drive in the right hands is a thing of great beauty, too.

My least fave? Either the slog to cow-corner or, if we're taking proper strokes (ie no reverse-Sweeps, ramps, etc.) the pre-meditated dab, especially off a seamer when someone's been stupid enough to bring fine-leg up in a one-day game. Any fool can play it and it's great when it's attempted and a crash in the helmet or grille results. Do like seeing Malachy Loye play a real proper Slogged-Sweep when he spots the length, though. Even better when it's off Brett Lee when no-one imagined he'd have the nerve to try such a thing. Don't much like the deliberately-held-poise Off-side Drive, either, too much of a show-off. Used to annoy the hell of out me when Younis Khan played it when he was crap. Don't mind it now, though - he's earnt the right.

 

[age_master]

My fav to play would probably be the lofted on drive, to watch would be the pull shot.

Least fav at the moment would be the reverse sweep, i used to play it reasonably often, but these days players are trying it far to often, and alot of them cant do it which annoys me.

 

[Tomm NCCC]

The Best shot is the straight drive. Such a simple shot yet beatiful when executed.

The worst shot for me is the swat. Rana Naveed did it on sunday, I was fuming

 

[C_C]

The shot i love watching the most : the Late cut. Almost a lost art, i remember watching VVS late cutting in his 281 and a couple of tapes where Vishy and Rowe late cut the hell out of fast bowlers ( heard Frank Worrell was the master of all in late cuts, never seen him bat).
Nothing is sweeter to watch than a batsman late cutting a ball right out of the wicketkeeper's glove to a spinner or better still, late cutting a fast bowler.

shot i hate watching the most : this has two categories (based on whether i am bowling or not).

If i am bowling : Late cut. THough i've never been late cut before, it'd piss me off more than any other stroke being played off my bowling.

If i am not bowling : the pull shot/hook shot where batsmen don't pirouette. Ie, they play it flat footed and end up looking like a bear swiping a fly off his nose.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Reverse Sweep: Unnecessary, and often premeditated, neither of which I like.

I don't agree that the reverse sweep is necessarily unnecessary. I think there are many situations when it's a valid shot. It's becoming a fashionable shot now though.

 

[Fiery]

I don't agree that the reverse sweep is necessarily unnecessary. I think there are many situations when it's a valid shot. It's becoming a fashionable shot now though.

The reverse sweep generally sucks (I've formed that opinion by watching too much of Craig McMillan and Gatting get out to one in a World Cup final)...except the one Pietersen hit for 6...that was cool

 

[silentstriker]

I don't agree that the reverse sweep is necessarily unnecessary. I think there are many situations when it's a valid shot. It's becoming a fashionable shot now though.

I'm not really sure when a premeditated shot like that would be necessary. There is usually a better option than to reverse sweep a ball. It is quite dangerous, and unless you need a boundary or six off the last ball or something...I can't ever see its use.

 

[Fiery]

I'm not really sure when a premeditated shot like that would be necessary. There is usually a better option than to reverse sweep a ball. It is quite dangerous, and unless you need a boundary or six off the last ball or something...I can't ever see its use.

I noticed you've included Irfan Pathen, Agit Agarkar and Sreesanth in your wheel of mediocrity. I didn't think those guys were too bad. Surely there are worse than them

 

[silentstriker]

didn't think those guys were too bad.

Yea, the other Indian bowlers. That doesn't say much TBH.

 

[Perm]

Favourite Shot: Pull show where the batsman swivels, or also the on drive is pretty bloody good. The cover drive can look ugly if it's not played right but if somebody stylish is playing then it's a thing of beauty.
Least Favourite Shot: Reverse sweep and attempted paddle over the Wicket Keeper. Just so ugly.

 

[Fiery]

I just watched Bevan Griggs try to play a reverse sweep first ball he faced in the State 20/20 game between CD and Otago. Made an absolute meal of it and fell over. What a goose. Just embarrassing really

 

[Slow Love™]

FAVORITE

The Slog Sweep: Patented by Steve Waugh against the slow bowlers, but was at it's most exciting and extravagant when he did it to the pacers. There's just something really provocative and in your face about it - and it requires really good timing to pull it off down on one knee.

Also a fan of the flick in the air off the pads towards square leg. Heals used to play that one pretty well. Probably the shot I most enjoyed when I used to play, along with the square cut.

LEAST FAVORITE

Probably the Horizontal Swat down the ground that's getting played more and more these days, even in tests. While I respect the brazeness of those who charge fast bowlers and manage to pull it off, it's just kind of brutal and ugly. It's also a shot that a lot of guys who have never played cricket before (or watched it, for that matter) seem to play instinctively.

 

[Perm]

Favorite:

Least Favorite:

Probably the Horizontal Swat down the ground that's getting played more and more these days, even in tests. While I respect the brazeness of those who charge fast bowlers and manage to pull it off, it's just kind of brutal and ugly. It's also a shot that a lot of guys who have never played cricket before (or watched it, for that matter) seem to play instinctively.

I think this comes about partially because of the batsman pulling the fast bolwers who aren't that fast (McGrath, Pollock, Hoggard) and they are getting a fair connection and hitting it through midwicket and mid-on. It's basically that shot but to a ball wider of off stump, like Harmison getting Michael Clarke caught and bowled.

 

[Slow Love™]

I think this comes about partially because of the batsman pulling the fast bolwers who aren't that fast (McGrath, Pollock, Hoggard) and they are getting a fair connection and hitting it through midwicket and mid-on. It's basically that shot but to a ball wider of off stump, like Harmison getting Michael Clarke caught and bowled.

Do you mean in terms of attempted pulls that are mis-hit, where the ball hasn't quite come on, as well as being a bit too wide? While that happens, the shot I'm describing is quite deliberate - sometimes that bat is angled almost diagonally, in order to slap it straight - virtually moving the bat in a downward motion (not rolling the wrists to keep it down).

 

[Perm]

I understand, we were talking about different shots. You mean the tennis shot that guys like Lou Vincent play in ODI's right? Because if so, I find that pretty ugly aswell.

 

[Slow Love™]

I understand, we were talking about different shots. You mean the tennis shot that guys like Lou Vincent play in ODI's right? Because if so, I find that pretty ugly aswell.

Yeah, not a bad description, it's not unlike a double handed backhand towards the center of the court (from a central position).

 

[Perm]

Get's the crowd's going, even if it's ugly it feels as if the batsman imposes himself on the bowler.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

The shot i love watching the most : the Late cut. Almost a lost art, i remember watching VVS late cutting in his 281 and a couple of tapes where Vishy and Rowe late cut the hell out of fast bowlers ( heard Frank Worrell was the master of all in late cuts, never seen him bat).
Nothing is sweeter to watch than a batsman late cutting a ball right out of the wicketkeeper's glove to a spinner or better still, late cutting a fast bowler.

Yeah, definitely a good shot to watch. There was a period in Gilchrist's half-century in the final Ashes test where he hit two late cuts in a row to the fence off Harmison, who was bowling in the 90 mph range. Great viewing.

My favourite shot would probably be the cover drive in its various incarnations. It's one of the safest of the heavy scoring shots when played correctly, and there's few better sights in cricket than someone with great technique playing the cover drive. Love the pull shot when played in a classical manner as well, with the full rotation and perfect control, in the Ponting style. Not a fan of the shot when it is played without the full body movement though, the way Mike Hussey plays it for instance, and that would be one of my least favourites.

Also not a fan of the charging horizontal bat shot straight down the ground that Pietersen plays (which I assume is what S_L meant as well), or a number of the improvisational shots you see in 20/20 games and the early/late overs in ODIs. Loye's repeated attempts to sweep the quicks yesterday were pretty ugly for instance, though it looked quite good when he hit it right. The ramp shot and the "move to off and flick fine" shot that Haddin for instance plays a fair bit also fall into this group. Don't mind the reverse sweep though, when it's played well. It can actually be quite elegant and controlled.