The Art of Smart Cricket - Batting

The Art of Smart Cricket – Batting

As mentioned in my previous blog, cricket is generally played in 2 different formats (3 versions):
• Test cricket (5-day version; red ball)
• Limited overs cricket (white ball)
o ODI – One Day International (50-over game)
o T20 – Twenty20 (20-over game)

Cricket is mainly popular as batsman game & that’s true to some extent. People love the fact that there are only 2 players (batsmen) who fight it out against 11 players (and sometimes 3 umpires too, including the TV umpire). Not only that, but the batsmen are supposed to defend their wickets, score runs & thus play a major role to put the chase beyond the opposition. Viewers like the batsmen hitting boundaries & sixes instead of showing their skills in defending the wickets. That is the main reason why the shorter format is so popular. More the runs, the better. More so, because the 5-day version sometimes can become bit boring to watch when the batsmen try to defend the bowling attack by blocking every or most deliveries. Throughout the history of the game, the batsmen have become more popular than the bowlers. Largely, they have dominated the game. Only few bowlers have had the distinction of becoming more popular.

Typically, a batsman’s role is simpler. He has to defend his wicket (not get out) and score enough runs. The speed at which the batsman scores the runs generally depends on the format. In a 5-day test, the batsman scores runs at a very slow pace often termed as strike rate (‘x’ runs per 100 balls). A strike rate of approximately 40-60 is quite common. Sometimes, depending on the situation the strike rate could be even lower (especially when the team is playing for a draw). In normal cases, it purely depends on how the batsman counters the bowling attack and scores the runs at more than common strike rate. However, a similar strike rate in the shorter version is almost like a cardinal sin. The shorter format encourages the batsman to score atleast at run-a-ball pace or more (strike rate of 100 or more), thus ensuring maximum possible runs in the limited overs of the game & putting the chase beyond reach for the opposition (or winning sooner while chasing).

Generally, in a test match, the batsman gets to bat twice (in 2 separate innings) & once in limited overs format. Ofcourse, it depends on what position he bats. But often specialist batsmen get enough opportunities to bat in most of the situations. Broadly, there are 4 roles of a batsman, across both formats:
• Openers:
o 2 batsmen open the batting for the team in the batting innings
o Often batsmen who are able to tackle the swinging ball at the initial stage are assigned the job
o In tests, the basic idea is to tackle the swing & tire out the bowling team by not giving away wickets & then build a platform for attacking at a later stage (at times for next batsmen)
o In shorter format, there are restrictions on the field placement (power-play) for the initial few overs (10 for 50-over & 6 for 20-over game) & thus often batsmen who can tackle the swing & hit over the in-field are preferred for the job
• Middle-order:
o Generally 3 batsmen (no. 3-4-5)
o Typically specialist (or full-time batsmen) or batting all-rounders play at these positions; batting all-rounders are those who are primarily a batsman, but are decent bowlers as well
o The primary job is to build upon the platform given by the openers
o If one or both openers fall early, no. 3-4 have to fill up for them
o If the openers have done their job, usually the middle order comes into play when the ball is getting older & therefore they have to tackle slower bowlers or spinners; therefore requiring little different skills than the openers
o They also have to keep the scoreboard ticking by rotating the strike much frequently than the openers, especially in limited overs format, where the field restrictions are lesser and therefore field is spread-out thereby restricting the aerial shots
• Lower middle-order:
o Generally 2 batsman; sometimes 3 (depending on availability of bowlers who can bat decently)
o Batsman who are part-time bowlers or wicket-keepers usually bat at these positions
o Often their services are needed to either prolong the innings (in test format) or get some quick runs at the end of the innings (limited overs format); more of finisher role in the limited overs
• Tail-enders:
o Generally 4 or 3 (depending on how long the middle-order & lower-middle-order is)
o Typically all bowlers, mainly pacers, are part of tail-enders
o Not specialist batsmen, hence they are expected to hold up as long as they can or score some big hits if possible (in both formats)
o The length of the tail also plays a crucial role, especially in the shorter format; shorter the better

In normal case every batsman (under various roles) has a specific task, but ultimately, the main goal is to score as many runs as possible. When batting first, the batsman (batsmen) have to score as many runs as possible to have the chase beyond reach of the opposition. When batting second (chasing), the batsman has to score as quickly as possible, especially in limited overs format, to successfully chase down the target set. In limited overs format, it is important to rotate the strike, especially when there is a combination of left-hand - right-hand batsmen. Also it is important to place the ball in gaps rather than hitting it hard and rotate the strike. There are various ways a batsman can adapt to the above adversities & come up successful. Let’s see how the players go about their roles in detail.

Openers:
As mentioned earlier, in the test match, the basic task of an opening batsman (both ends) is to play out the initial 15-20 overs. If the team is batting first (first day of the test match, first innings), often openers end up playing responsibly, guarding their wickets & scoring with lesser strike rates. While batting second or in subsequent innings, often the first 15-20 overs are with slower strike rates, then batsmen start opening up with more shots being played. Mainly, in the 4th innings when the team is chasing a target, the approach of the openers will entirely depend on what the team has decided. If the team has decided to play for a draw, the openers will block every delivery. Typically, the openers are required to have a good technique against any type of bowlers & this comes under scrutiny in such situations. If the team decides to play to win the game, the openers may not wait for the aforementioned 15-20 overs, but start playing their shots from the word go. In 2008-09, India won the Chennai test match against England, by successfully chasing down 350+ in 4 sessions (across 2 days) only because India’s Virender Sehwag attacked the English bowlers from the first over. He scored a quickfire 80+ runs to give a solid platform for the middle order (Sachin & Yuvraj) to successfully chase the target on last day. Had he failed, India would have played for a draw or even lost the game.

In limited overs, however, the openers have to attack from the first ball. There are restrictions on field placements in the first few overs, wherein only limited number of fielders can be placed near boundary, thus giving more scoring options to the batsmen. Attacking batsmen play aerial shots & score quick runs through boundaries or sixes, thereby giving a solid platform for a 300+ total (in 50-over game) & 160+ total (in 20-over game). While batting first, if these scores are crossed, it is supposed to put pressure on the team batting second and there are higher chances of winning for the team batting first. Thus, it is apparent, that more than the batting technique, it is the ability to hit big shots that becomes the pre-requisite. Ofcourse, point to be noted is that, the white ball in limited overs format swings much lesser than the red ball in test matches. Moreover, because often the bowling team starts with 2 slips, that means lesser fielders in other positions, thereby giving more scoring options. In limited overs the batsmen do not mind playing horizontal bat shots which means there are lesser chances of the ball going behind the stumps (in the hands of slip fielders or wicket keeper).

Whatever the format is, one can summarize the role of opening batsman as building the foundation for the other batsmen, thus ensuring that the team scores as many runs as possible.

Middle-order:
In older times, there was a belief that the batsman that comes in at no. 3 is often the team’s best batsman. There is some truth in that. Often it would happen that team would lose its first wicket at the start of the innings. Thus, the no. 3 batsman would have to fill in early. Generally, his role is to bat in the middle overs when the ball has gotten older. But in such rare situations, he would be facing the swinging ball in a test match. Therefore, he needed to have best technique that could help him counter any type of bowling attack & prevent further fall of wickets. He might need to defend and see-off the first few overs like an opener and then change into his original role of rotating the strike or scoring off the slower bowlers (including the spinners). The same would apply to no. 4 batsman just in case the team loses both of its openers early.

The role of the middle-order is mainly to build up on the start given by the openers (unless they have fallen early). Often the team’s success depends on how the middle order (and the lower-middle-order at times) has performed. During the late 90s or previous century and first decade of the current century, India had the strongest middle-order amongst the cricket playing nations. Much of the success by the Indian team is attributed to this quartet (Rahul, Sachin, Saurav, Laxman) as often one or more of these have performed well & stabilized the innings & built upon the starts given by the openers (mainly Sehwag in the first decade of current century). That ensured that the bowlers had enough runs to defend and then the spinners could weave their magic. In Indian sub-continent this middle-order has always been successful, but also on foreign soil they have posed quite a threat to the oppositions.

Lower middle-order:
Often in test matches, the batting side is dependent on the openers & middle-order batsman. However, there are situations when these batsmen fail or the team is playing for a draw in fourth innings. This is a crucial stage of the game & hence requires substantial effort & contribution by the lower middle-order. Generally, these are decent batsmen & can hold up the innings good enough. Often you would see all-rounders (batsmen who are decent slow bowlers or vice versa) or wicket-keepers in this group. They may not be technically as sound as the openers or middle-order batsmen but they are able to tackle the situation. These batsmen would almost perfectly fit into the category of smart-bats. As they are not technically sound enough, they would often try different tricks or innovative shots to score runs. Instead of defensive shots, they rely more on rotating the strike or hitting some unorthodox shots to get runs.

The same usually applies to limited overs format as well & the main responsibility of these batsmen is to score as many runs as possible. Since they are always-on-toes batsmen, the opposition captain often finds it little difficult to keep them restricted. He may place defensive field and these batsmen would rotate the strike, scoring in quick singles-doubles. He may place attacking field and these batsmen would be smart enough to score over-the-top of the in-field (not necessarily a six or boundary) and get runs. They also are often the finishers of the limited overs format as often the responsibility of closing the game (while chasing) falls upon this group. Their average runs per game would be lower than the top orders, but their strike rates are usually higher than 100.

Tail-enders:
Often the length of tail of the team is discussed at length, especially in test matches. This tail usually consists of specialist bowlers, often those who are not good at batting skills. The length of the tail would depend on how the team composition is and how many bowlers can’t bat. These players are usually not expected to score runs, but just hold up one end if there is a specialist batsman at other end. This is useful, when the team is trying to prolong the innings, especially when either the entire set of batsmen have failed or when the team is batting for a draw.

However, when it comes to limited overs format, when these players come to bat, they are often expected to hit big blows. Being bowlers (especially pacers), these players are strong enough to hit some big sixes (if the bat and ball connects). Often they come into play in the last 5-10 overs of the game and thus hitting big blows is already need of the hour, to get as many quick runs as possible while batting first. While batting second, it often is a matter of luck if they happen to score the winning runs, but they can atleast bring the target closer.

As you can see, the role of the batsman, though looks simple to score runs, is quite complex. More than the above things, there are different situations, conditions, opposition players, that play an important role where the batsman has to adjust accordingly. Let us look at these:
• Climate: Often the climate is affected by the rains. In such situations the ball (especially red ball in test matches) becomes a little heavier, swings more and thus batsman has to adjust the shots accordingly. Also the outfield becomes slippery and little difficult to field. A smart batsman would not really need to hit the ball for boundary, he may place the ball in gaps & rotate the strike frequently. In humid conditions (especially summer in Indian sub-continent), it is difficult to grip the ball (while bowling under lights in limited overs game); therefore batting would become relatively easier.
• Pitch: Pitches play a very important role in test matches as the match is played for 5 long days & there are no extensive repairs to the wear-and-tear of the pitch during the game. A pitch usually is good for batting for first 3 days, gradually deteriorating and becoming favorable to spinners. Sometimes, pitches become favorable to spin from as early as 2nd day (especially some pitches in Indian sub-continent). So the batsman has to adjust his skills and temperament accordingly.
• Match situation: In normal cases, the batsman follows the role of his position as discussed above. However, not always things go by the same situation. There are times when the entire batting line fails with less runs on the board, especially in test matches. In such situation, when playing in second innings, often the batsman has to employ a different approach, usually defensive. Also, when the team has to play for a draw, the most important thing is to play out the entire remaining period and not lose wicket(s). So almost every batsman in the team is expected to play with similar approach, to avoid losing wickets & losing the match.
• Opposition players: Often a batsman (settled in the team) is able to play against the same opposition & same players more frequently. However, when a new player arrives in the opposition team, especially a bowler, the batsman may not necessarily know about his skills or what the bowler is capable of. In such case, the batsman cannot simply face the bowler & attack him. He has to play cautiously & try to judge the capability / restrictions of that bowler & plan accordingly. Also the batsman has to judge the fielders, who is capable of fielding / throwing the ball faster, when to take risk of running singles / doubles, etc. He also has to judge the field placements and remember them before playing his shots.
• Non-striker: Finally, the batsman also has to understand his own team-member who is involved in the batting partnership at any given point of time. He should have a good understanding of the capabilities of the non-striker, while judging about the running between the wickets, or to allow the non-striker strike on next ball or next over. There has to be mutual trust & confidence between the two for a good partnership.

Considering the above points, it is quite a complex job. The only help is your partner to fight out the situation & the team management who could send in messages to guide the expected progress of the game plan. A seasoned batsman, who has had good experience of most situations, would be able to decipher the situation & find a way out. However, any batsman has to be constantly on learning curve, to understand, decode & solve any issue that he faces in any game. Every game could be a different learning experience & the batsman needs to learn from his past experiences (even mistakes) & figure out ways for improving on his skills. As mentioned earlier, he needs to develop skills according to various roles / situations, as the team management could choose upon moving him across the batting order depending on the need. A seasoned opener could be asked to move down the batting order to accommodate a better opener or to help the team through difficult situations (if the middle-order or lower middle-order is weaker) or the reverse could also happen.