1 T20 Batsman

[Osman Briseno]

Incricket, batting is the act or skill of hitting the ball with a bat to score runs and prevent the loss of one's wicket. Any player who is currently batting is, since September 2021, officially referred to as a batter regardless of whether batting is their particular area of expertise. Historically, "batsman" and "batswoman" were used, and these terms remain in widespread use. Batters have to adapt to various conditions when playing on different cricket pitches, especially in different countries; therefore, as well as having outstanding physical batting skills, top-level batters will have quick reflexes, excellent decision-making skills, and be good strategists.[1]

During an innings two members of the batting side are on the pitch at any time: the one facing the current delivery from the bowler is called the striker, while the other is the non-striker. When a batter is out, they are replaced by a teammate. This continues until the end of the innings, which in most cases is when 10 of the team members are out, whereupon the other team gets a turn to bat.

As with all other cricket statistics, batting statistics and records are given much attention and provide a measure of a player's effectiveness. The main statistic for batting is a player's batting average. This is calculated by dividing the number of runs they have scored by the number of times they have been dismissed (not by the number of innings they have played).

Don Bradman is widely regarded as the greatest batter of all time, and he set many batting records during his career in the 1930s and 1940s which remain unbeaten. He achieved a career Test average of 99.94, 38 more than any other batter. Sachin Tendulkar set many modern-day batting records, including being the first player to score 100 international centuries across all three formats of the game. Brian Lara holds the record for the highest individual score in a first-class match (501 not out), and in a Test innings, with 400 not out. Mithali Raj is widely regarded as the greatest batter of all time in women's cricket. She set many modern-day records, including being the highest run-scorer in women's international cricket.

Any player, regardless of their area of special skill, is referred to as a "batter" (historically as a "batsman" or "batswoman") while they are batting. The batter's act of hitting the ball is called a "shot" or "stroke". A player who is selected for the team mainly for their batting skill is often referred to as simply a batter, regardless of whether they are currently batting, or sometimes as a specialist batter. A specialist bowler or wicket-keeper, on the other hand, would only be referred to as a batter when they are actually batting.

Over time a standard batting technique has been developed which is used by most batters. Technique refers to the batter's stance before the ball is bowled as well as the movement of the hands, feet, head, and body in the execution of a cricket stroke. Good technique is characterized by quickly getting into the correct position to play the shot, especially getting one's head and body in line with the ball, one's feet placed next to where the ball would bounce and then swinging the bat at the ball to make contact at the precise moment required for the particular stroke being played.

The movement of the batter for a particular delivery depends on the shot being attempted. Front-foot shots are played with the weight on the front foot (left foot for a right-hander) and are usually played when the ball is pitched up to the batter, while back-foot shots are played putting the weight onto the back foot, usually to bowling that is pitched short. Shots may also be referred to as vertical or straight-bat shots, in which the bat is swung vertically at the ball (e.g. when playing a drive or leg glance), or horizontal or cross-bat shots, in which the bat is swung horizontally at the ball (e.g. when playing the pull or cut shot).

While a batter is not limited in where or how they may hit the ball, the development of good technique has gone hand in hand with the development of a standard or orthodox cricket shots played to specific types of deliveries. These "textbook" shots are standard material found in many coaching manuals.

The stance is the position in which a batter stands to have the ball bowled to them. An ideal stance is "comfortable, relaxed and balanced",[citation needed] with the feet 40 centimetres (16 in) apart, parallel and astride the crease. Additionally, the front shoulder should be pointing down the wicket, the head facing the bowler, the weight equally balanced and the bat near the back toe.[4] A slight crouch is adopted in order to be in a more effective striking posture whilst also isometrically preloading the muscles; this allows the stroke to be played more dynamically. As the ball is about to be released, the batter will lift their bat up behind in anticipation of playing a stroke and will shift their weight onto the balls of their feet. By doing this they are ready to move swiftly into position to address the ball once they see its path out of the bowler's hand.

Backlift is how a batter lifts his bat in preparation for hitting the ball.[5] While the bat should be raised as vertically as possible, coaching manuals often suggest that correct technique is for the bat to be slightly angled from the perpendicular; a common instruction is to point the face of the bat in the direction of first or second slip.[5] Some players (notably, in recent times, Brian Lara, Virender Sehwag)[6][failed verification] have employed an exaggerated backlift. Others, who have employed the more unorthodox open stance, such as Peter Willey, had a more abbreviated backlift.

Depending upon the path of the ball, the batter will either move forward or back in his attempt to intercept it. A forward movement is designated a front foot shot, whereas a backward movement is designated a back foot shot. A front foot shot is typically used to address a ball arriving at between ankle and thigh height. The batter will step forward towards the ball, bending their front knee to bring the bat down to the anticipated height of the ball. By moving forward, the batter is also able to intercept the ball immediately after it has pitched, thus nullifying any potentially dangerous lateral movement. A back foot shot is typically used to address a ball arriving at between thigh and head height. The batter will step back and, if necessary, stand on their tiptoes to raise the bat to the height of the ball. By stepping back towards the wicket, the batter also receives the advantage of having an extra small amount of time to react to any unexpected lateral movement or variation in bounce.

A block stroke is usually a purely defensive stroke designed to stop the ball from hitting the wicket or the batter's body. This shot has no strength behind it and is usually played with a light or "soft" grip (commentators often refer to "soft hands") and merely stops the ball moving towards the wicket. A block played on the front foot is known as a forward defensive, while that played on the back foot is known as a backward defensive. These strokes may be used to score runs, by manipulating the block to move the ball into vacant portions of the infield, in which case a block becomes a "push". Pushing the ball is one of the more common ways batters manipulate the strike.

Leaving and blocking are employed much more often in first-class cricket (including Test matches), as there is no requirement to score runs as quickly as possible, thus allowing the batter to choose which deliveries to play.

A leg glance is a delicate straight-batted shot played at a ball aimed slightly on the leg side, using the bat to flick the ball as it passes the batter, and requiring some wrist work as well, deflecting towards the square leg or fine leg area. The stroke involves deflecting the bat-face towards the leg side at the last moment, head and body moving inside the line of the ball. This shot is played "off the toes, shins or hip". It is played off the front foot if the ball is pitched up at the toes or shin of the batter, or off the back foot if the ball bounces at waist/hip height to the batter. Although the opposite term off glance is not employed within cricket, the concept of angling the bat face towards the offside to deflect the ball away from the wicket for the purpose of scoring runs through the off side is a commonly used technique. This would commonly be described instead as "running (or steering) the ball down to the third man".

The leave is sometimes considered a cricket shot, even though the batter physically does not play at or interfere with the ball as it passes him. The leave is often used by a batter during the first few balls he receives, to give himself time to judge the conditions of the pitch and the bowling before attempting to play a shot. Leaving a delivery is a matter of judgement and technique. The batter still has to watch the ball closely to ensure that it will not hit him or the wicket; he also has to ensure that his bat and hands are kept out of the path of the ball so that it cannot make accidental contact and possibly lead to him being out caught. Batters only leave the ball when they are certain that it will not hit the stumps.

A drive is a straight-batted shot, played by swinging the bat in a vertical arc through the line of the ball, hitting the ball in front of the batter along the ground. It is one of the most common shots in a batter's armory and often the first shot taught to junior cricketers. Depending on the direction the ball travels, a drive can be a cover drive (struck towards the cover fielding position), an off drive (towards mid-off), straight drive (straight past the bowler), on drive (between stumps and mid-on) or square drive (towards point). A drive can also be played towards midwicket, although the phrase "midwicket drive" is not in common usage. Drives can be played both off the front and the back foot, but back-foot drives are harder to force through the line of the ball. Although most drives are deliberately struck along the ground to reduce the risk of being dismissed caught, a batter may decide to play a lofted drive to hit the ball over the infielders and potentially even over the boundary for six.

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