FEBRUARY 2014: Sangakkara masterclass

Ignore your coach: you don’t have to play straight at all times. Kumar Sangakkara, one of the finest wristy players in the game, tells you how to flex your wrists in English conditions.

“Let the ball hit the bat, don’t hit the ball”

 

Don’t be scared of third man

When the ball is moving in England I am looking to get half of my first 40 runs to this area. Not by forcing the ball down there but by playing straight and not driving, which isn’t a percentage shot at the start of your innings in England. The ball will naturally go down there with the movement if you play straight and with soft hands. Amateur players seem to get flustered if they’re not creaming drives from the start; be patient. In the sub-continent it is easy to look glorious at the crease, at the start of the English summer when the ball is moving sometimes you just have to bat ugly and see your edge as your friend. 

Playing the late cut

Try and get as close to the ball as possible and play it as late as possible. Let the ball hit the bat, don’t hit the ball. Ian Bell did it superbly in the last Ashes. He was dabbing more than cutting but did it perfectly. A lot of people think you have to make room to play the shot but it’s the opposite. Bell’s weight was going towards the ball and he was playing it under his eyes. If you try and hit the late cut you lose control of your hands and your weight goes away from the ball and catches happen behind square. If you play softly with your eyes over the ball, the late cut is a great percentage shot on all wickets, but it needs a lot of practice to get right.

Get your grip right

Very early in my career I realised I had to change my grip. I used to hold the bat like Adam Gilchrist, right at the top. I had more spring in my wrists and more power, but on difficult wickets I was losing control. I now hold the bat a lot nearer the center, but the grip changes according to game circumstances and wicket. In the early English summer, especially at the start of my innings, I will drop my hands further down the grip to get more control, moving them up again when I feel my eye is in. If you are nicking off a lot at the start of the summer, lowering the grip will give you a lot more control at the start of your innings. 

Facing the spinner

In the UK spinners generally get less turn but more drift and are at good at using the natural angles of the crease. While in the subcontinent you want to get after the spinners early, by sweeping and going down the ground, in the UK I rarely sweep before I have got to 50 unless the wicket is totally flat. With the extra bounce top-edges carry to fielders and the shot becomes hazardous. 

Finding the angles

Judging the angles to pick up singles is also harder in the UK against all types of bowlers because of the movement. You have to know where you singles are and you have to concentrate on these rather than the big shots when starting out against spinners. Captains will leave big gaps to try and lure you in to hitting there against the spin or whatever, but don’t play their game. Stick to your plans, don’t force the ball and if the wicket is moving play as late a possible.


Interview by Richard Browne