Should right-handed people bat left-handed?

[Furn]

The latest theory is that your naturally stronger side should be used as your top hand, so apparently most players are batting the wrong way round. A number of the top left handers going around are naturally right handed, including Hussey and Trescothick, theres a few more but can't think of there names.

Do people think this is a good idea and will it start to become the norm?

Obviously left handers should be batting right handed as well.

Imagine if Bradman had actually batted the right way around,left-handed, how good would he have been ??

 

[Carl Hooper]

Crazy dumb thoughts IMO

Only a man like Michael Hussey could pull that off.

 

[The Passenger]

hmmmm, it just depends what you do when your a kid. that is what your going to be used to....

if you tried to change as an adult it would nothing more than a disaster.

 

[walkers a legend]

a guy on my team does this but he is just a sloger

 

[dylan101]

I wish I was a left handed batter, The best combination IMO is left handed batter, right handed bowler. I've played with a few good left handed batters that are right handed.

 

[OzBomber]

If only I could start playing cricket again and become a left hand leggie. bowler, left hand batter, and a right arm fielder.

Instead I'm a right arm leggie, right hand bat, and a right arm fielder.

 

[placebo]

ONe of the guys in my team can use all limbs.

He's a right-hand batsman, left-hand bowler but he throws right-handed.

 

[Carl Hooper]

If only I could start playing cricket again and become a left hand leggie. bowler, left hand batter, and a right arm fielder.

Instead I'm a right arm leggie, right hand bat, and a right arm fielder.

WTF? Why? Chinamen suck.

 

[YOTC]

WTF? Why? Chinamen suck.

A left arm leggie is an orthodox bowler, not a chinamen

It's not crazy either, i am left handed and bat left handed and use too much bottom hand. If someone had picked that up earlier and made me bat right handed i reckon i could have been a better batter.

 

[Cameron_K]

Roebuck was going on about this last test summer and it seemed to be a valid question at the time. I am a right hand bowler who bats left handed with my top hand obviously being the dominant one. It seems to be a lot more common these days especially with the juniors. At the time he went through the Aussies squad and half of the Left handers were in fact were more dominant with their right hand.

 

[notting18]

I am right handed for everything (bowling, throwing, writing, etc) but have always batted left handed. To me it was just the way it worked, but there is definite logic there IMO

 

[Bond.ShaneBond]

If I have a kid I will definately have them bat with their dominant hand on top from day one

 

[the_mighty_pies_3733]

I heard they used to do this in Zimbabwe, in particular i remember Taylor used to bat left handed but his coach or dad changed him to bat right handed to keep his preferred hand on top. Could say something about Zimbabwe cricket actually.

 

[The Passenger]

A left arm leggie is an orthodox bowler, not a chinamen

It's not crazy either, i am left handed and bat left handed and use too much bottom hand. If someone had picked that up earlier and made me bat right handed i reckon i could have been a better batter.

left arm leg spinner, is a chinaman.... a left arm off spinner (of the Sanath Jayasuriya variety) is bowling left arm orthodox.

 

[Marklar_33]

Crazy dumb thoughts IMO

Only a man like Michael Hussey could pull that off.

Notice how Hussey is not a wristy player at all? Try it for yourself, Ive batted left-handed in indoor cricket and its very hard to flick the wrists with the non-preferred hand at the bottom. Im not saying its a bad thing, Hussey proves that! And maybe its a good thing. Mark Waugh had a tendancy for soft dismissals...

 

[YOTC]

left arm leg spinner, is a chinaman.... a left arm off spinner (of the Sanath Jayasuriya variety) is bowling left arm orthodox.

He's only a legspinner if he's bowling to a left hander.

Otherwise he's and off spinner. (he spins it from off to leg, just like Murali, who is an offie)

 

[dylan101]

left arm leg spinner, is a chinaman.... a left arm off spinner (of the Sanath Jayasuriya variety) is bowling left arm orthodox.

I have always thought this as well

 

[The Passenger]

He's only a legspinner if he's bowling to a left hander.

Otherwise he's and off spinner. (he spins it from off to leg, just like Murali, who is an offie)

he's a wrist spinner. wrist spin is leg spin.

you would never hear a left arm finger spinner referred to as a leg spinner.

 

[Cooldude]

Anyway back on the topic. It doesn't really matter whether your top or bottom hand is your dominant hand, if you're good enough and work on your technique you'll make it. Many great batsmen have succeeded without having to convert their dominant hand to their top hand

It depends on the kid's preferences in early age. If he likes batting left handed as a right hander then he should be encouraged to do so.

 

[YOTC]

he's a wrist spinner. wrist spin is leg spin.

you would never hear a left arm finger spinner referred to as a leg spinner.

That comes down to personal opinion. I think of leg spin as bowling it at the legs and spinning away. And off spin as bowling outside off stump and bringing it towards the stumps.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Just off the top of my head:

Matthew Hayden - right handed, bats left
Adam Gilchrist - right handed, bats left
Michael Hussey - right handed, bats left
Michael Clarke - left handed, bats right
Mark Taylor - right handed, batted left
Justin Langer - right handed, batted left

This theory has been around for a while. Obviously not the be all and end all but are the odds slightly in your favour if your top hand is your dominant hand? I don't know if there has been an in depth study on it but it would be interesting. I know dads who have encouraged their right handed sons to bat left handed pretty much from the time they've picked up a cricket bat!

 

[ams4crows]

i've thought long and hard about this because I play Tennis and cricket I'm a leftie in tennis so my double hannded back hand then becomes how I hold a criket bat which means I'm a right handed batsman and my left hand is at the top of the bat so your back hand in tennis should be the same as a cricket shot

which means if your right handed in tennis you should bat left handed
and if your left handed in tennis you should bat right handed

 

[Marklar_33]

That comes down to personal opinion. I think of leg spin as bowling it at the legs and spinning away. And off spin as bowling outside off stump and bringing it towards the stumps.

By your theory, Shane Warne's stock ball is an off-break to Brian Lara... although I dont like the fact that if I (being a right-arm bowler) bowl a ball which moves away in the air from a left hander, that ball is considered an out-swinger. Stuff that! I bowl inswing goddammit!

 

[YOTC]

haha classic.

 

[clucas91]

I'm left handed in most things I go, write left handed, bowl left handed etc. but I bat right handed...I feel more comfortable batting right handed because my stronger hand is on top, it has a downside though, I tend to loft it a lot more because of this...