Before embarking on the West Indies’ 2001/2002 tour of Sri Lanka, where Muttiah Muralitharan stood in wait, Brian Lara approached Sir Garfield Sobers for advice.
Among other things, the great man suggested to him that he should play the spinner “back to where he was coming from.” In other words, Sobers told him to play against the spin.
Lara went on to score 688 runs at an average of 114.66 in the three-Test series. And while it is impossible to say how much Sobers’ advice contributed to his success, it is reasonable to assume that it didn’t hurt.
Could this therefore mean that this is not the great sin against the batting gods that it has been made out to be? Could playing against the spin be ok?
Cricket commentators are often heard chastising batsmen for such ungrammatical batting. This is always seen as dangerous and inadvisable: the right-handed batsman, for example, is encouraged to play the ball turning in from off onto the leg-side.
Hitting such a delivery back to off is to court danger. And pity the unfortunate batsman who gets out flouting this precept.
Commentators and analysts often look askance at batsmen playing an off-break to cover and coaches are often seen berating players for playing in such a manner. Pitchvision.com is a highly regarded website, offering useful tips on cricket, and it features elite players giving instructions on technique. It dispensed this bit of counsel:
“If the ball is turning in (off spin to a right handed batsman); the best areas to score are between mid off and midwicket. If you keep an open body position with your hips towards the target area the swing of the bat can be straight. It’s safe because you are accounting for the ball turning back into you (playing with the spin)…Driving wide on the offside is more dangerous because you are playing against the spin.”
It then goes on to say that the best scoring areas for deliveries turning from leg is between straight down the ground and cover.
Nothing out of the ordinary there. In fact, most cricket aficionados would agree. But if you really think about it, playing with the turn might just be more dangerous than playing against it. Consider this: to play the off-spinner to the leg side, in the direction that the ball is spinning is to play across the line.
Hitting him back onto the offside, however, is to meet the ball with more of the face of the bat, and thus a safer way to play. In presenting the full face to the ball the batsman gives himself the greatest chance of finding the middle of the bat.
In his book Behind The Shades, Duncan Fletcher, current Indian cricket coach but then with England, tells of an incident, also in Sri Lanka, where Graham Thorpe was trying to decode Muralitharan.
With Thorpe being a left-hander, Murali’s stock delivery would have been turning into him from leg.
Thorpe’s initial theory, based on previous advice, was that he needed to close himself off in his stance and look to hit the ball through the offside, even though, as we said, Muralitharan was pitching the ball on or outside the leg stump.
He told him to think about how he could hit the ball back where it spins from, hitting a straight ball with a straight bat.
The answer was to open up his stance and hit the ball to the leg side with a straight bat. That might seem like hitting against the spin to the old-timers, but the laws of geometry will back me up to prove that he was, in fact, playing a straight ball.
The advice Fletcher gave Thorpe is therefore similar to that which Sobers offered to Lara. And if their success against the Sri Lankan master is anything to go by, the advice seemed to have been very helpful.
What this means is that batsmen, over the years, might not have been well served by this long accepted method of negotiating spin bowling that has been passed down for generations.
Perhaps, therefore, coaches should no longer frown when they observe batsmen playing against the spin.
Garfield Robinson
Roar Pro
Well said.
Rob from Brumby Country
Guest
I always felt that the key to playing well against spin-bowling was good footwork. Good spinners generally have enough variation to force you to play both with and against the spin if you want to be able to score. Restricting yourself to a single approach not only strangles your scoring, but it allows the bowler to build up a rhythm against you and increases your chance of playing a false shot. But if your footwork is good, you have the advantage of being able to quickly get into position to play any shot. Getting to the pitch requires good judgment of the flight, but if you can do it you take the spin out of the equation. Even getting a good stride forward with a toe anchored behind the crease is better than sitting back and letting the spinner come to you.
Neuen
Roar Rookie
When you sweep it’s safer to hit against the spin. You are hitting into the ‘final’ line of the ball, in other words, the line the ball is going to take until it hits your bat, as opposed to a line going (infinitely far) away from your bat as the ball spins away.
Dcnz
Guest
This is why the lofted cover shot is one of my favourite shots ... It requires a great eye ... Precision and skill ...
Garfield Robinson
Roar Pro
I agree that driving through off means you are more likely to edge to slip or wicketkeeper. And you are right that too full or too short and it doesnt really matter. I am saying that abiding by the rule of not playing against the spin makes you more likely to edge the ball or miss it altogether. Take the example of Thorpe: Fletcher said he learnt that he should play Murali to off (being a left-hander), and he had to tell him that he really should, considering the angle, play him back to leg. But I take your points.
Bayman
Guest
Garfield, Don't forget you are talking about two of the greatest batsmen ever, Sobers and Lara. I'm sure there was a rough expectation that the foot might be somewhere near the pitch of the ball. Too full, or too short, and it doesn't much matter what the ball is doing - it's gone. Hitting against the spin has always had danger attached to it and this has been understood for a century or more. And understood for a reason. The great players, though, are different animals. As Ryan says above, most bowlers would be happy to see most batsmen play them against the spin.
Ryan
Guest
Presenting the full face of the bat is a preferable mode of batting but it also the way alot of batsman get out, hence caught behind and slips catches. No bowler really minds seeing the batsman early on driving through the covers or point because it shows he will play the shot and therefore brings in the catches, the same applies with spin bowling. When playing the offspiner through mid wicket and behind square you reduce the modes of dismissal in play. Although the chance of a leading edge is always possible, it rarely happens. If the spinner is attacking the stumps, than it surely is easier to play with the spin. If the bowler is attacking outside off, than he wants you to ultimately play against ths spin. Also, it is worth noting that when taking a off-spinner on most bastman chose to go over long-on or mid wicket, why? because its the easiest shot to time against spin bowling. I think you are over estimating the value of the full face of the bat against spin bowling. Smothering the ball and using the pace though the leg side is much a safer option. Ultimately, in my opinion playing each ball on its merits rather than consciosuly deciding how you will play will gain the best result. If the batsman is good enough player of spin it doesnt matter what they do, they can score i.e your Lara example.
Garfield Robinson
Roar Pro
I think I disagree. My point is that you stand a better chance of playing the ball if you present the full face of the bat. Working the offspinner through midwicket or behind square is riskier because it diminishes your chances of making contact. You are therefore more likely to edge the ball than if you played the ball in the direction from which it was coming. If you work out the angles it is clear that you are following the rules of good batting technique by getting behind the line.
Ryan
Guest
The general consensus that playing with the spin is the correct way to play spin bowling exists for a reason. Playing against the spin, as you mentioned opens the full face of the bat, and both edges. Yes this allows for more scoring options, but with signifant risk. When driving the ball that is floated up and hitting against the spin you bring first slip into play and other offside catching positions i.e catching cover for the slower ball, point etc. You also become more vulnerable to the wrong'un and the arm ball. So yes, you can increase your scoring options and like awesome doing so, but i would much rather be getting my runs working it through mid wicket or behind square than launching a full blooded cover drive. I dont think any spin bowler would feel uneasy with a batsmen consciously deciding to hit against the spin. Nonethless, interesting read.
Brian
Guest
I can see hwo hitting aginst would give greater scoring options but on the flip side as a basic premise if your aim is to you use your bat to deviate the ball form hitting the stumps that is going to be easier helping it the way it is spinning rather than trying to change its direction. Anyway interesting read well done
TheGenuineTailender
Roar Guru
Playing against the spin actually means you've got greater bat surface area exposed to the ball and therefore makes perfect sense. When coached properly, the tactic can be highly effective. I actually read a coaching article on PitchVision titled, "playing against the spin". In that particular case, it made the point that you're actually giving yourself a greater chance of hitting the ball and open up greater scoring options.