Simon Hughes
Although sweeping is probably the most popular shot against spinners, it is certainly not the safest. Hitting straight is the least risky option. In fact, that goes for any bowling. Against spin, though, it's sometimes necessary to adjust the straightness of your shot at the last moment. This is achieved by turning the wrists in the direction of the likely spin as the ball is about to make contact with the bat. This is a delicate skill known as 'playing with the spin'.
Only a few players can master it, and it tends to be those who play
the ball late. It helps to have almost rubbery wrists, which Shivnarine Chanderpaul definitely does. You can just see how Chanderpaul (below left) prepares to hit the off-spin of Croft (spinning away from the left-hander) straight back past the bowler. But as he sees the ball spin, his wrists twist outwards (below right), and the blade of the bat turns towards the cover fielders.
You can tell by these two stills (below), separated only by a fraction of a second, how quick you need to be. If the bat had continued down a straight line, the ball would have probably taken (or passed) the edge. By opening the face, Chanderpaul has effectively ridden the spin, and guided the
ball to safety.
 Rubbery wrists
Here, the batsman looks to drive the ball straight. However, he realises that the ball is spinning away from him, which he deftly counters by turning the blade outwards and playing with the spin.
Copyright material reproduced under license from Macmillan Publishers Ltd. London, England
Copyright © Simon Hughes 2001
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