5 innovative cricket shots and their history

Sri Lankan international Dilshan invented the ‘Dilscoop’There was a time when cricket was used to be known as the 'Gentleman’s Game.' As time passed, and with the involvement of technology, both the technique and style of playing cricket has changed. Modern cricketers use a number of new, experimental shots to upset the bowler’s rhythm and to destroy the field plan.Particularly with the advent of Twenty20 cricket, modern cricket is getting faster day by day. It always doesn’t allow players to stick to text book shots.The massive run chases urge the batsmen to move out of their comfort zone and try things out of the box. They need to get the ball past the fielders and send it to the stands. Several of these unorthodox shots originate out of the street cricket where one has to sneak runs out of tricky situations.Here is a list of five innovative shots in cricket and their history:

#1 The Dilscoop

The shot is also known as the ramp shot

The Dilscoop, better known as a "ramp shot" is a cricket batting strokedeveloped by Sri Lankan right-handed batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan during the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 in England.

Dilshan explained in several interviews that he played a lot of tennis ball cricket in Sri Lanka, mostly on the streets. Sometimes there is not much option to hit on either side of the wicket due to lack of space. Hence,he targeted the spot over the wicket-keepers head as a convenient area to score runs.

The batsmen who have this shot in his arsenal could really sneak in valuable runs in the death overs. The basis of the stroke is to go on one knee to a good length or slightly short of length delivery off a fast or medium paced bowler. The batsman angles the bat in a manner which makes the ball fly over the shoulders.

Douglas Marillier of Zimbabwe also used this shot to devastating effect against the leading bowlers of the adversaries. After he took bowlers like Glenn Mcgrath and Zaheer Khan on in the slog overs, the state of the bowlers was termed to be Marilliered. However, there is a minor difference between the Dilscoop and the Marillier Shot. While the former goes for a boundary straight over the head of the keeper, inthe latter ball moves toward the fine leg region.

#2 The hook shot

The hook shot was perfected by former Australiancaptain Ricky Ponting

The hook shot is special because it brings together the skill of both a fast bowler and a fearless, aggressive batsman. The hook is seen as a bold, brave response to the fast bowler's most dreaded weapon, the bouncer directed at the head.

The shot isdirected toward not just the scoring of runs but also to resisting the fast bowler's attempt to impose his dominance on the batsman.

This is how the hook works: the bowler runs in at full tilt and sends hisball hurtling. The batsman swivels, turning the bat over and down and hooks the ball. It soars away,sometimes on a downward trajectory,sometimes shootsupwards and over the fence.

When the hook doesn't come off, it usually leads to a dramatic catch far away at fine leg when the fielder is precariously close to the fence.

Usually, the hook shot is mostly played and perfected by West Indian or Australian batsmen like Ricky Ponting. However, Indian batsman Mohinder Amarnath was also known to pull this shot off in style.

#3 The paddle sweep

The legendary Sachin Tendulkar had mastered the art of paddle sweep

A sweep is a cross-batted shot played to a low bouncing ball. A paddle sweep is a shot in which the ball is deflected towards fine leg with a stationary or near-stationary bat extended horizontally towards the bowler.

The paddle sweep shot is a variation of the sweep that relies on accurate placement of the ball. The shot is favoured against the spinner and depends on the bat being brought down on top of the ball to keep it along the ground. It is a cross-batted shot that is played low down on one knee, with the ball being finely swept to the leg side.

Needless to say, this is a shot that has higher rate of success on less bouncy or flat sub-continental pitches.

Sachin Tendulkar's leg-side flick off a ball bouncing to about waist height is legendary. He would dismiss the ball towards long leg with a wristy flounce that seemed to turn the bat almost back to front. He rarely missed. Virender Sehwag was quite good at this shot too.

#4 The late cut

This stroke is a class act by Mahela Jayawardene who would caressthe ball towards the boundary

This shot is played to a ball pitched outside the off stump. It is called late cut because it is played very late. Instead of hitting the ball square as it passes the body, it is hit late. This shot can be very useful in limited overs cricket.

This classical shot needs lots of skill. Usually it is played to the quicker deliveries from the spinners. The batsman waits on the backfoot and plays the shot almost when the ball is into the keepers gloves. To get the right timing, the batsman has to use the pace of the bowler and play it as delicately as possibly, just giving direction to the ball.

This stroke is a class act by Mahela Jayawardene. Jayawardene watched the ball turn towards him, waiting until it seemed it must inevitably cannon into the stumps. At the last possible moment, he would caress it towards the boundary. It was an eleganttouch. Jayawardene wasanintuitive cricketer, whether at the crease or as captain, and this single stroke revealed his instinctive approach for all to see.

#5 The leg glance

Inzamam-ul-Haq used his wrists to play the leg glance

The leg glance, sometimes also called the hip glance, is so called because it looks as if the ball is lightly glancing off the players leg or hip. It involves the player putting his bodybehind the ball and using the bat to deflect the ball towards the other side of the field.

As the ball bounces towards the batsman, he leans into the shot and turns the bat-face about so that it angles the path of the ball across his body. The shot makes use of the momentum of a fast ball, rather than using power from a long swing of the bat.

Kumar Ranjitsinhji, fondly known as Ranji(on whom the Ranji Trophy in India is named)is credited as the first batsman to unveil the late-cut.

During those days in England, leg-stump half-volleys were usually patted back to the bowlers. Ranji opened a new avenue for future generation of batsmen by devising a shot which would later be known as the leg glance. He had supple wrists and the knack of playing the ball late which enabled him play the shot with ease.

Captains usually kept only one or two players on the leg side and Ranji plundered heaps of runs defying all odds. Critics sneered at Ranji's achievement, terming the leg-glance an immoral tactic. Soon though, it was hailed as a miraculous invention and became a popular cricketing shot.

Former Pakistan captain, Inzamam-ul-Haq was also a master with this shot.