Roar reader Margaret Ward wanted to learn about cricketers who score runs right-handed but deliver the ball left-arm, or vice-versa.
I would request that Roarers add to the list, as research on such a complex subject spanning three centuries cannot be flawless.
During the Twenty20 International against India at the Sydney Olympic Park in February, Australia’s dashing left-hand opening batsman David Warner switch-hit spinner Ravi Ashwin for a six. The ferocity of the right-hand smash took the Indian fielders and the 60,000 spectators by surprise.
Is Warner ambidextrous – someone who can bat both left and right-handed? He is not. But there have been at least 316 ambidextrous cricketers in the 135 year history of Test cricket.
Let me start with Australian captain Michael Clarke, a right-hand bat and left-arm spinner.
What a super Test baptism for him against India! In his Test debut at Bangalore in October 2004, he scored a blazing 151, adding 167 runs with Adam Gilchrist. Then in the Mumbai Test, a month later, he used his left-arm spin to devastating effect to capture 6 for 9.
It’s not always black and white nor left or right when it comes to cricketers’ dexterity.
Champion Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar bats and bowls right-handed but signs autographs left-handed and plays table tennis both right and left-handed. Master bats Brian Lara of the West Indies and Australia’s Mark Taylor bat left-handed but bowl and write with the right hand. Taylor also plays golf right-handed.
The West Indies greats Clive Lloyd and Alvin Kallicharran and England’s elegant David Gower batted left-hand but write with their right-hand. And Australia’s left-hand legend Adam Gilchrist plays tennis right-handed.
As an occasional spin bowler, Pakistan’s prolific right-handed batsman Hanif Mohammad could bowl right-arm and left-arm. Against Somerset at Taunton in 1954, he reverted to left-arm spin to claim his maiden first-class wicket, clean bowling Roy Smith.
And for sheer inconsistency, have a look at Zimbabwe’s Flower brothers. Grant batted right-hand and bowled right arm, Andy batted left-hand but bowled right-arm when he did not keep wickets.
By my research, there have been 316 ambidextrous Test cricketers (143 right-hand batsmen, left-arm bowlers and 173 left-hand bats, right-arm bowlers). Of these England and Australia have produced the most; England 79 (41 and 38) and Australia 52 (18 and 34).
No, Clarke does not make the list, having scored 5909 runs but taken only 24 wickets in 80 Tests.
One can make a strong Test XI from the above. In batting order you might have Gayle, Mankad, Mackay, Worrell (captain), Shastri, Hadlee, Klusener, Gregory, Matthews, Rhodes and Ambrose. This does leave us with the problem of who would be wicket-keeper. The reserves would be: Zaheer, Raja and Giles.
Ambrose and Gregory would open the attack, then Hadlee, Worrell and spinners Rhodes, Mankad, Matthews and Shastri.
“What makes cricketers ambidextrous?” Margaret Ward asks. I have no answer. Perhaps Roarers can help!
steven McGlinn
Guest
What about I think it was A. E. Trott of the 19th century. who bowled with either hand and batted both left and right handed with similar batting and bowling averages for each hand. Apparently when he first toured England he came out to bat after lunch batting left rather than right handed as he did before lunch. Confused the bowling side no end. Imagine setting the field for him. Usually batted or bowled for whole game as either left or right handed and never switched but often did between games.
Tony
Guest
Dominant hand is best at top of bat so right handed batting is actually left handed. Not ambidextrous.
Tauheed Ahmad
Guest
Here are some 2017 cricketers I know that bat and bowl with different hands: - Ben Stokes (Bats Left, Bowls Right) - Moeen Ali (Bats Left, Bowls Right, Plays Golf with Right) - Thisara Perera (Bats Left, Bowls Right) - Liam Dawson (Bats Right, Bowls Left) - Faheem Ashraf (Bats Left, Bowls Right) - Stuart Broad (Bats Left, Bowls Right) - James Anderson (Bats Left, Bowls Right) - Tymal Mills (Bats Right, Bowls Left) - David Warner (Bats Left, Bowls Right) - Vishwa Fernando (Bats Right, Bowls Left)
tanmay nms
Guest
dont forget SOURAV GANGULY
Atawhai Drive
Guest
We dealt with this issue pretty thoroughly nine months ago, Rob.
rob cook
Guest
Surely you are misusing the word "ambidextrous"? I bat right-handed and bowl/write left-handed, but I am not ambidextrous. If I was, I'd be able to bowl with both hands, or bat both left- and right-handed. Is there a suggestion that any of the 316 players mentioned can do this?
Kersi Meher-Homji
Guest
Very interesting, Ritam. I learn new things everyday.
Ritam
Roar Rookie
Great read Kersi. What's interesting about Warner is that when he started out, his coach (who initially was also one of my coaches at high school) told him to bat right-handed, because he was apparently more technically correct in that manner. But left-handedness felt better to him and so he stuck with it. He also apparently used to open the bowling with leg-spin, playing three age groups up as a youngster..!
Kersi Meher-Homji
Guest
Chop, In response to your question: Were any of the other 6 to score a century and a hat trick in Test cricket ambidexterous? Only two, Briggs and Broad. John Briggs (England) was a right-hand bat and slow left-arm orthodox. Wasim Akram (Pak): LH Bat, LA fast Abdul Razzaq (Pak): RH Bat, RA fast-medium Harbhajan Singh (Ind): RH Bat, RA off-spinner Irfan Pathan (Ind): LH Bat, LA fast-medium. Stuart Broad (Eng): LH Bat, RA fast--medium. So the onlyambidextrous (cross-dextrous) in this group (Test centurions and hat-trick takers) are from England.
Ben D.
Roar Rookie
LOL re "This is to be verified." but the fact that "everyone" knows that about Wikipedia makes people skeptical of all sources and that is an EXTREMELY good thing. This "due diligence" is why Australian banks did not fail in the financial crisis. The Australian public know there's no bank deposit insurance from the government and thus Aussies watch their banks very closely and thus the banks take far fewer risks because there's no moral hazard caused by the government trying to take the risk away by promising bail-outs. Forgive my digression on to Austrian School (eg Ron Paul and Peter Schiff) Economics but I am praising Australian common-sense here. :)
Kersi Meher-Homji
Guest
Sri Lanka's classy batsman Kumar Sangakkara is also an ambidextrous cricketer; oops -- cross-dextrous as he bats left-handed and bowls right-arm (when he does not keep wickets). According to Wikipedia, Sangakkara is genuinely ambidextrous as he can bat both left-handed and right-handed. This is to be verified.
Ben D.
Roar Rookie
Americans hold their knife in their left hand because it was seen as less threatening in wild west saloons. Also when cutting a piece of meat, all the fork hand is doing is holding the meat still while the knife does the delicate part. Do right handed American surgeons hold the knife in their right hand? ;) I hope so.
Kersi Meher-Homji
Guest
That's very interesting, Pat Rodgers. Thanks. It's getting wierder and wierdererer!
Bayman
Guest
Sheek, It gets wierder..... Since having this conversation with Kersi I have begun to pay more attention to what I do left and right-handed. One odd thing - if I pour a glass of wine from a bottle to the glass I must hold the glass in my left hand and pour with my right. Otherwise it just feels wrong. Once the glass is full, and it's time to drink, I put down the bottle and transfer the glass to my right hand. As for the knife and fork I believe I'm "normal" - fork in the left hand, knife in the right. My youngest daughter's natural instinct is to use the fork in her right hand and the knife in her left. In all other activities she is a "pure" right-hander. Personally, I just blame God!...............and my daughter's mother, of course!
Bayman
Guest
Margaret, I often wondered about this hockey requirement to play the game right-handed. Brian Booth, a former hockey Olympian and Test cricketer, batted right-handed - and played hocket right-handed since there is no option - but writes left-handed. It was this observation of Brian that made me wonder how those who are "pure" left-handed feel playing hockey where the are forced to play right-handed. I don't know the answer, by the way.
Bayman
Guest
Kersi, Yes, I'd be happy for Viswanath to be in the "short" team. Not to mention Hanif Mohammad. I guess the real question is "Where's the cut-off point regarding height?" Below which height for the "short" team and above which height for the "tall" team? I was surprised, for example, how tall Wasim Akram was in the press room. I'd always thought of him as just six foot but he's much taller than that. Is Michael Slater too tall for the "shorts"?
Margaret
Guest
I have read that in Warner's junior playing days he experimented batting, bowling and throwing with both hands. If he had persisted he would have been a genuine ambidextrous player.
Chop
Guest
Ben D Dave Warner bats left handed (mostly) and bowls right arm leggies. so would qualify as cross-dextrous. I'd be interested to see him bat properly as a righty because he could probably do that as well.
Ben D.
Roar Rookie
From Wikipedia "Cross-dominance, also known as mixed-handedness, mixed dominance, or hand-confusion, is a motor skill manifestation where a person favors one hand for some tasks and the other hand for others. For example, a cross-dominant person might write with the left hand but throw primarily with the right. Ambidexterity is a well-known but rare variant of cross-dominance, but cross-dominant people may also be left or right-handed rather than ambidextrous."
Ben D.
Roar Rookie
Some cross-dextrous players playing now: Michael Clarke is lefthanded and bats tophanded. He throws and bowls left-arm. Michael Hussey throws and bowls righthanded. Dave Warner is also righthanded and he bowls legspin. Narine bats lefthanded. The left-arm spinner Samit Patel bats right-handed.