Paddle scoop
Encyclopedia
A paddle scoop is a modern cricket
ing shot
, similar to the Marillier shot
, used more and more often in One Day International and Twenty20
cricket
matches since appearing in the early 21st century. The shot is performed by positioning the body square-on with the ball; with both feet pointing towards the bowler at a perpendicular
angle. The bat is used to deflect the ball over the batsman's leg side
shoulder thus guiding the ball towards the fine leg region.
The shot is regarded to be very unorthodox and not usually included in coaching manuals and textbooks. Many purists suggest that it is not a true, graceful cricketing shot and often describe it as "ugly". But when executed well, the "paddle-scoop" is very useful. This is often because the shot can be used on a delivery that is usually regarded to be a good "line and length
" delivery and otherwise a delivery that is difficult to score runs on.
Also, the area where the ball is guided to is often unpatrolled by a fielder
and since the bowler's pace on the ball (which is faster than the pace imparted by a batsman's hitting) is being used to send it to the boundary, a fielder may still find it difficult to cover more than a couple of yards either side of him or herself to stop the ball because of its momentum.
This shot requires a lot of excellent hand-eye coordination and bravery, especially against the faster bowlers where a miss can not only result in the batsmen being dismissed but also the ball inflicting serious injury on the batsman because the ball can be hit into his head. However, if the shot is used occasionally as a calculated risk, it can be very frustrating to the fielding side's captain because putting a fielder in that position to stop a "paddle scoop" can often present gaps and scoring opportunities in other areas in the field where scoring is in fact easier.
Batsmen that are known to play such shots frequently in international cricket include Robin Uthappa
(India), Mohammad Ashraful
(Bangladesh), Misbah-ul-Haq
(Pakistan) and Brendon McCullum
(New Zealand).
Ashraful is frequently remembered to have scored couple of boundaries by playing this shot which helped Bangladesh win the game against South Africa in the venue of Providence, Guyana
in the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup.
Misbah is often remembered to have attempted the paddle-scoop in the last over of the 2007 Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa against India in the final. The shot was not timed correctly, causing the ball to go high in the air and be caught by Sreesanth at short fine leg, resulting in India
beating the Pakistan
to win the first-ever T20 World Cup.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
ing shot
Batting (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, batting is the act or skill of hitting the cricket ball with a cricket bat to score runs or prevent the loss of one's wicket. A player who is currently batting is denoted as a batsman, while the act of hitting the ball is called a shot or stroke...
, similar to the Marillier shot
Marillier shot
The Marillier shot is a modern shot in cricket which involves using the bat as a ramp to flick a ball backwards over the batsman's shoulder for a boundary. It is a rare, risky and unorthodox shot but when successfully used can be devastating...
, used more and more often in One Day International and Twenty20
Twenty20
Twenty20 is a form of cricket, originally introduced in England for professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board , in 2003. A Twenty20 game involves two teams, each has a single innings, batting for a maximum of 20 overs. Twenty20 cricket is also known as T20 cricket...
cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
matches since appearing in the early 21st century. The shot is performed by positioning the body square-on with the ball; with both feet pointing towards the bowler at a perpendicular
Perpendicular
In geometry, two lines or planes are considered perpendicular to each other if they form congruent adjacent angles . The term may be used as a noun or adjective...
angle. The bat is used to deflect the ball over the batsman's leg side
Leg side
The leg side, or on side, is defined to be a particular half of the field used to play the sport of cricket.From the point of view of a right-handed batsman facing the bowler, it is the left hand side of the cricket field...
shoulder thus guiding the ball towards the fine leg region.
The shot is regarded to be very unorthodox and not usually included in coaching manuals and textbooks. Many purists suggest that it is not a true, graceful cricketing shot and often describe it as "ugly". But when executed well, the "paddle-scoop" is very useful. This is often because the shot can be used on a delivery that is usually regarded to be a good "line and length
Line and length
Line and length in cricket refers to the direction and point of bouncing on the pitch of a delivery. The two concepts are frequently discussed together.-Line:...
" delivery and otherwise a delivery that is difficult to score runs on.
Also, the area where the ball is guided to is often unpatrolled by a fielder
Fielding (cricket)
Fielding in the sport of cricket is the action of fielders in collecting the ball after it is struck by the batsman, in such a way as to either limit the number of runs that the batsman scores or get the batsman out by catching the ball in flight or running the batsman out.Cricket fielding position...
and since the bowler's pace on the ball (which is faster than the pace imparted by a batsman's hitting) is being used to send it to the boundary, a fielder may still find it difficult to cover more than a couple of yards either side of him or herself to stop the ball because of its momentum.
This shot requires a lot of excellent hand-eye coordination and bravery, especially against the faster bowlers where a miss can not only result in the batsmen being dismissed but also the ball inflicting serious injury on the batsman because the ball can be hit into his head. However, if the shot is used occasionally as a calculated risk, it can be very frustrating to the fielding side's captain because putting a fielder in that position to stop a "paddle scoop" can often present gaps and scoring opportunities in other areas in the field where scoring is in fact easier.
Batsmen that are known to play such shots frequently in international cricket include Robin Uthappa
Robin Uthappa
Robin Venu Uthappa is an Indian cricketer. His father is Venu Uthappa, an international hockey referee from Kodagu, Karnataka, mother Roselyn is a home maker and hails from Kozhikode, Kerala and his sister Sharon is a business owner. He studied at St. Joseph's Boys High School, Bangalore...
(India), Mohammad Ashraful
Mohammad Ashraful
Mohammad Ashraful is a Bangladeshi international cricket player and has represented the Bangladesh national cricket team. A top-order batsman with a penchant for flashy strokeplay, he has also been selected to represent ACC Asia XI ODI side...
(Bangladesh), Misbah-ul-Haq
Misbah-ul-Haq
Misbah-ul-Haq Khan Niazi is a Pakistani cricketer and the captain of the Pakistan national cricket team for s and s...
(Pakistan) and Brendon McCullum
Brendon McCullum
Brendon Barrie McCullum is a New Zealand international cricketer, who plays for the Otago Volts at provincial level. He is a wicket-keeper, as well as an aggressive batsman who opens in One-day Internationals and is known for his fast scoring rate...
(New Zealand).
Ashraful is frequently remembered to have scored couple of boundaries by playing this shot which helped Bangladesh win the game against South Africa in the venue of Providence, Guyana
Providence Stadium
The Providence Stadium is a sports stadium in Guyana, replacing Bourda as the national stadium. The stadium was built specifically to host Super Eight matches in the 2007 Cricket World Cup, held in March and April 2007...
in the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup.
Misbah is often remembered to have attempted the paddle-scoop in the last over of the 2007 Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa against India in the final. The shot was not timed correctly, causing the ball to go high in the air and be caught by Sreesanth at short fine leg, resulting in India
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
beating the Pakistan
Pakistani cricket team
The Pakistan cricket team is the national cricket team of Pakistan. Pakistan, represented by the Pakistan Cricket Board , is a full member of the International Cricket Council, and thus participates in , and cricket matches....
to win the first-ever T20 World Cup.