Читать книгу Cricket My Way - Ian Botham, Ian Botham - Страница 12

Off side opened up more – fewer shots need to be played to leg. Leg stump

Middle or middle-and-leg Need to play more shots ‘round the corner’ which may increase risk of being out lbw.

1 Make your mark clearly.

2 Fix in your mind where your stumps are.

Sometimes, the ‘book’ needs re-writing, and nobody should be afraid of making up his or her own mind, no matter what the so-called experts say.

Another thing to remember, is that just because two batsmen take the same guard, does not mean that they stand in the same place. I always ground my bat behind my right foot, which means I am virtually standing on the line of leg stump. As I have explained, that gives me extra width to play to my off side strength, but other players toe their bat in some way from their foot. I don’t like that because they have to move more and that is not a good thing. The whole point of a guard is to help you know where your off stump is, so that you do not play unnecessary defensive strokes at wide balls.

After all, if a ball is not going to hit the stumps, what are you defending? And of course, the wider the ball, the less of the face of the bat you are able to put to it, so either go for an attacking stroke, or leave it.

The other common fault which springs from grounding the bat away from the back foot, is that it actively encourages a crooked back-lift.

Until I started to explain the basics of preparing to face the music, I never realized how much there is to get right, and I suppose I have been lucky to find so much of what I have advised came to me naturally, without me having to think too much about it. Now I am as anxious as anyone to get the innings under way, so here we go.