Welcome to Ideyl Learning! Do you want to learn Batting Skills and techniques in cricket? Then, this post is going to be super useful. Because we break down 8 types of batting skills that are necessary to play well in cricket. Every good cricket player knows these skills.
What are batting skills?
Batting is the art of using a bat to hit the ball and score runs in cricket. Batting involves different techniques that players use depending on where they are playing (e.g., on the pitch, on the field), how long they have been batting, and what type of delivery has been bowled. The main skills are:
1. Covering up or moving behind a square leg:-
This is when a player moves behind the square leg so that they can get out of harm’s way if the ball goes towards them.
2. Going forward or going back:-
This skill involves moving forward or backward along the pitch; when players go forward, this means they move towards their end of the pitch with their batsman at a run-up position ready to play; when players go back, this means that they retreat back towards their own wicket after receiving a delivery from an opposition bowler.
In cricket, there are different types of batting:
1. Aggressive batting – this involves playing a lot of shots and trying to score fast
2. Defensive or blocking batting – this is when you don’t play many shots but block the balls that come your way.
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Cricket batting techniques for beginners:
In cricket, batting (also known as batsmanship or batting) is the action of striking the ball with a cricket bat to score runs and to control the play when your team fields. A batter or striker is the person who faces the bowling and tries to score runs.
Batsmen are more skilled than bowlers in cricket because they can only exist by hitting fours, sixes, and catches while bowlers have many other options such as run-outs and stumpings. The first thing you need to learn about batting is how to hold your bat properly so that it doesn’t slip out of your hands during play!
What is a sweep shot?
Sweeping is a type of shot played by batsmen to get the ball away from their pads. It’s one of the most popular shots in cricket, especially among attacking batsmen who want to score quickly.
There are several different types of sweeping: on the offside and legside, for example. To play this shot, you must first be holding a bat with a long handle (usually 38-39 inches long). You can learn more about sweep shots.
Then you need to stand sideways on and bring your bat down towards the ground with your hands close together at waist level or lower, depending on how much power you want in your shot.
There should be minimal wrist action as this will just slow down your swing and make it harder for you to connect with the ball. Finally use both feet for stability so that when making contact with delivery, there won’t be any movement from either foot which could cause miscues or misjudgments during execution.”
List of Cricket Skills:-
1. Follow-through
Follow-through is a term used in cricket to refer through to the action of the batsman after hitting the ball.
The follow-through involves the batsman bringing his bat down in a straight line, ideally with as much power as he used in his backswing. A good follow-through will ensure that you don’t lose any momentum when you hit your shot and also helps prevent injury to your body as well as making it easier for you to move around at cover point or backward point.
2. Leg-side play
Leg-side play is a vital part of batting. There are several things to think about when playing on the leg side: where you should be standing, what kind of ball it is and how far away it is from your body, what movement you make at the crease and how much time you have to react. Let’s look at each in turn:
How close or far away from your body should you stand? The closer you stand, the quicker your reflexes will be and the less time there will be for the bowler to throw an incorrect delivery at your feet.
However, if a bowler has been bowling stump-to-stump line throughout their over. They might try bluffing an outswinger into your pads, with their fourth or fifth delivery before pitching fuller in line with an off stump so that even if it hits the middle stump instead of hitting the back foot area outside off stump (which would result in lbw) then no harm done as a batsman can still score runs off those two singles anyway! So if this happens then just stay slightly further back than usual.”
3. Back foot and front foot play
- Back foot play:
You can play almost all your shots on the back foot. This includes all kinds of cuts, pulls, and even drive-through covers. It is important to note that you should use your bottom hand for these strokes as this helps in controlling the bat because it gives you more power and control over it.
- Front foot play:
You can also play certain shots on the front foot such as an off-side flick or push through midwicket by using your hands to place the ball precisely where you want it to go.
The most common shot played on this front foot is what we call a ‘drive’ through covers where the batsman takes a few steps forward before playing that shot with full force towards the cover-point region where fielders are positioned there waiting for them with their gloves wide open waiting for a catch!
4. Straight drive
The straight drive is one of the most important shots in cricket. It can be played on both sides of your body.
- To play a straight drive, place your bat next to your pad (wrist facing upwards).
- Bring the bat back towards yourself in a smooth motion and then open up your stance as you come forward through contact with the ball.
The straight drive is best used when you need to score quickly. But it’s also good for taking advantage of any extra width provided by an opponent’s bowling or fielding position.
5. Defensive shot
Defensive shot definition
A defensive shot is one that the batsman plays to avoid getting out. It is a very important skill to learn if you want to succeed in cricket. Defensive shots are meant to keep you at the crease as much as possible so that you can score runs overtime.
You should play a defensive shot when your opponent bowls a ball that has been pitched outside the leg stump (not good enough for you) or too wide from the off stump (too far away from you). Most of them will be bowled by medium pacers and fast bowlers who try making runs difficult for batsmen by pitching their balls on seam-up areas outside off stump or on the leg sideline of middle stump respectively
6. Cut shot
- Grip the bat with your top hand about two-thirds down the handle, and your bottom hand about one-third up.
- Your feet should be shoulder-width apart, with your weight on the balls of your feet.
- Pointing toward leg slip or third man (depending on where you’re playing), open up to face off at a 45-degree angle from the bowler.
- The back elbow should drop down so that it’s pointing at the second slip or backward point; this helps get more power into shots closer to the square leg.
- If a good ball is bowled and you can hit it, follow through the past square leg or straight backward of the square to keep running momentum going forward and build up speed for another shot later in an innings.
7. Off drive
The off drive is a shot played on the offside. It is one of the most common shots in cricket, and many players will use it to score runs or defend when the ball moves away from them.
To play an effective off drive:
- have a firm base. Keep your feet just outside the leg stump and make sure that you’re balanced between both feet. If one foot feels more secure than another, move it forward slightly until you feel comfortable with your balance
- and have a good grip on the bat; there should be no gaps between your hands and fingers (this will make it easier for you to hit through the ball)
- keep your head still; don’t move it horizontally when playing an off drive
8. Pull
The pull shot is a great way to counter the short ball. A pull shot is when you hit the ball from middle stump to mid-wicket. When playing this shot, you need to make sure your bat face is open before your hands come down backward.
This will give you enough room for your arms to swing through and hit the ball along with some power behind it too! There are two things to remember about playing this shot:
1) If you think that ball might be short, don’t try and play it as hard as possible because then you will end up with either no runs on board or even get out bowled;
2) If there’s any doubt whether or not that ball might be full length or slightly shorter, then go ahead and play an orthodox sweep shot instead since chances of getting caught behind square leg off a full-length delivery are very slim compared to catching one out over midwicket off a short delivery (and hence making fewer runs).
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Conclusion:
You can learn to become a better batter by mastering batting skills.
Batting is a skill that can be learned. It involves hitting the ball with the bat and then running between the wickets to reach the other end of your team’s field. The main objective of batting is to score runs by using different batting techniques. There are two types of batters: opening batsman and middle-order players, who come after them.