da apostebet： Left-handed batsmen are considered to be very elegant and over the yearslot of them have provided enormous pleasure to cricket fans all over theworld
da jogodeouro： Woorkheri Raman10-Dec-2001Left-handed batsmen are considered to be very elegant and over the yearslot of them have provided enormous pleasure to cricket fans all over theworld. Some consider watching a left-handed batsman caress a ball to theropes the ultimate spectacle. I would not disagree with that sentimentfor obvious reasons.
David Gower
© Stamp Publicity LtdI have been tongue-tied when asked why left-handers look more elegantthan the right-handers. It has to be mentioned that not all left-handersare elegant as a rule, but the ones who are, become the people’sfavourite. David Gower, for one, made people throng to the grounds towatch him bat for he was elegance personified.Any side would like to have a left-hander in its ranks and it would be abonus if he happens to perform a dual role for his side a la AdamGilchrist. A left-right combination at the crease upsets a lot ofbowlers and frustrates captains too. Incidentally, the highest rungetter in Test cricket happens to be a southpaw in Allan Border.There is a concept that left-handers are at an advantage in relation toright-handers. Like everything else being a left-hander has itspositives and negatives. One advantage is that the bowlers are used tobowling to right-handers more often than not and hence may give scoringopportunities off the pads.Talking of the disadvantages, left-handers have to play at bowlersbowling more on their blind side. It is something similar to a bowlerbowling from round the wicket to a right-hander. Not many right-handersare comfortable when this ploy, starting right from the days of theinfamous Bodyline series, is employed.There are some exciting left-handed batsmen in world cricket these daysand they play a very important and indispensable role for theirrespective sides. Brian Lara, Adam Gilchrist and Sanath Jayasuriya, toname a few, are batsmen who give nightmares to bowlers. All three ofthem play their shots and try to dominate the attack most of the time. Iam not suggesting that they lack the discipline or the technique togrind the attack. It is just that their extraordinary talent makes themthat much more positive and successful.Gilchrist performs the role of an all-rounder for his side and therebygives enough options to his captain. His versatility is tremendous as hecan open the innings in the one-dayers and bat in the lower order inTests. Such is his capability that he has produced innumerable matchwinning knocks in both positions.
Brian Lara
© CricInfoLara, the champion batsman that he is, has been in indifferent form inthe last couple of years. One got the impression that he was fightingwith himself rather than suffering a slump because of the issues widelypublicised all over the world. At one stage there was even a danger ofthe cricketing world losing this enigmatic champion. But the way hebatted in the recent series against Sri Lankans allayed all those fearsand he showed that he has what it takes to be a real class act. Hishunger was back and he became one of those rare batsmen who had thesatisfaction of taming Muttiah Muralitharan on the latter’s home tracks.The one remarkable aspect about Lara is that once he gets going, he getsbig hundreds and double hundreds. He is the only batsman capable ofwinning a Test match on his own as he did against the Australians a fewseasons ago. It is a pity that he is not getting enough support from hiscolleagues in the top order.
Graham Thorpe
© CricInfoThe current series between England and India will be a real challengefor the two seasoned elegant left-handers, Sourav Ganguly and GrahamThorpe. Both have their share of problems to contend with and it isimperative they get into top gear. While Ganguly has been off-colour inTests the whole of this year, Thorpe has not been consistent either.Ganguly, at the moment, has to be decisive about how he is going totackle the short-pitched deliveries. He is in a dilemma as to whether toplay the pull shot or not. He is capable of playing that shot well andhas scored enough runs in international cricket to allow himself to bebullied like a rookie.Thorpe, for his part, has not done full justice to his talent. He willbe a key player for England on the turning tracks in India. Both Thorpeand Ganguly have to get big scores – one has to do more for his side’ssake and the other for his own sake. Only time will tell how theseelegant left-handers handle the pressure but one thing is for sure -left-handers can really frustrate their fans if they are not in theirbest of form.
