Why did Shivnarine Chanderpaul have an unusual batting stance?

Shivnarine Chanderpaul in his typical batting stance (image courtesy Cricinfo)

Shivnarine Chanderpaul was the most prolific scorer of West Indies team in the 2000s, often waging a lonely battle in face of great odds. Though visually there was nothing spectacular about his batting, his stance at the crease often attracted great attention of both cricket media and fans.

It was an awkward looking, front-on stance, and was unlike any batting stance seen in recent memory.

So, what made Chanderpaul have such a stance and how did it help or hinder his progress as a top level batsman? Let us find out.

How Chanderpaul picked up his batting stance

Chanderpaul stood at a 90-degree angle to the customary position as the bowler bowled to him. His theory behind this was that he saught a "two-eyed" view of the bowler, a method he picked up as a boy learning the game in the fishing town of Unity Village in Guyana, where friends and relatives hurled balls at him to teach him how to combat fast bowling.

"I just had to be a little open and get the bat up in front of my face every minute. It was just to protect myself," – Shivnarine Chanderpaul

Bennett King, ex West Indies coach has commented on his stance by saying: "It's about giving yourself access to the ball and for Shiv, keeping the head still is a key. He's very comfortable with it and he plays quick bowling quite well."

Impact of the unusual batting stance

Chanderpaul employed a two-eyed stance in Tests since very early into his career, and later turned to a full 90 degrees later on, with a shuffle back to something approaching the traditional position just before the bowler releases the ball.

The effect such a stance is so pronounced that once when Brett Lee first ran in to bowl to Chanderpaul in a Test match at the Gabba, he stopped and inquired as to whether his opponent was ready.

However, Chanderpaul, despite his odd batting stance, has proven by his success that in order to succeed in sport, one need not always be a copybook cricketer.

Chanderpaul has been the most prolific run scorer for West Indies in the 21st century, possessing a batting average of above 50. His stats are almost as good as that of Brian Lara’s, an all time great West Indian batsman.

Chanderpaul’s career has also been a model of adaptability and change. When he started out, he was quite an agressive batsman and loved to play his shots. In 2003, he scored a 69-ball century against Australia, which at that time was the third fastest century in Test cricket.

However, he changed to a more defensive and sedate style of play, as the West Indies team lacked much quality in batting in the late 2000s and depended on Chanderpaul to a large extent. This showed his ability to adapt according to his team’s requirements.

Chanderpaul’s incredible batting feats

Chanderpaul has played Test cricket for more than half his life. Currently aged 41, he has been on the international cricket scene for more than two decades now. When he made his debut in 1994, Chanderpaul was batting with the likes of Brian Lara, Richie Richardson, Desmond Haynes and Carl Hooper.

After Lara retired in 2007, Chanderpaul took upon the mantle of his side’s leading batsman and averaged more than 100 during a two-year period, with six centuries.

In early 2007, he was praised by Wisden for his third instance of batting for 1,000 or more minutes without being dismissed, and for his century in the third Test on a difficult pitch. He also holds the record for the maximum number of unbeaten Test centuries, with 17 such tons to his name.

Chanderpaul has had to endure a bad spell for West Indies cricket, and has not let that impact his consistency or performances. He has been arguably the toughest batsman to get out in the first decade of the 21st century, standing along with the likes of Rahul Dravid and Steve Waugh.

However, those two played for sides which won a lot, and hence were seen as role models of playing an attritional brand of defensive cricket.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul possesses 30 Test hundreds and an average of more than 50

Despite this, Chanderpaul stands equal to both and on some countsm his performances are even more praiseworthy, considering the fact that he had to play for a weak side for the majority of his career and many of his great Test knocks ended in draws or bitter defeats.

Chanderpaul remains the last great West Indian cricketer, with no obvious successors who can bring back the glory years for West Indian batting. He can legitimately warrant comparison with legends from the Caribbean’s great cricket history.