10 best exponents of the cut shot in cricket history

The on drive, the cover drive or the straight drive are cricketing shots that are often likened to works of art when they are played perfectly. Now, one will never come across any commentator or cricket writer describing the cut shot in those terms.

The cut shot is in a league of its own in that regard since it has a bit of savagery about it and more often than not, it can have a demoralising effect on the opposition. Identifying the length early and then hammering the ball on the top of its bounce is an exhilarating sight if executed well.

Throughout cricket history, plenty of batsmen have played the shot with varying degrees of success but this list looks at the 10 of the best exponents of the shot.

10 Tillakaratne Dilshan

Sri Lankan batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan had been one of the national team’s mainstays for a long time and is particularly well known for his exploits as a limited overs batsman.

Although it is the ‘Dilscoop’ that has made him famous, he was also a savage cutter of the ball and more often than not the delivery did not even have to be particularly short.

He had such quick feet and eyes, that he could even cut a good length delivery over point for four. It was the ability to cut good length balls that made him such an accomplished cutter.

9 Adam Gilchrist

Australian great Adam Gilchrist’s scintillating strokeplay as an opening batsman in LOIs and as a number 7 in Tests, throughout his career was heavily complemented with the excellent deployment of the cut shot.

His backfoot play and the ability to pick up the length quickly made him an excellent player of the cut shot. In addition to that, his fast hands made the ball speed away to the fence most of the time and if not, then it definitely stung the hands of the unfortunate fielder.

8 Sanath Jayasuriya

One of Sri Lanka’s greatest ever batsmen used to be the nightmare of most bowlers, especially in limited overs cricket, and one of his signature shots used to be the fierce cut. It could either rocket past the point fielder or land on the roof for six and the shot became one of Jayasuriya’s weapons of destruction throughout his years as an opening batsman.

The shot was usually played against anything remotely short and wide, however, Jayasuriya’s fast hands, strong forearms and the gift of timing made it a nightmare for most bowlers, even more so on smaller grounds in the subcontinent.

7 Chris Gayle

If there is one batsman who can lay claim to being one of the most fierce cutters of the ball then it has to be the West Indian legend, Chris Gayle. Over the years, he has taken on the fastest bowlers in the world on all grounds and the cut shot has been one of his go to shots against anything short outside off.

More often than not, the ball is deposited into the stands when he gets it right. However, it is also necessary to point out that he can do it against the fastest bowlers and not only pacers. His hand speed and reach are certainly key attributes to his mastery over the attacking cut shot.

6 Brian Lara

West Indies' Brian Lara could play almost any cricketing stroke one can think of and while the cut shot might not have been his best shot, he was certainly one of the best exponents of the shot.

Throughout his career, Lara was better known for his spanking cover drives but he deployed the cut shot to great effect whenever he saw an opportunity and the square cut was probably his favourite shot. No batsman in the world played the square cut as well as he could.

5 Alastair Cook

England opening batsman Alastair Cook will go down in history as one of the greatest opening batsmen to have ever played Test cricket and with 11629 (and counting) runs under his belt, it won’t be a surprise.

At the same time, he is also one of the best exponents of the cut shot and over the years, he has played that shot to great effect all over the world.

Bowling short and wide to Cook is the worst mistake a bowler can make and more often than not, he is quick to capitalise on those deliveries with one of his favourite shots.

4 Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag was in a category of his own as a batsman and one of the shots that defined his batting as an opener in both Tests and limited overs internationals (LOIs) was his near perfection as far as the cut shot was concerned. He was so skilled that he could play different types of the cut shot.

One was the conventional cut to anything short and wide, while the upper cut over third man to bouncers. It was the latter that became Sehwag’s signature shot and he played it with impunity against the best bowlers in the world in both Tests and LOIs.

In fact, ahead of the 2011 World Cup in India, Pepsi even made a TVC celebrating Sehwag’s signature stroke.

3 Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar is probably best known for his on drive but the cut shot was not far behind and he was without a doubt, one of the best exponents of the shot to have ever played.

Whether it was against a fast bowler or a spinner, Tendulkar could play the shot whenever the opportunity presented itself and in fact, he deployed the cut shot to great effect at the age of 18 when he batted on lightning fast pitches like the one in Perth.

The shot had always been one of the most effective ones in his arsenal.

2 Geoffrey Boycott

Former England great Geoffrey Boycott was one of the most technically correct batsmen to have played the game and while he was famous for being a ‘defence first’ player, one of his stock attacking shots was the cut shot.

It was one of the most productive shots in Boycott’s repertoire and needless to say, his technical brilliance ensured that he played the shot perfectly at all times. Moreover, he never played it in the air and the point or gully hardly ever stood a chance to catch him out.

1 Gordon Greenidge

It is often said that former West Indian batting great Gordon Greenidge often hit the ball harder than even Viv Richards, and one of the best exhibitions of that was perhaps in his cut shots.

Greenidge, unlike many other West Indian players of his era, had a copybook technique and his execution of the cut shot was nearly perfect. His head used to be still at all times and as soon as he picked up the length he would go on the backfoot before bringing down the bat with a heavy chop on the top of the ball’s bounce.

Most of those shots scurried away to the boundary. Although there have been plenty of better batsmen than Greenidge in the history of the game, no one quite had the same level of mastery over the cut shot.