Your Cricket Playing the wristy flick shot

[TumTum]

Can anybody here play that shot to perfection?

This is the most difficult shot for me. I have worked countless hours trying to get it just right but I still miss plenty of them.

I can push the ball to the on-side quite easily (and safely) but I want to hit boundaries from any ball on my pads.

What is the correct technique?

 

[Cricketman]

IMO this is something you are just born with. It is what makes someone like Laxman sooo good to watch.

It's just timing.

 

[ZoraxDoom]

I play it well. You need to lean into the ball, swing your arms down, whip your wrists and shift all your weight into the shot.

I do the same for full balls on the offstump. But I'm not that wristy, few of my friends are just glorious with their wrist work.

 

[TumTum]

I can play balls on leg stump easily, but what I can't do is play the same shot from off-stump.

I get myself cramped up attempting it and miss it completely, so I just play the straight drive off those balls.

 

[ZoraxDoom]

Yea, I suck at offside too.

I have to make the choice - press forward and be able to hit through the offside, but suck against the short ball, or stay steady and hit the short balls well, but screw up full and on offstump

But legside's fairly easy in general.

 

[TumTum]

LOL I meant I can't flick balls to the on-side from the off-stump.

 

[pcfan123]

This might be awful advice but what works for me is to almost lean forward until your close to overbalanced when the ball gets to you and the ball hitting the bat will stop your fall.

does that make sense? Start leaning forward and into the ball and use the contact of bat and ball to be the apex of how far forward you lean.

 

[TumTum]

lol no it doesn't But I will take your advice and try to lean forward more.

 

[ZoraxDoom]

LOL I meant I can't flick balls to the on-side from the off-stump.

Aha.

Well yea, I can't do that, Best bet is to lean forward and play over your pads, but that's a bad technique really.

 

[Cricketman]

It's an LBW waiting to happen.

 

[SciD]

Practice on pitch which has low bounce. You will get it.

 

[TumTum]

It's an LBW waiting to happen.

In my case it has happened many times already :laugh

 

[pcfan123]

then perhaps just admit you wont be able to play that shot and try to drive it in front of square on the onside side instead.

 

[McLOVIN]

Just play with a damn straight bat. Play it on the 'V'. You aint no subcontinental player. You arernt suppose to be wristy. Just play straight, specially if you are young, and still learning to play cricket shots. One thing will lead to another, and you will be one of the best cross bat player, and you dont want that. Trust me.

 

[Cricketman]

or just go for the ugly cross bat heave, that always seems to work!

I was mucking around in the backyard and tried to play the McCullum sweep-over-the-keeper (that thing where he collapses and takes yorkers for six straight back behind him) by throwing balls down at my toes myself (no cricket friends FTL).

I miscued and hit myself in the face.