How to judge the shot to play

The batsman's job is to score as many runs as possible.

But to build an innings, a batsman needs sound judgement to work out which
deliveries to defend, leave or score off.

Even top class batsmen give their wicket away because of poor shot selection,
so it's not an easy science.

The batsman has approximately 12 shots to choose from either side of the
wicket.

So stroke selection depends on the line, length and speed of a delivery.

There are three main lines:

Off stump and outside

Middle stump

Leg stump and outside

And there are five main lengths of delivery:

Bouncer/long hop

Short of a length

Good length

Full length/half volley

Full toss

For the best chance of building an innings, a batsman needs to move their
feet backwards or forwards to get into the best position to play a stroke.

BACK FOOT STROKES

A shorter length delivery will usually be played on the back foot.

The main back foot shots are:

Hook shot

Pull shot

Square cut

Back defence

The hook, pull and square cut are cross-batted shots where the arms are fully extended for maximum power.

The hook and pull are usually played to deliveries on middle and leg stump, while the square cut is played to a ball outside off stump.

The leg glance and drive can also be played on the back foot.

FRONT FOOT STROKES
A fuller length delivery will normally be played on the front foot.
The main front foot shots are:

.Off drive
.Straight drive
.On drive
.Sweep shot
.Forward defence

The off and straight drive are played to deliveries which pitch on off stump and outside, while the on drive is played to a ball pitching around leg stump.

The sweep shot is played to a ball from a spinner pitching around leg stump and outside.

The leg glance can also be played off the front foot