Simon Hughes
Once the batsman has gained a bit of confidence and is seeing the ball well, he can start to think about being more aggressive. There is, after all, not a lot of point in being out there for hours without making any runs. Because the new ball is liable to 'deviate' more, most opening
batters bide their time, picking up most of their runs in nudges and pushes until at least lunchtime, eschewing the big shots. Their main objective is to blunt the new ball, not cane it to all parts of the ground.
However, not all openers share this view. Players like Australia's Michael Slater believe if it's there to hit, hit it, irrespective of whether it's the first over of the match or the 101st. He believes in asserting his authority immediately. His ferocious square cut to the boundary off Philip Defreitas's first ball of the 1994-95 Ashes was thought to have set the tone for the series (Australia won it 3-1).
On the front foot
Most openers are pretty circumspect though, content to plod along at two runs an over and just wait for anything slightly overpitched that they can punch back past the bowler. The straight drive is a key shot here, it can be played with minimal footwork but you need to use the full face of the bat. This is a low-risk shot based on timing rather than power.
If the ball pitches a bit wider, it allows the batsman to step out
and play an off-drive. If the ball's swinging and darting around, the batsman will probably avoid playing this shot until he feels he's well in. In the meantime, he will leave anything wide and try to force the bowler to bowl straight.
 Straight drive
Although Marcus Trescothick (left) hasn't got his whole weight forward, his hands bring the bat through perfectly straight.
 Off-drive
The classic position: Michael Atherton (left) with head over the line, elbow up, front knee bent and the full face of the bat in contact with the ball.
Patience, patience
The bowler, feeling put under pressure by the batsman, might eventually lose his line and bowl on the leg stump, allowing the batsman to clip it away for an easy four. Often at Test level an opening batsman has to wait a long time for such luxuries, but with a player such as Atherton his patience frequently outlasts the bowler's. His heroic 100 in the 2000 Test at the Oval lasted almost eight hours and featured 277 deliveries he didn't score from.
The West Indian opener Sherwin Campbell is less convincing when the ball is full. He is a player who tends to take a big step back as the bowler bowls, so he rarely gets his weight forward for the front-foot drive and ends up playing it away from his body, slicing the ball. Below, you can see he is leaning back and reaching out for the ball and so is not in
control of the shot. His wrists twist, the ball flies off at an angle and he is often out caught in the gully.
 Off the toes
The leg-stump half volley is bread and butter to the best batsmen, such as Atherton (left). Little effort is needed to clip it away to the fence.
 Opening the face
Compare the position of Sherwin Campbell with Atherton's off-drive (above). Campbell is leaning back, his foot is nowhere near the line of the ball and the bat face twists open in his hands because he's reaching for the ball. It could go anywhere.
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Copyright © Simon Hughes 2001
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