7 Batsmen with Weirdest batting stance in Cricket

7 Batsmen with Weirdest batting stance in Cricket: Cricket has been a sport that has always valued tradition and ethics more than experimentation and out of the way thinking. A great degree of superficial sacredness is said to come in the way of natural and revolutionary style of play. But be that as it may, it hasn’t stopped the cricketers to have faith in their native styles and continue to stick with it. The stance of a batsman (your position and body balance prior to the delivery) has been a much talked about affair. While the coaching manual recommends the feet be about a shoulder span apart, lots of batsmen have toyed with different options to suit their game. Almost each expert has his theory, but there isn’t a single and widely acceptable stance which could be deemed better than others. Every batsman has his comfort zone and his stance is a reflection of that. Let us today look at the 7 Batsmen with Weirdest batting stance in Cricket: 1. Shivnarine Chanderpaul: Shivnarine Chanderpaul. (© FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images) Talk about the unorthodox batsmen and it’s impossible to not mention Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the former West Indian captain and middle order batsman. One of the greatest West Indies batsman of all time, perhaps behind only Brian Lara and Viv Richards, he was the lynchpin of their batting order for a long time. What made him unorthodox was his unique stance wherein he would stand with his shoulders squared and facing the square leg umpire. The stance has often been described as ugly or “crabby” like the crabs found on beaches, by commentators all over the world. Cricket experts argue that such a wide stance would leave him impervious to the late movement of the ball but the southpaw has proved with making more than 10000 Test runs that grit and determination are greater assets than flair and grace. Also Read – 7 Bowlers with the weirdest bowling actions ever 2. Ross Taylor: Ross Taylor. (Photo Source: AFP) Another player who has a very weird technique but is still very effective is Ross Taylor of New Zealand. He walks across the stumps and almost all balls are dispatched to the mid-wicket boundary or over it. A very crude method that you would usually associate with children playing on a ground. But he has been very effective in executing it. Though he has improved his off side play, most of his scoring shots still are on the on-side. His pulls and flick of the legs are particularly pleasing to the eye. 3. Kevin Pietersen: Kevin Pietersen. (© Getty Images) Another candidate for weird stance is Kevin Pietersen. He is perhaps the most unconventional batsman of the modern era. Credited with the invention of the switch hit, the shot was the centre of a lot of debate and controversy. Mind it, its not a reverse sweep. He changes the grip on the bat from a right handers grip to a left handers grip and then hits the ball over the point boundary as if sweeping over the square leg boundary. The power he generates in the shot is really amazing. He is also pretty mobile at the crease. He has scored 8,181 Test runs in 181 innings at 47.28 and 4,440 ODI runs in 125 innings at 40.73. 4. Graeme Smith: Graeme Smith. (Photo: Getty Images) Really strong through mid-wicket and the point region, Smith relied more on timing and finding the gaps rather than being technically very sound and playing conventional cricket shots. He lacked the natural elegance that most left-handers possess, but more than made up for it with his determination and grit. His stance would resemble a triangle as it got wider coming down from the grip. He had his own way and there are not many to dispute its effectiveness. Smith led South Africa for 11 years, and had a dream run as both captain and batsman. He scored 9,265 Test runs at 48.25 and 6,989 ODI runs at 37.98 in his career. 5. AB de Villiers: Ab De Villiers. (© Getty Images) His unorthodoxy stems from the fact that he does not remain stable while the bowler runs in to deliver the ball. That helps him having several shots to execute for a single delivery. While some struggle against spin others against pace, De Villiers is effective against both. From the textbook cover drives to the “switch-hit”, if there has ever been a shot played, be assured that AB can play it. His stroke play is exemplary and imaginative. A customary look at his statistics just goes to show how versatile he is as a player. 6. Eoin Morgan: Eoin Morgan. (© Getty Images) Morgan has a crouching stance which helps to generate that famous swing through mid wicket. He bends lower than most and plays particularly well off the back foot. Though it might not look all that beautiful, be assured that it is highly effective. The current ODI skipper of England is fast becoming a great limited overs player and as long as his unusual stance keeps getting him rewards, nobody should mind it. 7. Brian Lara: Brian Lara. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Often said to be the greatest player in the history, along with Sachin Tendulkar and Don Bradman, Brian Charles Lara had a bewildering feature in his batting that made his success as a batsman more astounding. In an era of heavy bats, Lara’s exceptionally high back lift should have made him vulnerable to full length deliveries. Yet, Lara not only judged the line and length of the ball to perfection but also the managed to precisely time his shots. From Shoaib Akhtar to Brett Lee, Lara faced the best of pacers and conquered them all despite the apparent “flaw” in his batting. Clearly some batsmen are a cut above the rest. Also Read – Fastest Double Hundreds In ODIs