Are Pakistani Batsmen banned from playing the reverse sweep?

[Rana]

Has Misbah/Waqar put a ban on the batsmen to play this shot just like WWE have banned the pile-driver move?

The guys are clueless when the ball is turning away from them and are content with picking 4-5 runs in the over knowing that they will not score a boundary. Whereas England batsmen are bold enough to play this stroke and the switch hit to unsettle any spinner who is causing them harm, whilst picking up boundaries in the process.

Are we ever going to see any efforts to become a modern White ball cricket batting unit that knows how to deal with these situations?

[Savak]

Lol forget about the reverse sweep, no one even tried the conventional sweep to try and unsettle the spinners

[Rana]

Lol forget about the reverse sweep, no one even tried the conventional sweep to try and unsettle the spinners

Fakhar Zaman did try to hit Rashid ‘with the spin’ for a slog sweep. He was also clueless on how to deal with Moeen

[Rana]

I just feel that there is a sense of fear/caution playing this shot. As if Misbah will drop you for the next game if you get out playing this shot.

The same Misbah who thought it was sensible to ramp 45mph Joginder Sharma in the 2007 T20 final

[MenInG]

I just feel that there is a sense of fear/caution playing this shot. As if Misbah will drop you for the next game if you get out playing this shot.

The same Misbah who thought it was sensible to ramp 45mph Joginder Sharma in the 2007 T20 final

You "feel" something and then you throw an assumption about Misbah.

[Savak]

Fakhar Zaman did try to hit Rashid ‘with the spin’ for a slog sweep. He was also clueless on how to deal with Moeen

This is where having a brain, temperament and some experience, practice help dealing with the same situation. Hafeez tried the same line against Morgan but Morgan backed away from the stumps and hit the ball over cover for 4. Fakhar in comparison was so scared of getting out, he kept on being predictable by staying in the crease and made no attempt to create any sort of pressure on Moenn Ali who eventually got him.

[Rana]

I would just like an official statement from the PCB in which they clarify that the reverse sweep or any innovations cricket shot has not been barred by the management, and that the batsmen are free to play these strokes without any further repercussions from management.

These shots were normalised in white ball cricket around 2010-11, yet there is absolutely no progress to witness in the case of Pakistan batting

[silentkiller187]

Misbah being blamed for everything, if the players dont have the ability to play the shot how is that misbah fault. Name one player from our history whos played the reverse sweep comfortably.

[AAli98]

The likes of moins son Imam Masood wouldn’t get a cleaners job in any other country, & hear they are representing there national team.

So asking them to play reverse sweeps switch hits is stretching it a bit to far.

[YousafTheBeast]

Watching the players trying to sweep against the spin from outside off stump makes me want to jump off a cliff.

What are these guys practicing in the nets?

Why are our players unable to play cut shots, and when they do play the cut shot the ball crawls towards the fielders.

At least with Shoaib Malik he can play the cut shot and he can advance down the pitch against spin and not get stumped.

[Rana]

Misbah being blamed for everything, if the players dont have the ability to play the shot how is that misbah fault. Name one player from our history whos played the reverse sweep comfortably.

There isn’t one. But it’s a modern day requirement and Misbah in this day and age is our modern day coach

[Shoaibbtt]

I think best thing is for batsmen not to tinker with their style. If a player can find it easy to bring the sweep into their game fantastic it makes them that more dangerous against spin else if they play spin already without utlising the sweep shot then no biggie if they can't.

The sweep shot and reverse sweep is something Younis was really good at.

You need to stop blaming others and have players say it's on us as well.

[JibranAnsari]

they all play PSL and it should be a norm to play reverse sweeps.

[dildilpak]

I think it is a subcontinental thing - i read an interview of an Indian cricketer a few years back (i think that was Tendulkar? ) who had mentioned that his childhood coach would slap him on the back if he played a sweep/reverse sweep. Maybe because that shot is not considered proper cricket.

But i agree with the advent of T20 cricket, there is no reason why batsmen should not improvise & play regular/reverse sweep, especially Pakistan who kinda are competitive these days only in T20 cricket. But Pakistani batsmen cant think on their feet, can they?

[Major]

One of the reasons why mediocre spinners are able to dominate against Pakistan is because we dont know how to mess their line and length.

Reverse sweeps are one of those shots that help in messing the line and legth of players.

Misbau did this quite alot.


Our current lot are terrible and dont know how to play such shots.

Yesterday when usman qadir came to bowl, the english batsmen played 5 reverse shots upfront and he struggled with his line after which

[UzmanBeast]

Watching the players trying to sweep against the spin from outside off stump makes me want to jump off a cliff.

What are these guys practicing in the nets?

Why are our players unable to play cut shots, and when they do play the cut shot the ball crawls towards the fielders.

At least with Shoaib Malik he can play the cut shot and he can advance down the pitch against spin and not get stumped.

Malik may not have been the brightest player to have played for Pakistan, among a sea of others, but he sure as hell is one of our finest players of spin, perhaps one of the best we have produced.

It was incredibly foolish of us not to take him to this tour.

I will also say that shots like the reverse sweep and the paddle sweep are extremely effective when executed right, and it's a shame that we don't play such shots, because they are excellent ways to get off strike and mess with the bowler's length and line.

[OmarKhan99]

Misbah being blamed for everything, if the players dont have the ability to play the shot how is that misbah fault. Name one player from our history whos played the reverse sweep comfortably.

Misbah-ul-Haq.

Misbah even preferred reverse over the conventional sweep in Tests. There were a few other players in the past who played sweeps and reverses comfortably, and unsurprisingly they were quite strong v. spin bowling. It's only been in recent times that we've seen our batsmen being quite limited in their shots against slow bowling, and that's probably a consequence of not producing pitches that bolster quality spin bowlers in the domestics.

Coaches can only do so much. We need to embed this back into the grassroots.

[ayemgilani86]

Javed Miandad was one of the first players in the world to regularly use it

[Cpt. Rishwat]

There isn’t one. But it’s a modern day requirement and Misbah in this day and age is our modern day coach

Honestly speaking, I think that the current batsmen in our team just don't have the mental nous to play those type of shots. Their idea of playing spin is block or come down the crease and bash it. Quite noticeable that the only one to make runs yesterday was Rizwan, and he uses the conventional sweep liberally. The rest don't even do that, let alone the reverse sweep.

They are just really limited batsmen.

[Rana]

The reverse sweep isn’t a hard shot to learn

Especially when you have bowlers like Shadab and Qadir to feed you in nets. I would reverse sweep them out of Gaddafi stadium and I’m not even a pro

[Cpt. Rishwat]

The reverse sweep isn’t a hard shot to learn

Especially when you have bowlers like Shadab and Qadir to feed you in nets. I would reverse sweep them out of Gaddafi stadium and I’m not even a pro

It's different reverse sweeping Shadab and Qadir in the nets to doing it against a top international team in front of a packed stadium in England. For all we know these guys just aren't used to dealing with pressure or even decent spin bowling. Looking at how they bat like headless chickens I would put it down to weak mentality rather than instructions from Misbah.

[Rana]

It's different reverse sweeping Shadab and Qadir in the nets to doing it against a top international team in front of a packed stadium in England. For all we know these guys just aren't used to dealing with pressure or even decent spin bowling. Looking at how they bat like headless chickens I would put it down to weak mentality rather than instructions from Misbah.

They wouldn’t even try it in an empty stadium against Zimbabwe

[Mamoon]

Misbah was an excellent player of the reverse-sweep and used it liberally and yet, he is being accused of banning the batsmen from playing it.

OP is once again showing his intelligence and insight.

[Rana]

Misbah was an excellent player of the reverse-sweep and used it liberally and yet, he is being accused of banning the batsmen from playing it.

OP is once again showing his intelligence and insight.

So why are his players incapable of playing it under him? Apparently Misbah is as good as Travor Bayliss according to you

[KyoOne]

Misbah sure has not banned it, but being a coach for a while (and a batting coach as well for large part of 2 years) he should have pushed for several players to have well practiced reverse sweeps and switch hits.

It seems that the only thing they do for 2, 3 weeks before tour is just Waqar-inspired running drills and random net sessions without any plan.

[Rana]

According to Mamoon:

-Misbah and Waqar are elite standard coaches

-If Misbah and Waqar are coaching India/England/Australia/ South Africa and New Zealand, they would make sure these teams rank no.1 in all 3 formats. This is because these countries have the talent, they have the skills and players that will take them to those rankings. Misbah and Waqar will only polish them further.

-The reason why Pakistan cannot replicate the same skills under these two coaches is because they have zero talent and skill as a nation. It is not the coaches fault

*this is why this guy is constantly refused a visa to settle abroad. There is clearly something wrong with him and he cannot get a clearance from a psychological evaluation board!

[Savak]

Misbah was an excellent player of the reverse-sweep and used it liberally and yet, he is being accused of banning the batsmen from playing it.

OP is once again showing his intelligence and insight.

😂😂 Misbah was amateur at any form of sweeping. The only real shot he played with authority was the slog sweep and even then he succembed too it many times

[shamaan]

I think the players are not comfortable playing the reserve sweep/sweep.
Only Rizwan tried playing the sweep.

[shamaan]

Lol forget about the reverse sweep, no one even tried the conventional sweep to try and unsettle the spinners

Rizwan did try but kept finding the fielder.

[Walawalkar]

Looks like for all the problems in Pakistan cricket there are only two culprits
Mohammad Rizwan and Misbah ul Haq

[ishtiaq_ctg]

You need ability to play the reverse sweep. Why would a coach ban the shot if the batsman is brilliant at it. Also reverse sweep isn't a requirement in playing spinning ball effectively. Shewag was One of the greatest spin bashers of all time and i never seen him play a reverse sweep. He was a brutal at cutting the spinners even from middle to leg stump line. Cutting along with sweep is probably the greatest weapon a batsman can have in playing spin.

[Rana]

Looks like for all the problems in Pakistan cricket there are only two culprits
Mohammad Rizwan and Misbah ul Haq

You hit the nail on the head. Glad you caught on.

[Mesozoic]

This is like asking "Are Indian batsman banned from playing well in swinging conditions?" or "Is the Pakistani team banned from winning or drawing a Test in Australia? "

When you can't, you just can't.

[YorkshireTrust]

Fakhar has been out many times after being set playing the reverse sweep or them lap sweep shot he plays. they may have told him to put them shots away and do go for the conventional slog sweep which he did play well against Rashid.

[Rana]

This is like asking "Are Indian batsman banned from playing well in swinging conditions?" or "Is the Pakistani team banned from winning or drawing a Test in Australia? "

When you can't, you just can't.

I don’t think Indian batsmen can ever learn how to play in swinging conditions. Or their bowlers can learn how to bowl above 90mph

But I do think Pakistani batsmen can learn how to play the reverse sweep

[Mesozoic]

I don’t think Indian batsmen can ever learn how to play in swinging conditions. Or their bowlers can learn how to bowl above 90mph

But I do think Pakistani batsmen can learn how to play the reverse sweep

Good for you.

[freelance_cricketer]

That sort of finesse can only be expected from a player of Big 3 or Greater 5

[Titan24]

None of the English players other than one or two were natural at it however, the rest knew to become part of this Eng setup they need to have this shot in their armoury. They worked hard on it and practiced the execution.To follow the brand of cricket Eng plays they need multiple shots against each type of bowlers including spinners and reverse sweep is one of those.

Not many teams are as prepared to take the attack to the opposition as Eng. Sub continental teams in general try to rely on conventional sweeps more than reverse sweeps with obviously exception of few players. Its not impossible and players need to be willing to put in the hard yards and they will be able to execute that in the matches as well.

[hoshiarpurexpress]

Need Jazba, Daleri and Tagda dil to execute these shots.
Not sure how many in Pakistani team, if they get out executing this shot will repeat this again due to fear of failure.

[Rana]

Need Jazba, Daleri and Tagda dil to execute these shots.
Not sure how many in Pakistani team, if they get out executing this shot will repeat this again due to fear of failure.

I see, thats why the Indian batsmen dont play it either

[hoshiarpurexpress]

I see, thats why the Indian batsmen dont play it either

Jazba and Daleri is only associated with one team.
Just that they lack such players now.

But I guess you did not watch Pant play a reverse sweep to Anderson in a test match, or KL Rahul reverse sweep in T20is and ODIs.

But you get to watch Azams/Sharjeels hoicks, so not missing much.

[Rana]

Jazba and Daleri is only associated with one team.
Just that they lack such players now.

But I guess you did not watch Pant play a reverse sweep to Anderson in a test match, or KL Rahul reverse sweep in T20is and ODIs.

But i guess you get to watch Azams/Sharjeels hoicks, so not missing much.

So Indian batsmen have Jazba and Daleri and Pakistani players dont?

[hoshiarpurexpress]

So Indian batsmen have Jazba and Daleri and Pakistani players dont?

we don't need Daleri and Jazba to continue to be top 3 team in world rankings.
That is reserved only for your team. But currently, everyone is playing out of fear in current Pakistani team, hence no inventive shots of modern t20.

[Rana]

we don't need Daleri and Jazba to continue to be top 3 team in world rankings.
That is reserved only for your team. But currently, everyone is playing out of fear in current Pakistani team, hence no inventive shots of modern t20.

But you should use it when you are in an ICC final or semi final.

[hoshiarpurexpress]

But you should use it when you are in an ICC final or semi final.

Well your current coach tried such a dinky shot in a final and look how it ended up for him.

[Rana]

Well your current coach tried such a dinky shot in a final and look how it ended up for him.

He isnt of the Jazba and Deleri brand.

[sweep_shot]

Only batsmen who may play the shot effectively are Babar and Rizwan.

Others don't seem technically sound to pull it off.

[Rana]

Only batsmen who may play the shot effectively are Babar and Rizwan.

Others don't seem technically sound to pull it off.

The switch hit is easier to play than the reverse sweep actually.

[Cpt. Rishwat]

None of the English players other than one or two were natural at it however, the rest knew to become part of this Eng setup they need to have this shot in their armoury. They worked hard on it and practiced the execution.To follow the brand of cricket Eng plays they need multiple shots against each type of bowlers including spinners and reverse sweep is one of those.

Not many teams are as prepared to take the attack to the opposition as Eng. Sub continental teams in general try to rely on conventional sweeps more than reverse sweeps with obviously exception of few players. Its not impossible and players need to be willing to put in the hard yards and they will be able to execute that in the matches as well.

Spot on. England players aren't particularly skilled against spin, you could see that in their own relatively scratchy innings, but England will play a calculated innings where they will keep attacking one way or the other as they figure in 20 overs they aren't likely to run out of batsmen 9 times out of 10.

If they can't play spin, they will use shots like sweep and reverse sweep to reduce the risk factor while still giving a good chance of a boundary.