Having watched the near 47-year-old Brad Hogg play most of his seven Tests, 123 ODIs, and 15 T20s with his left-arm chinamen deliveries, and batting left handed, last night at the WACA he was signing autographs right-handed.
That came from left-field, and made me think of other switches that are meaningful.
Rod Marsh and Mark Taylor were heavy-hitting left-handed batsmen who couldn’t play golf left-handed if their life depended on it.
Both are right-handed golfers, and in their heyday boasted single figure handicaps.
Former England captain Brian Close was a left-handed batsman, and right-arm bowler.
But his golf bag was half and half with left and right handed clubs – playing off five left-handed, and six right-handed.
He was never stymied.
Both Martina Navratilova and Rafael Nadal became the greatest left-handed tennis players of all-time, but both were, and are, natural right-handers in every other endeavour.
Yet Martina won 18 Slam singles and Nadal 16 that includes a record ten at Roland Garros.
Margaret Court and Ken Rosewall were natural lefties as kids, but were changed because it was thought “unnatural” at the time to be left-handed.
Little wonder both had magnificent backhands with Margaret going on to win a record 24 Slam singles, while ‘Muscles’ won eight Slams but was ineligible for 40 while he was a pro, and the sport amateur.
It would be fair to say he would have won at least 20 Slams if there was an even playing field.
Right-hander Maria Sharapova has won a career Slam, but is a natural left-hander.
Phil Mickelson is the greatest left-handed golfer in history with five majors, and a record six time runner up at the US Open, but in every other way he’s very much right-handed.
Former Masters champion Mike Weir is the same.
On the other side, current Masters champion Sergio Garcia is right-handed on the course, but signs his autographs left-handed.
Champion boxers Marvan Hagler, Oscar de la Hoya, and Manny Paquiao were natural right-handers in everything else they did, but boxed left-handed throughout their careers.
Soccer legends Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi were natural left-footed goal-scorers, but right-handed.
According to statistics, only ten per cent of the world’s population are left-handed.
Yet the current Australia Test team, fresh from regaining the Ashes, has five left-handed batsmen – David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood.
It would have been six if keeper Matt Wade hadn’t been dropped.
Former US President Ronald Reagan was ambidextrous and responsible for one of the world’s best quotes.
One of his aides said to him – “Do you realise you are the least-informed US President of all-time?”
President Reagan replied – “I didn’t know that”.
plxmn
Guest
And Ben Stokes of course...
plxmn
Guest
I've always wondered about this. Relatively recent and current Australian players who bat and bowl/throw with opposite hands that I can think of off hand are plentiful - Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden, David Warner, Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Adam Gilchrist, James Patterson... Not a bad list at all. Add Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson to that list too. Makes you wonder if (a) we should bat with the dominant hand on top; or (b) people with this ambidexterity are just naturally better sportsman.
David Lord
Expert
Hectorr, no argument from me whatsoever, "Rocket" Rod far surpasses anything Nadal can do, with the obvious exception of not winning the French 10 times. But "Rocket" won two Grand Slams, and the only one in history to do so, one as an amateur and one as a professional. In between he missed 21 Slams while he was a pro and the Slams were strictly amateur. Of those 21 Slams he missed, it would be fair to say he would have won at least 11 plus the 11 he did win, giving him a career 22 Slams, three ahead of Roger Federer, and six ahead of Nadal. Nobody, and I mean nobody, would ever match Rod Laver's 22 Slam singles titles.
Nick
Roar Guru
I'd speculate because there are very few golf coaches that are left handed, and few instructors that teach it left handed at an early age. I'm left handed and had a bit of golf instruction in my early teens but walked away because it is a notoriously difficult thing to coach someone (or learn from someone) with an opposite hand. The need for technical perfection with golf is more pronounced than other sports, and requires some good instruction.
Pope Paul VII
Guest
Interesting David. I'm totally lefthanded. Batting, bowling, throwing, kicking, writing. Useless on the right side except for catching. The stat of 10% lefties pretty much has followed my illustrious career of bush and park cricket. Only occasionally having a comrade who shares the trait. Rarely will you come across more than one if any in the opposition. There was one startling exception in the bush where the opposition had no less than 8 left hand bats! I guess the high ratio of LHBs in the Aussie and other test teams is that Left Hand batting talent rises. LH bowlers are a bit special too in my biased opinion but it's a greater struggle for them I think.
David Lord
Expert
KenW, there were six lefties in England's team - Alastair Cook, Mark Stoneman, Dawid Malan, Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad, and Jimmy Anderson. Had Ben Stokes not been under suspension, it would have been seven. And both Gary Ballance and George Garton were members of England's touring party, and both lefties. So while lefties were everywhere in the Ashes series, big tournament lefties are rare winners of golf majors. Kiwi Bob Charles, now Sir Bob Charles, was the first leftie major winner when he took out the 1963 British Open. Now 81, Sir Bob keeps breaking his age on course. Canadian Mike Weir won the 2003 Masters, and Phil Mickelson began his run of five majors with the 2004, 2006, and 2010 Masters, and added the 2006 PGA, and the 2013 Open followed by Bubba Watson's two Masters in 2012, and 2013. Just four leftties have won golfing majors. The obvious question, which I haven't the answer, is why are there so few champion left-handed golfers when there are plenty of lefties excelling in other sports?
Pope Paul VII
Guest
Was it perhaps because only right hand sticks were available for Marsh and Taylor?
DLKN
Guest
I will stand corrected, but I understand that Sir Garfield Sobers, while a left-handed bat, could bowl to a high standard with either arm, either pace or spin, and was a single-digit handicap golfer off both wings too. But he was a freak. Ian Healy - right-handed bat, right-arm bowler when called upon, but a left-handed writer. One of my brothers, not a famous cricketer, is a leftie in pretty much everything in his life, except batting and golf.
Hectorr
Guest
I suggest to you David that Laver was a better left handed player than Nadal - ?
KenW
Guest
The make-up of the Aussie test team seems to have been left-handed heavy for years. I've wondered before whether it's that the left-handers benefited by being different in the younger levels - against bowlers/batsmen who were used to playing against right-handers they had an advantage of unfamiliarity. Not suggesting it's a major factor but it might have given them an early boost getting selected and playing with higher level teammates etc.
Christo the Daddyo
Guest
I am mostly left-handed, but bat (and play golf) right-handed. Curiously, the exact opposite of my father...
Christo the Daddyo
Guest
Same to you David!
Rabbitz
Roar Guru
I am surprised that in sports that require such a high level of eye-hand coordination that eye dominance isn't more readily looked at. I compete is sports where eye dominance makes a significant impact. Sadly I am right-handed in pretty much every thing I do - but I am left-eye dominant. This has resulted in me having to make a number of adaptions and form modifications over the years - much to the detriment of my score cards.
Brett McKay
Expert
We've had this conversation before actually David, and you nearly spat your drink out when I told you I hit my irons and woods right-handed, but putt left-handed! And that I batted left-handed despite being right-handed at everything else I do. I still don't really know why I batted LH, but golf was a conscious decision by 15yo me: right-handed was just more comfortable, though the LH putting stroke was more closer aligned to my LH batting stance. (I also swing an axe left-handed, and that remains a total mystery why that is...) And a Happy New Year indeed!
David Lord
Expert
Happy New Year Brett, have you noticed how many of the world's top golfers these days do exactly what you have suggested? The right-handers grip the top of the putter with the right, the lefties the opposite. I've tried it, but it was so damn uncomfortable and unnatural I immediately gave it the flick.
David Lord
Expert
HH, but that doesn't explain Rod Marsh and Mark Taylor batting left-handed at Test level, but playing golf right-handed. Nor Phil Mickelson being totally right-handed with everything bar a golf club in his hand. I agree with you about the schools in the 1940s changing natural left-handed writers into right-handers, but in my case it was by tying their left arm behind their backs. I thought at the time that was pretty draconian, and it really affected them. Thankfully that dreadful decision died some 60-odd years ago.
Brett McKay
Expert
There's even a train of thought among junior coaches that it makes sense for the dominant right hand to become the top hand in a left-handed grip, rather than the bottom hand in a right-handed grip...
Buk
Guest
Thank for the article - did not realise Court & Rosewall changed hands. The last line also a cracker.
Happy Hooker
Guest
There is a distinction between "one-handed" activities, and "two-handed" activities. It is very common for cricketers to be left handed batsmen, but right-handed bowlers/throwers. Warner, Khawaja and Hazlewood are all in this category. The converse is also true. In the "olden days" of course, any children showing signs of writing left-handed were quickly "encouraged" to write with their right. Nothing like a rap across the knuckles from a nun to get you writing right-handed!
David Lord
Expert
Thanks for the addition Christo, happy New Year.