- Option and Execution
- Being Positive When Batting
- How To Approach Your Batting
- Nervous Before Batting?
- Improving Technique
- Playing The Pull Shot
- Batting When You're Out of Form
Playing The Pull Shot
One of the most important strokes in establishing dominance over bowlers is the pull shot. Whether a batsman is looking to counter attack against a seamer or disrupt a spinner by hitting him off his length, the pull stroke is a vital weapon in a batsman's armoury.
Realistically, there are 2 ways to play the pull depending on the type of bowler:
Pulling quick bowlers:
Key points- Take the hands high in the backswing allowing you to hit from high to low
- Move your back foot outside off stump onto the ball of your foot
- Watch the ball like a hawk
- Extend the hands out and strike the ball with a horizontal sweep of the bat (the key is to fully extend the arm of your bottom hand - the pull is a bottom hand stroke)
- Pivot on the ball of your backfoot and hit the ball at arms length for maximum power
Pulling spinners (variations to pulling quick bowlers) :
- Take the hands high in the backswing
- Move your backfoot outside off stump and square your feet up so your are as fully chest on as possible to the bowler (chest on with a wide base is the ideal position)
- With your weight loaded up on the back foot, hit from high to low as your weight moves onto the front foot
With both shots, it's important to be able to hit the ball down which can only come from a high backswing allowing you to hit down on the ball. The alternative, which so many batsmen do in the nets, is to hit a great looking aerial shot in the region of deep square leg forgetting that there's often a fielder there who will gleefully accept the catch offered.
For a visual aid, check the photos above for the ideal positions for both the pivot pull and pulling spinners.
Wello
