Hitting From Both Sides of the Wicket

Yes, cricket has some unusual terms, but it has already taken the term ‘pinch-hitter’ from baseball so I guess that ’switch hit’ will enter common usage soon enough. The reason why this was a big deal here (aside from it being the first time it had been done in a big match) is that unlike in baseball, where the batter has to elect which side of the plate to stand on, in cricket there is nothing to stop a batsman moving about as the bowler (like the pitcher) runs in and delivers the ball. The argument against being able to change from being a right handed batter to a left handed batter is that it is unfair to the bowler, who doesn’t know what to expect and, more importantly,San Francisco Giants Hats, it messes up the interpretation of some of the rules like one of the main methods of dismissal (‘leg before wicket’) and ‘wides’ (a bit like a ‘ball’ in baseball). As for ’sixes’, yes, they are like home runs in that they are shots hit out of the playing area without touching the ground. But in the grand scheme of things a ’six’ is not worth as much in a game where there will be hundreds of runs, as a home run will be in baseball. Finally, the Marylebone Cricket Club is indeed the arbiter of the rules of the game. It is a private members club established not long after you guys declared independence. To show you how it moves with the times (or not), it only recently allowed women to join the club!
The novel thing Pietersen did was to turn his stance round as the bowler ran in to bowl,Colorado Rockies Hats sale, the equivalent of a batter turning around as the pitcher winds up!
I’ve enjoyed watching the cricket in Van Cortland park in the Bronx, the players are patient with our interest in the game. What amazes me is that with so much cricket in so many New York park venues we still read so little about it. More to the point, understand so little about it. I’ll admit it just seems like to much to take on.
And Nat,Arizona Diamondbacks Hats, its far easier to pick up cricket than it is for us foreignors to pick up football!
I believe that a reverse slog sweep is not a hitting style, but rather a particular kind of stroke in which the batter faces the bowler batting right-handed, but switches at the last moment into a left-handed stance, right before hitting the ball. This is possible in cricket because the ball usually bounces on the ground before it’s hit. If memory serves me right, David Gower of England used to employ this stroke as well.
Also, cricketers still field the ball barehanded unlike their baseball cousins!
There have been switch hitters in cricket before, even if only because of injury.
— Damian Milverton 3. June 19, 2008 1:23 am
Link
— Chris 5. June 19, 2008 7:03 am
Link
— Billy K 9. June 19, 2008 2:18 pm
Link
— Paul, New Zealand 2. June 19, 2008 12:29 am
Link
— Anonymous 8. June 19, 2008 9:41 am
Link
Cricket’s history dates back to the 16th century, but it was not until last Sunday that the sport had its first switch hitter. In a one day victory over New Zealand, Kevin Pietersen of England hit from both the left and right sides of the wicket. One of the charms of looking at cricket from this side of the Atlantic is the confusing nomenclature of the game and they don’t let us down this time, referring to switch hitting as a “reverse slog-sweep”.
— Jason Add your comments...
XHTML: You can use these tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>
After much debate about whether Pietersen’s play was legal, the Marylebone Cricket Club (apparently the game’s arbiter) announced that it was within the rules of the game.
— Jono G 6. June 19,Atlanta Braves Hats, 2008 9:04 am
Link
By switching his stance the hitter takes a lot of the field out of the game and gets a better chance of scoring without directing the ball to a fielder.
— Nat 11. June 19, 2008 3:24 pm
Link
This show is risky but not as physically dangerous as a baseball hitter switching during the pitcher’s windup!
Mr Bierman – You’re right about a six being equivalent to a home run (although, as the name implies, it’s worth 6 runs rather than 1-4). However, a “reverse slog sweep” is when a batsman hits the ball from the “wrong” side but with his usual grip, “sweeping” the bat – and the ball – across his body; ie. the right-handed Pietersen would “sweep” from his left side, but with his right hand still below his left on the bat,NFL Snapback Hats sale, and his wrists crossed. The fuss at the weekend was that he changed his stance to that of a left-hander before the ball was delivered,Kansas City Royals Hats, the equivalent of (eg.) Jose Reyes changing sides at the plate between pitches. Come to think of it, is that allowed? Or only between separate at-bats?
A batter is out for illegal action when he steps from one batter’s box to the other while the pitcher is in position ready to pitch.

For the New Yorkers out there, Ferguson is buried in Cypress Hill Cemetery in Brooklyn if anyone wants to pay him a visit.
Your Name Required
Your E-mail Required, will not be published
Also, in baseball the pitch is being delivered to a specific location (strikezone) and the hitter is confined to a specific location (batters box) in cricket the ball can be deliveredanywhere, and the hitter can move around as freely as he wants.
Your Comment
Comments are ################## and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive. For more information,cheap Philadelphia Phillies Hats, please see our Comments FAQ.
Search This Blog
well sir, there is a major difference to your baseball analogy. Kevin Pietersen was batting right handed when the bowler (cricket’s pitcher) delivered the ball. He switched over after the ball had been delivered. Imagine same scenario in baseball with batter switching sides when the pitcher is in his windup. Unlike baseball in cricket batter can move around in the batter’s box when the ball is thrown.
When playing his shot, Pietersen would of set up to bat right handed then switched to the left side just as the bowler was going to bowl the ball
— Jonathan Job 7. June 19,San Diego Padres Hats sale, 2008 9:38 am
Link
Also, the fielders (10) are set 360 degress around the hitter. Often the field is set with up to 8 on one side of the hitter and the bowler bowls in such a way as to force the hitter to play the ball towards the fielders (similar to the way the baseball field changes for a pull hitter or comes in for the bunt).
Bowlers don’t bowl from differing hands but do and can switch from which side of the wicket!(around or over or left side/right side) they are bowling from… they must advise the umpire on this, along with what arm they are bowling from,Cheap NFL Hats, before they start to bowl…yawn
-->
Baseball Rule 606(b):
equivalent to a batter turning around while a pitcher is in the middle of his wind up…is this allowed?!
— Paul McConville 4. June 19, 2008 4:48 am
Link
In cricket bowlers (pitchers) run in and bounce the ball before it gets to the hitter. Pietersen actually changes his stance (from right to left) as the bowler runs in. This forces the bowler to adjust the ball (pitch) they are planning and may make the hitters job easier.
Pietersen is not the first to play this shot, but he did it magnificently and that seemed to get the MCC (yes they set the rules of the game) interested.
— pakistani 12. June 19, 2008 5:53 pm
Link
So it seems that you could switch sides of the plate during an at bat but not during a pitch.
Were the bowler to switch, however, he could sneek up behind the umpire and then appear on the other side, cacthing the batsman off gaurd and making it impossible for him to hit.
In terms of comparing it to a bowler not being allowed to bowl from the other side without informing the batsman, its not the same. A bowler can adjust when he sees the batsman switching positions, and bowl the ball wherever he wants. This should work at the bowlers advantage, because the batsman won’t be as steady and ready as he usually is, having just switched positions.
There are some similarities and quite a few differences between how this appears to a baseball fan versus a cricket fan.
E-mail This Print Share
Close Linkedin
Digg
Facebook
Mixx
My Space
Permalink Previous Post
Mama Said There’ll Be Days Like This Next Post
Advice for Wang: ‘Find a Hobby’ 12 Comments 1. June 18,cheap Chras Bromn Hats, 2008 10:46 pm
Link
You can’t really compare this to a batter switching to the opposite batters bax during a pitchers windup (an illegal move) as he simply has no time. In cricket, the batter can switch while the bowler is running up to bowl (pitch)
Also interesting is that the first switch hitter in baseball history was a man named, Bob “Death to Flying Things” Ferguson,Cheap Pittsburgh.Pirates Hats, who played, managed and umpired (which is an amazing trifecta) from 1845-1894. His nickname derives from his defensive prowess at snaring line drives (barehanded back then) out of the air at a time when many players did not attempt to catch a hard hit ball out of the air. As it turns out that he wasn’t the only one with that nickname. Jack Chapman, who played around the same time,Cincinnati Reds Hats,Get Hooked to Styledrops for All your Designer Sunglass Need, was the original.
Would that be legal in baseball?
Can anybody link to a decent FAQ about cricket? I’ve always been intrigued by the gents playing in Flushing Meadow Park on weekends, but find the game completely inscrutable.
The AFP reported: “MCC believes that the ’switch-hit’ stroke is exciting for the game of cricket,” said a statement issued by MCC following a meeting at it’s Lord’s headquarters in London on Tuesday. “Indeed,Cheap Chicago White Sox Hats, the stroke conforms to the Laws of Cricket and will not be legislated against.”
— Yank 10. June 19, 2008 2:57 pm
Link
<!--
And indeed “line drives” and all other manner of shots by the batsman (or batter to you diamond-minded types) are still snared bare-handed to this day by all but the equivalent of the catcher, lest anyone think cricketers have gone soft, as well as switch-hit happy.
Interestingly, one of the biggest sticking points has been the fact that bowlers (some of whom can bowl with either hand) must tell the umpire when they are switching. Also worth noting is that Pietersen hit two “sixes” from the left side, the equivalent of a home run in baseball (my cricket knowledge is spotty at best, someone please correct me if I am wrong on any of this).