The game of cricket took a shift in its batting style when the white-ball format was introduced. Batsmen have become more creative and daring ever since T20 cricket was launched, bringing about shots previously unimaginable. Let’s look at nine of the most innovative cricket shots ever seen.
9. The ABD sweep
AB de Villers’ agility and quick thinking are unmatched. His go-to move is his trademark sweep, where he fusses across to the offside and throws off the bowlers by revealing his stumps. For a full or good-length delivery, he then crouches low and delivers an outstanding sweep shot over fine leg or square leg.
8. Marillier hit
Doug Marillier is widely credited as the originator of the ramp shot, also known as the Marrillier shot. This scoop shot involves a batsman flicking the ball up and over the keeper and the fielder stationed at fine leg.
7. The Switch hit
A switch hit in cricket is a powerful and confident shot that involves switching one’s stance from a right-hander to a left-hander, or vice-versa, just before the bowler delivers the ball. Its name perfectly describes the trick it entails.
6. The Paddle sweep
A sweep is a cricket shot played with the batting blade swung across the body to hit a low, bouncing, and turning ball. A paddle sweep involves hitting the ball with an extended, stationary, or nearly stationary bat toward the fine leg.
5. The Uppercut
The dynamic opening pair of Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag played the upper-cut shot in cricket with fantastic finesse. It is hit towards the third man area when there is extra bounce, and the ball is pitched outside the off stump.
4. The Reverse sweep
The reverse sweep shot in cricket is a cross-batted stroke played opposite to the regular sweep, sending the ball toward an offside position such as a backward point or third man. This technique can be used in any of the three formats and is an effective way to counter-spin and pace bowling.
3. The reverse ramp shot
In a Big Bash T20 cricket match, Brisbane Heat and Melbourne Stars faced off with Dan Christian standing on the offside. Christian decided to play a revolutionary reverse ramp shot, an unprecedented move that was so extraordinary that it could not be described in detail due to it having been played only once in cricket.
2. Dil-scoop
The stroke is executed by bending or kneeling, then hitting the ball, delivered either short or long. The shot is symbolic in that it goes over the keeper’s head and is meant to reach the boundary right behind the keeper.
1. Helicopter shot
The helicopter shot in cricket, an invention of the renowned Captain Cool, has gone down in history as one of the most famous shots in the Indian subcontinent. Even from a young age, Dhoni was known for his mastery of this stroke, which involves flicking a yorker or full-length delivery over the leg side and finishing with a dramatic overhead bat twirl.
