Power hitters in cricket - The new trend

[Irfan Hussain]

Recently, a new terminology has come up in cricket and it's named power hitting.....
The trend is openers will give a decent start...
Middle order batsmen will take it upto 40th over or so.
Then the power hitters would change the game in the last 10......
However, if we go by logic, we will find out that only 2 fielders are allowed outside the 30 yard circle till 10 overs...
From 11th to 40th over, only 4 fielders are allowed outside the circle.... And in the last 10 overs, 5 fielders are allowed for the same....
What our team lacks is someone who can consistently hit big shots in the last 10 overs....
However, if the middle order bats sensibly, they can score quite heavily in the overs between 11 and 40, as only 4 fielders are allowed outside the circle....
Besides, why can't the main batsmen,i,e., Top five batsmen hit some lusty blows in the slog overs....
They just need to be smarter and the role of power hitters should be fulfilled by them only.... They would have batted for the majority of overs; faced almost every bowler; and therefore can score heavily themselves and not depend on a power hitter, who may or may not do the required job....
Why need a power hitter if the main batsmen after building their innings do the remaining job themselves....

 

[IAJ]

Firstly our top order batsmen (apart from Fakhar) can’t hit sixes when they want to.

Secondly fitness is a big concern, once they have reached a ton they have no gas left and they throw their wicket away as they hardly can get past the inner circle.

You need stand and deliver hitters, our batsmen mostly hit six against spinners using their feet but that is risky. Only player who can hit a six while standing still is Asif Ali. But he has no game awareness at all. Faheem showed some potential early on but he has also disappointed of late.

 

[ARK Rafay]

Get Hafeez at no. 6, Imad at 7. Followed by Hasan Ali and Shadab. That's the best we can get

 

[Irfan Hussain]

Firstly our top order batsmen (apart from Fakhar) can’t hit sixes when they want to.

Secondly fitness is a big concern, once they have reached a ton they have no gas left and they throw their wicket away as they hardly can get past the inner circle.

You need stand and deliver hitters, our batsmen mostly hit six against spinners using their feet but that is risky. Only player who can hit a six while standing still is Asif Ali. But he has no game awareness at all. Faheem showed some potential early on but he has also disappointed of late.

Agreed.... But why on earth cannot they improve their fitness.... Arey Bhai jisne Kabhi cricket kheli b nhi Woh b chacka maar leta hai... Ye to phir b professionals Hain.... If they work on it, they can do it Yaar.... Mein nhi bol raha aaj hi Karo, but next 6 months tak koshish Karen to improvement to ayegi hi naa

 

[Dr_Bassim]

Power Hitters really mean Power hitters.

At best with your formula, Pakistan could end up with 230-2 in 40 overs and then normal hitting 80 odd runs in the last 10 overs.

That means 300-310 runs on a good day with no power hitting.

With Power hitting technique and power hitters you can be 230 after 40 overs and you will score 110 off the last 10 overs and end up with 350 odd runs.

There is a big difference between 300 and 350 runs and that is what wins the match.

Which is why power hitters required and normal consolidation rarely wins you matches unless you are chasing 260-280 runs.

 

[Irfan Hussain]

Power Hitters really mean Power hitters.

At best with your formula, Pakistan could end up with 230-2 in 40 overs and then normal hitting 80 odd runs in the last 10 overs.

That means 300-310 runs on a good day with no power hitting.

With Power hitting technique and power hitters you can be 230 after 40 overs and you will score 110 off the last 10 overs and end up with 350 odd runs.

There is a big difference between 300 and 350 runs and that is what wins the match.

Which is why power hitters required and normal consolidation rarely wins you matches unless you are chasing 260-280 runs.

Agreed.... But tell me one thing... In the 5th odi against Aus, we scored 307... The top scorer was Haris with 127 (not sure) at almost a run a ball....
What I want is for example Imam to get a 50 of 40 to 45 balls....
Babar, if he gets a hundred, it should be of 85 to 90 balls....
Itna to Kar hi sakte Hain ye loug....
Ab hum Kahan se aik behtateen power hitter paida karein Jo takreeban bar match mein hamein 20 balls pe 40 ya 50 de....
What I'm trying to say is( just for the world cup), agar main batsmen thoda tez khelein like I've mentioned above, they can be around 260 to 270 after 40 overs....
In the final 10, if they strike even at 130, they should get upto 320 to 330 in around 47 to 48 overs.... Phir akhri 2 overs mein toh bowlers b 20 se 25 runs kr skinge...
I once again say it's just a short term plan.... After the world cup, we definitely need to produce at least 2 genuine power Hitters....

 

[Hawkeye]

Malik
Sarfraz
Imad Wasim
Imam
Rizwan
Shadab

These players are unable to clear the boundary at will.

Our team will remain among the minnows as long as these kind of players keep getting added to the team and form the majority of our batting.

Truly a minnow level team.

 

[Abdullah719]

Malik
Sarfraz
Imad Wasim
Imam
Rizwan
Shadab

These players are unable to clear the boundary at will.

Our team will remain among the minnows as long as these kind of players keep getting added to the team and form the majority of our batting.

Truly a minnow level team.

Same goes for Babar, Shan, Abid, etc.

The only worthwhile batsmen we have are Mohammad Hafeez and Umar Akmal.

 

[Hawkeye]

Same goes for Babar, Shan, Abid, etc.

The only worthwhile batsmen we have are Mohammad Hafeez and Umar Akmal.

Shan Masood too, yes.

However, the case for Babar, Abid and Haris is different.

They're excellent stroke makers and can score fast at the top, hit fours at will and even sixes if the ball is right.

Can maintain a healthy strike rate at the top.

Others struggle with that, Imam and Shan both at the top and others in the middle/late order where it's particularly important to be innovative and get those boundaries when needed.

 

[Irfan Hussain]

Shan Masood too, yes.

However, the case for Babar, Abid and Haris is different.

They're excellent stroke makers and can score fast at the top, hit fours at will and even sixes if the ball is right.

Can maintain a healthy strike rate at the top.

Others struggle with that, Imam and Shan both at the top and others in the middle/late order where it's particularly important to be innovative and get those boundaries when needed.

I believe if our middle order i,e; number 4 to 6 stands up and plays at an average in between 6 and 7, we can end up scoring in excess of 330, depending upon the fact that our top 3 score about 100 in 20 overs...

 

[Abdullah719]

Power-hitting a concern for Pakistan, says Mickey Arthur

Mickey Arthur, the Pakistan coach, has cited one area of concern for Pakistan at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019: the lack of power-hitting.

Pakistan were blanked 5-0 against Australia in the United Arab Emirates, and despite a couple of individual performances, their batting was by and large found wanting. When batting first, they failed to press home the advantage, and when chasing, they struggled to take it down to the wire, even losing by 80 runs in the decisive third one-day international.

There were plenty of centuries – two each from Haris Sohail and Mohammad Rizwan, and one from Abid Ali – but as filled as they were with strokes, there was no muscle and power. Arthur was left longing for that.

“That's one of our areas of concern," said Arthur. “We have to make sure that we get our guys to bat in those positions as best as they can. That's the reason we used Faheem Ashraf in two games. He has done hell of a work in that regard and we wanted to give him more batting time. We have worked really hard with Imad Wasim in that role.

“Hasan [Ali] can hit the ball long distances. Shadab [Khan] has worked extremely hard on that aspect of his game. Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez have worked consistently on their power-hitting. But it is an area that is a worry, and we have to work extremely hard to rectify it.”

The series was a test of Pakistan’s bench strength, and despite the loss, it did throw up some interesting talking points ahead of the World Cup, fitness being the top-most among them.

“I've already asked our skill coaches to give me what they think is necessary for our players. That might be working on death bowling, on variations or bowling slower balls,” he said. “Power-hitting is the one on which we need to work constantly. I've asked the skill coaches to give me those plans and we will start implementing in the next couple of days.

"Plus, we need our players to have optimum fitness levels. We saw the difference in the field between our normal players, the guys with whom we've worked for two years, and the players who have just came to our system. The gap is massive, we can't have that happen ever again.”

Pakistan’s preparations for the World Cup aren’t done yet. They head to England later this month, where they will play a solitary Twenty20 International and five ODIs. Arthur said this would be the “best-prepared squad that’s ever left Pakistan” for the World Cup.

https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/1155149

 

[ARK Rafay]

Agreed.... But tell me one thing... In the 5th odi against Aus, we scored 307... The top scorer was Haris with 127 (not sure) at almost a run a ball....
What I want is for example Imam to get a 50 of 40 to 45 balls....
Babar, if he gets a hundred, it should be of 85 to 90 balls....
Itna to Kar hi sakte Hain ye loug....
Ab hum Kahan se aik behtateen power hitter paida karein Jo takreeban bar match mein hamein 20 balls pe 40 ya 50 de....
What I'm trying to say is( just for the world cup), agar main batsmen thoda tez khelein like I've mentioned above, they can be around 260 to 270 after 40 overs....
In the final 10, if they strike even at 130, they should get upto 320 to 330 in around 47 to 48 overs.... Phir akhri 2 overs mein toh bowlers b 20 se 25 runs kr skinge...
I once again say it's just a short term plan.... After the world cup, we definitely need to produce at least 2 genuine power Hitters....

If Pakistan can somehow score 250+ after 40 overs. That'll mean the opposition team will also be able to score that easily. But the difference will be Pakistan will end up at 330. While opposition 350+.

This will work only if our bowlers outperform every other team in the tournament. So the pressure and expectations again will be on the bowlers

 

[Bigbb]

Power hitting is as overrated as anything in Cricket ATM. Indian team posts 350 regularly but you don't find a Buttler or a Maxwell type batsman in their team.
Even intelligent stroke makers like Rohit, Dhawan at the top can score runs freely for them at the death.

Problem is the mentality of our top order batsmen. They feel Job done after getting to 100 off 120 balls and some even get satisfied with a 65 ball 50. If this changes , then we can see a bit of power hitting from the likes of Babar or Malik and even sarfu. This is where I think Hafeez has been impressive since his comeback as he has never got bogged down to cement his place and played a few free flowing knocks for us.
Wish some others learn from him .

 

[Bilal7]

New trend? Lol, this has been the standard ODI strategy since the format's inception. We had Akmal, Razzaq and Afridi batting at 6, 7 and 8 during the 2011 WC.

Just because this is the norm does not mean that every team needs to abide by it. There is virtue is being different from everyone else. Pakistan does not have any proper power hitters, that much is clear. Umar Akmal is simply too much of a hassle and Abid Ali is simply not good enough. Pakistan does have an abundance of players who are capable of scoring a solid 50-60 runs every other match at a SR of around 85-100. Therefore, our team strategy should make use of this strength and the type of batsmen we have available, instead of trying to fit in some power hitters for the sake of it, who won't be able to compete with the power hitters of other teams and will weaken our team as a whole.

Not every team needs to play like England. Pakistan should base its strategy on the 2017 CT gameplan: have your batsmen put on just enough runs, allowing your bowlers to attack and run through teams. Yes, our batsmen are not going to he scoring 320+ each game but who said our bowlers will let teams score that much against us?

This is why having at least three, ideally four, pace bowlers is a must. Only one of Shadab and Imad should play however, unless conditions dictate otherwise. And Faheem should not be playing over a specialist pacer.

 

[Titan24]

Agreed.... But tell me one thing... In the 5th odi against Aus, we scored 307... The top scorer was Haris with 127 (not sure) at almost a run a ball....
What I want is for example Imam to get a 50 of 40 to 45 balls....
Babar, if he gets a hundred, it should be of 85 to 90 balls....
Itna to Kar hi sakte Hain ye loug....
Ab hum Kahan se aik behtateen power hitter paida karein Jo takreeban bar match mein hamein 20 balls pe 40 ya 50 de....
What I'm trying to say is( just for the world cup), agar main batsmen thoda tez khelein like I've mentioned above, they can be around 260 to 270 after 40 overs....
In the final 10, if they strike even at 130, they should get upto 320 to 330 in around 47 to 48 overs.... Phir akhri 2 overs mein toh bowlers b 20 se 25 runs kr skinge...
I once again say it's just a short term plan.... After the world cup, we definitely need to produce at least 2 genuine power Hitters....

Even if you look at Australian innings in the 5th ODI nobody batted at even SR of 100 in top 4 except Maxwell who scored at 200 plus. Our top batsmen batted better than Australia, it was just that we didnt have any body doing what Maxwell did.

Debuting Saad Ali and playing him in cruicial position also costed us last two games where he batted at SR of less than 50.

What you are saying can happen but you cant expect the same formula being successfully executed in every other game, you need players who can hit big when needed at the top, in the middle and lower order. Umar and Imad were the only ones close to being called a hitter while other teams only play batsmen who can clear boundaries at will and they play just one or max two batsmen as consolidators while Pak just plays one ot two players who can hit boundaries at will.

 

[Hawkeye]

I believe if our middle order i,e; number 4 to 6 stands up and plays at an average in between 6 and 7, we can end up scoring in excess of 330, depending upon the fact that our top 3 score about 100 in 20 overs...

Run rate between 6/7 for 30 overs will not get us anywhere.

First it would be difficult to maintain. Wickets will also fall, and after that for some overs our team always comes down to 3 RPO.

For the last 10 overs we need someone who can do what Maxwell does.

In the first 40 overs, yes 6 RPO can get us to 240. But with the expanded field and bowling trying to contain you, again it's difficult to main.


You do need 1 or 2 innovative hitters who can up the ante beyond 7 RPO.

Imad Wasim cannot, he will lose you matches from that position. If he can bat at 6 or 7 between 20-38 overs, yes that's good!

 

[Chokli]

Best option would be to use Imad Wasim in the middle order and tell him to bat at a strike rate of 140-150.

Plus side is he'll also have one less fielder outside the circle.

 

[Abdullah]

Best option would be to use Imad Wasim in the middle order and tell him to bat at a strike rate of 140-150.

Plus side is he'll also have one less fielder outside the circle.

This use the overs where there are less people outside the ring to do your "power hitting"

 

[salman24]

I remember when the days we had

Afridi
Abdul Razzaq
Azhar Mahmood
Moin Khan
Wasim Akram

That's some power hitting!

 

[HGhazanfar]

Best option would be to use Imad Wasim in the middle order and tell him to bat at a strike rate of 140-150.

Plus side is he'll also have one less fielder outside the circle.

There you are with Imad Wasim again.

 

[The_Odd_One]

Pakistani batsman need to grow some muscle to be able to play big shots.

 

[Seamer]

That's why I think Wahab Riaz should be called up he could provide with Power hitting at the end, my batting lineup for world cup would be :

1. Fakhar Zaman
2. Sarfaraz
3. Babar Azam
4. Haris Sohail
5. Hafeez
6. Imad Wasim
7. Shadab Khan
8. Wahab Riaz
9. Hassan Ali
10. Amir
11. Shaheen Afridi

 

[asfandyar]

We need two types of power hitters:

1) the quintessential cork murderer: Broad-shouldered, bulky southpaw with a penchant for scoring the majority of runs in boundaries ala Jesse Ryder, Gayle, Yuvraj
2) the methodical leather assassin: cunning, hyperactive, unconventional yet mighty effective, ala Maxwell, Buttler

 

[Hasan123]

Sick of this term power hitting. Yes we lack players who can clear the bouandry with will. But another issue is that our batters often lack good shot selection and ability to hit the bat into gaps. You need to be able to play 360 degrees versus pace and spin. Not just have power.

 

[Irfan Hussain]

Sick of this term power hitting. Yes we lack players who can clear the bouandry with will. But another issue is that our batters often lack good shot selection and ability to hit the bat into gaps. You need to be able to play 360 degrees versus pace and spin. Not just have power.

Very well said

 

[MenInG]

I present to you the answer to the Pakistan power-hitters quandary....

Iftikhar Ahmed & Khushdil Shah!

 

[b.lesner]

I present to you the answer to the Pakistan power-hitters quandary....

Iftikhar Ahmed & Khushdil Shah!

Khushdil shah easily he single handedly won KKP game from 100 for 5 to chasing 330 something and finished off with 154 not out which iftikhar can't do, i have seen him since his FC debut he isn't international quality and already aged while khushdil is only 24 just played Pakistan U-23

 

[unemployedgm]

I disagree. The concept of power hitting only exists in Pakistan we are no longer developing players who are physically, skillfully, or mentally imposing. Every other team has these players in spades. For them it’s a given or expectation.

 

[MenInG]

Khushdil shah easily he single handedly won KKP game from 100 for 5 to chasing 330 something and finished off with 154 not out which iftikhar can't do, i have seen him since his FC debut he isn't international quality and already aged while khushdil is only 24 just played Pakistan U-23

Once again, 100 for Khushdil in just 66 balls.

 

[Justcrazy]

I remember when the days we had

Afridi
Abdul Razzaq
Azhar Mahmood
Moin Khan
Wasim Akram

That's some power hitting!

Even with that they could not win anything substantial.