It is time to talk about the state of Test batting

[Bunk Moreland]

There’s always talk about pitches and good bowling etc… that is fair… but seriously… feels like there’s a lot of very average batting techniques out there.

It’s both teams - obviously there’s exceptions… but it feels like there’s very few players who put an actual price on their wicket.

 

[Yoda_]

There’s always talk about pitches and good bowling etc… that is fair… but seriously… feels like there’s a lot of very average batting techniques out there.

It’s both teams - obviously there’s exceptions… but it feels like there’s very few players who put an actual price on their wicket.

the batting from both sides has been awful. Even still, bowler friendly pitches are the best viewing

 

[Kappa]

Young batsmen are always going to prioritise good aggressive batting over good defensive batting as all the money is in t20 and IPL which is sad

 

[Plugger35]

When I was a young opener in junior cricket it was all about knowing how to leave and defend when the ball was on the stumps.

Your job was to stick around to see off the new ball for the other batsmen and if you scored some runs as well that was a bonus.

There was no such thing as T20s back then so you weren't practicing reverse sweeps or reverse ramps and other bullshit shots.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

I agree. Not too many batsmen can blame the pitch today. In today's cricket, batsmen don't develop the technique to deal with sideways movement.

 

[Cmarsh]

I agree. Not too many batsmen can blame the pitch today. In today's cricket, batsmen don't develop the technique to deal with sideways movement.

So do tell... what is this "right technique" to handle the prodigiously seeming ball?

 

[Some Idiot]

I think the changing technique of the modern player is a big deal. Less decisive footwork, getting caught on the crease to full-good length balls more often leaves batsmen more vulnerable to the moving ball. Not sure if this is a symptom of T20 cricket taking over, because decisive footwork still helps in the shorter format.

 

[1990crow]

Pitches have been way too bowling friendly

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Interesting listening to Atherton, his view was that while a pitch like today was doing plenty, it was nothing like the “snake pits” (as he called them) he’s seen elsewhere that have nonetheless produced more runs.

The big difference now is batsman simply do not have effective defensive games. They don’t trust their defence so they typically just throw the bat to get a few runs as they figure if they defend, they’re going out anyway.

When I was a young opener in junior cricket it was all about knowing how to leave and defend when the ball was on the stumps.

Your job was to stick around to see off the new ball for the other batsmen and if you scored some runs as well that was a bonus.

There was no such thing as T20s back then so you weren't practicing reverse sweeps or reverse ramps and other bullshit shots.

Yep. To do this you need a very solid defence. Players just don’t have that now.

 

[sabso]

Travis Head will get a hundred anyway, you're not going to be talking about it in a day.

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

I think the changing technique of the modern player is a big deal. Less decisive footwork, getting caught on the crease to full-good length balls more often leaves batsmen more vulnerable to the moving ball. Not sure if this is a symptom of T20 cricket taking over, because decisive footwork still helps in the shorter format.

While the weight transfer, especially to the front foot, definitely has changed to me the bigger (perhaps just more obvious to someone who knows less about batting) id the front foot line. And this isn't only a T20 thing.
There is a preference to give yourself room for the swing arc by keeping the front foot well inside the line of the ball. The priority is attack and power. The drive, especially straight, is no longer an extension of a tight defence. The feet move, or do not move, entirely differently for a drive and a defensive shot. Far more difference than in the past. The one that jags back then has a much larger gap to fit between. And with the head not over the line of the ball there may be more of a tendency to chase the one that moves away.

T20 probably plays a part in this. Players are rewarded for attacking at a very young age. Reports are a lot of junior grounds are not well looked after, so power and going aerial is also rewarded with few runs available for the placed ground shot. At the top levels so does the philosophy of "putting pressure back on the bowler", which seems to be interpreted as boundaries. Not giving him a look in on a wicket that should favour him and still milking ones and twos puts pressure on bowlers as well, but not the preferred method.
The other things is the bats. A mistimed shot can still race to the boundary with modern bats. The risk-reward has changed to favour attacking more; a genuine edge might still get caught, a top edged blind heave is more likely to reach the fence than 30 years ago. Again, the incentive is to attack and neglect - or at least put lower priority on - defence.

 

[HirdyLannister]

Travis Head Boland will get a hundred anyway, you're not going to be talking about it in a day.

EFA

 

[Gethelred]

So do tell... what is this "right technique" to handle the prodigiously seeming ball?

Get in the way. Reduce the gap between bat and pad. Be comfortable looking silly if it means not going out. Score off glances and deflections rather than full blooded shots. Wait for genuine full tosses, and use them for boundaries.

It's unfashionable, but it works.

 

[Yoda_]

how many of these 20 wickets were because of this spicy deck?



maybe, just maybe Jamie Smith's jagged and bounced more than expected but the rest was proper shithouse cricket shots

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Australia’s oldest head Khawaja comes in and plays a horrific shot like that to his second ball.

There is zero price put on wickets, can’t blame the pitch for that.

 

[PAFCsince1870]

Australia's dismissals in the first innings were mostly, as usual, due to questionable shots, but anyone suggesting most of England's wickets weren't brought about by relentless quality bowling really doesn't know much about cricket.

I think it's fine to question the state of test cricket batsmanship, but on quite possibly the worst day two pitch for batting ever it's a weird time to bring it up.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

So do tell... what is this "right technique" to handle the prodigiously seeming ball?

I'd tell you but I doubt you'd understand. Part of it is not feeling obligated to play a shot at every ball. I could go on, but I don't want to overload your brain.

 

[TheEscapeClub]

So do tell... what is this "right technique" to handle the prodigiously seeming ball?

Do you consider yesterday to be seaming prodigiously? It's like people have goldfish memories.

Mark Taylor had a beautiful technique to handle the seaming ball, he left it alone. Players now seem to think they have to be playing everything.

 

[TheEscapeClub]

I'd tell you but I doubt you'd understand. Part of it is not feeling obligated to play a shot at every ball. I could go on, but I don't want to overload your brain.

Snap!

 

[Bunk Moreland]

So do tell... what is this "right technique" to handle the prodigiously seeming ball?

Leave absolutely everything outside off

Don’t play any aggressive shots at all

Develop a rock-solid forward defence for balls on line, using your bat and pad

Like all the best bats in the world, score runs at will against anything that strays onto your pads by turning it behind square effortlessly. This will happen a lot more as the bowlers tire.

Don’t. Pre-meditate.

You’ll get out to some good balls, of course. You’ll also make a hell of a lot more runs and bat a hell of a lot longer than somebody who just comes in and slogs every time the conditions favour the bowlers.

The game literally goes for five days. There is more than enough time for periods when you say “I’m just not going out”.

 

[revo333]

Back in my day...

 

[Stopher]

It genuinely has the feel of neither team being too arsed about this one. Just some terrible dismissals on both sides

 

[Cmarsh]

Leave absolutely everything outside off

Don’t play any aggressive shots at all

Develop a rock-solid forward defence for balls on line, using your bat and pad

Like all the best bats in the world, score runs at will against anything that strays onto your pads by turning it behind square effortlessly. This will happen a lot more as the bowlers tire.

Don’t. Pre-meditate.

You’ll get out to some good balls, of course. You’ll also make a hell of a lot more runs and bat a hell of a lot longer than somebody who just comes in and slogs every time the conditions favour the bowlers.

The game literally goes for five days. There is more than enough time for periods when you say “I’m just not going out”.

Leave everything outside off eh? And if the ball seaming back towards the stumps, your in the shite.

 

[SC_Power]

Leave everything outside off eh? And if the ball seaming back towards the stumps, your in the shite.

If bowlers are on a 4th stump line.
But these dismissals wouldn’t have hit a second set of stumps to the off side.

 

[Cookie]

So do tell... what is this "right technique" to handle the prodigiously seeming ball?

Use your crease, for one.