NZ tour is around the corner and I’ve been asking this question from myself over and over again. How our batters will handler and encounter initial swing of Kiwi bowlers? I still remembered what damage they inflicted last time we toured NZ. I know it does swing much, but if we lose early wickets in first 6/7 overs, then it will make a vital impact on final result.
It's harder to judge a swinging delivery than it looks. For one, it requires a lot of guesswork. Even the most skilled batsmen in the world rely on their instincts and years of practice to gauge where the ball will end up when it reaches them. There is no device to tell you the ball will move x inches in the air after release and y amount after pitching. And if the ball is moving at 145kph, the time to assess becomes shorter and the margin of error smaller.
There are certain things that a batsman keeps in mind while preparing to play the new ball. It helps if you have played the bowler in the past or if there is some video data to structure your game plan. If you're up against Tim Southee, who swing the ball away from the right-hander, you draw an imaginary line outside off stump and leave alone all balls that pitch outside that line. In fact, you have to play well within that line to cover the movement in the air and off the surface. You can't play balls outside off stump with a straight bat, for it doesn't cover for swing - you would probably end up nicking it to the keeper. You have to play with a slightly horizontal bat, which ensures that you cover the movement.
However, you will need to play with a straight bat when you're up against someone like Trent Boult, who swings it back into right-hander. Not just that, you'll also have to play late and close to the body to ensure there is no gap between the bat and pad.
Whether the ball is moving away or coming in, you need to constantly judge the amount of movement a bowler will get. The wrist position is a good indicator of the way the ball will come out of the hand. Once the ball is released, the seam can reveal some more. It will be tilted towards slip if the ball is set to move away, and towards fine leg if it is going to come in.
I reckon another way of judging the path of the ball after release is to look for the shine. In case of traditional swing, the ball moves in the opposite direction to the side the shine is on; if the shine is on the right, the ball will move to the left and be an outswinger for a right-hand batsman. This is not guaranteed either. At times the ball misbehaves and holds its line - which may not be as bad as it swinging in the opposite direction but still causes trouble.
That said, a million dollar question is, do Azhar, Fakhar, Imam, Babar and Heckfeez have skillset to survive the initial burst of Kiwi quicks and give us a good, safe start – yet to be seen.
Would like to know your opinion!
It's harder to judge a swinging delivery than it looks. For one, it requires a lot of guesswork. Even the most skilled batsmen in the world rely on their instincts and years of practice to gauge where the ball will end up when it reaches them. There is no device to tell you the ball will move x inches in the air after release and y amount after pitching. And if the ball is moving at 145kph, the time to assess becomes shorter and the margin of error smaller.
There are certain things that a batsman keeps in mind while preparing to play the new ball. It helps if you have played the bowler in the past or if there is some video data to structure your game plan. If you're up against Tim Southee, who swing the ball away from the right-hander, you draw an imaginary line outside off stump and leave alone all balls that pitch outside that line. In fact, you have to play well within that line to cover the movement in the air and off the surface. You can't play balls outside off stump with a straight bat, for it doesn't cover for swing - you would probably end up nicking it to the keeper. You have to play with a slightly horizontal bat, which ensures that you cover the movement.
However, you will need to play with a straight bat when you're up against someone like Trent Boult, who swings it back into right-hander. Not just that, you'll also have to play late and close to the body to ensure there is no gap between the bat and pad.
Whether the ball is moving away or coming in, you need to constantly judge the amount of movement a bowler will get. The wrist position is a good indicator of the way the ball will come out of the hand. Once the ball is released, the seam can reveal some more. It will be tilted towards slip if the ball is set to move away, and towards fine leg if it is going to come in.
I reckon another way of judging the path of the ball after release is to look for the shine. In case of traditional swing, the ball moves in the opposite direction to the side the shine is on; if the shine is on the right, the ball will move to the left and be an outswinger for a right-hand batsman. This is not guaranteed either. At times the ball misbehaves and holds its line - which may not be as bad as it swinging in the opposite direction but still causes trouble.
That said, a million dollar question is, do Azhar, Fakhar, Imam, Babar and Heckfeez have skillset to survive the initial burst of Kiwi quicks and give us a good, safe start – yet to be seen.
Would like to know your opinion!
