A Guide to Improving your Cricket Batting

Every apprentice is interested in becoming a great cricketer. Below are tips and tricks from that you need to know as a beginner who wants to be great at the sport. The three most important things when it comes to playing cricket are batting, bowing, and fielding. For you to become a great batsman, pay attention to the tops below:

Stand sideways

You should stand facing the bowler with the feet shoulder-width apart. Use your hips to bend the body and make sure the back is straight. When you have your bat ready, have your non-dominant shoulder pointing towards the bowler, and always have your eyes on the ball. You should never put your shoulders down and it needs to be at eye level every time. For right-handed people, stand on the right side of the stump. Left-handed people should stand on the right side. If you want more inspiration then read this piece from Sportsuncle.

Holding the bat

You should hold it tight. If you’re right-handed, then you need to use your left hand to hold the end of the bat, and the right-hand needs to be at the top of your left hand. Make sure you are holding the bat with 2 fingers and the thumb. The forefinger and thumb need to be in a good position and tightly gripped. For left-handed batsmen, the opposite is true. Your hands have to be close to each other so that the paddle feels more comfortable in the hand.

Distance between stump and bat

Have a line that starts from the middle wicket to your field. This is going to help you be sure of the wicket position as you bat. Use the end of the bat to draw the line and make sure that the line is parallel to the middle wicket. The line is known as the guard line. If you are practicing indoors, you can use tape to draw.

Tapping the bat on the ground line

Tapping on the guard line lets the bowler know that you are ready to bat. When tapping the ground, be careful not to do it too hard. To maintain body form, you need to straighten the bat as much as possible.

Swinging backward momentum

As the ball comes towards you and you are about to hit it, keep the lead leg forward and then swing back your bat for speed. When you lift the bat, make sure it points directly into the air and comes up to the back shoulder. For low balls, go ahead and hit it. For the high balls, step on the blackboard. Always keep your forearm lined up with your shoulders when lifting your bat to hit the ball.

Eyes on the ball

Your eyes should always be on the ball. Following till the ball is pitched is important because you can figure out the position you need to take when hitting the ball. Think about the shot that is going to be hit when the ball is coming. If it is pitched in a sweet place, you can take a long shot, but if it is too low or too high, take a defensive shot. This is an important thing you need to remember and follow as a cricketer.

Swinging the bat downward

When the ball bounces, hit it by pushing your bat down. Put your lead leg forward with the elbow facing the bowler. Follow with the bat so you can hit as much of the ball as possible. This is the most common batting technique and it is known as a straight drive.