JOE ROOT: HOW TO... COMBAT LEFT-ARM QUICKS

HAVING TROUBLE FACING LEFTIES? THE BEST IN THE BUSINESS SHARES SOME WISDOM...

Adjust your set-up

There are slightly different things to do in your set-up, to nullify the angle and confront the challenges left-arm seamers pose. Generally against right-arm bowlers I will stand on middle stump, keep my stance quite neutral, to open up both sides of the wicket. Against left-arm-over bowlers my back foot will go slightly further across covering middle and off and my left foot will open up slightly with my shoulders to align my body with where the ball is coming from.

Leave it!

Moving slightly further across in the stance helps in being able to leave the ball if you think the nick-off is the most likely way of getting out. You know that for anything outside the line of your right eye you do not have to play at. You can get in a good position and cover the stumps with your pads and let the ball go and take out any uncertainty in the delivery.

Play straight

Also from that position if I see the ball is slightly wider and full I am still looking to hit it back as straight as possible. Early on in my innings I try and make sure that, unless it is short, I am looking at wide mid-off as the widest you want to hit it, making sure I use the full face of the bat. Because of the left-armer’s angle, if you are looking to hit it squarer it does sometimes squirt off the face or take the edge. 

Gaps on the legside

With that slightly open stance if you are looking to play as straight as possible and the ball swings in you are in a good position to roll your wrists over the ball and access the legside. As long as you present the full face it is OK if the ball swings in. It might come off the inside edge but you do not have to hit if off the middle to score runs. There are so many gaps on the legside. You might be looking to hit it through midwicket but if you do not quite get it that’s OK because you will probably get runs through square leg. It might not be the perfect shot but you are trying to sneak as many as you can. That is the art of batting. Whenever someone scores big they are not going to hit everything out of the middle. Having those expectations can sometimes frustrate and restrict you.

Be a realist

If you play and miss that can be a good thing because you have played the line of the ball and it deviated. People are allowed to bowl good balls.  As long as you are trying to play as late as possible with your head right over the line you can stay in control. And if you are presenting the full face and the angle causes it to slide off the outer half it might go through the covers and you get your reward there.   

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