Back-Foot Play
Also known as: back foot, back-foot stroke
Back-foot play is batting in which the batter moves the weight back and onto the rear foot to play short-pitched or rising deliveries, creating time by moving away from the pitch of the ball.
Against short-pitched bowling the front-foot approach is not available — the ball bounces past the batter's front-foot reach. The answer is to go back: the back foot moves across toward off stump and the batter stands tall, watching the ball come up and playing it at a comfortable height. Back-foot strokes include the back-foot drive (punched firmly through the off side), the cut shot, the pull, the hook, and the defensive prod. Solid back-foot play allows batters to handle fast, short-pitched attacks without being forced into trouble by the rising ball. In pitches that have pace and bounce, back-foot ability is as important as a strong front-foot defence.
Example
To a short ball just outside off stump, the batter moves back and across and punches it off the back foot through the covers for four.
Why it matters
Back-foot play is the answer to short-pitched bowling. SwingVantage's cricket analysis (in development) will measure back-foot position and impact height to help batters develop a complete two-footed game.
Related terms
- Pull ShotThe pull shot is a back-foot, cross-bat stroke played to a short-pitched ball, swinging it around to the leg side, typically between mid-wicket and square leg.
- Hook ShotThe hook shot is an attacking batting stroke played to a short-pitched, rising ball aimed at the body or head — the batter pivots and whips the ball to the leg side, often in front of square.
- Square CutThe square cut is a back-foot, cross-bat stroke played to a short, wide ball outside off stump, slashing it square on the off side toward point.
- FootworkFootwork in cricket batting refers to the movement of the feet to get into the optimal position to play each delivery — moving quickly and correctly to the pitch of the ball is the basis of all good batting.
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