THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2016 SPORTS Batting ‘wrong way’ is way to go, says study LONDON: Cricketers who face up the ‘wrong Indeed, the study said “professional bats- Ruskin University in Cambridge, eastern might not have maximised their full poten- “But the advantage of being a left-han- way round’ are seven times more likely to men are seven times more likely to use a England, said: “The ‘conventional’ way of tial in the game.” der who bats left-handed is significantly become professional batsmen, according to a reversed stance than amateurs”. holding a cricket bat, with the dominant Some of the world’s leading batsmen of outweighed by that gained by a batsman new study published in the journal Sports The study tested 136 cricketers, ranging hand on the bottom of the handle, has recent times have used a reversed stance, who adopts a reversed stance,” said Medicine yesterday. from international and first-class standard to remained basically unchanged since the including Clive Lloyd, David Gower, Brian Professor Allen. Young players have traditionally been told amateur, and examined their hand and eye invention of the game and is modelled on Lara, Matthew Hayden and current An example cited by the study was that to place their dominant hand lower down the dominance. the stance used for other bimanual (two- England pair Alastair Cook and Ben Stokes. of Australia’s Michael Hussey, a right-han- blade, with the result that natural right-han- As well as the technical advantage of hav- handed) hitting tasks. In a telephone interview with AFP, der who learnt to bat left-handed so he ders have their weaker left hand on top. ing the dominant hand on top, there was a “For instance, the first MCC coaching man- Professor Allen said the research had come could emulate childhood hero Allan But given that in batting the top hand visual benefit, too. ual instructs batters to pick up a bat in the about by chance. Border. should guide and control the path of the bat The study found that as hand and eye same manner they would pick up an axe. “David Mann, one of the other co- Professor Allen added: “We have limited to hit the ball, there has long been an anec- dominance are matched in approximately “While that might be beneficial for begin- authors, was doing some separate work our study to cricket, but the results may dotal belief that it is an advantage for the two thirds of cases, using the reversed stance ners, switching to a reversed stance gives with Cricket Australia when he noticed apply to other sports. hand with the greatest dexterity to perform increases the likelihood that the dominant elite players a technical and visual benefit.” that players who batted one way were “In golf, three of the four men to have this role. eye is the ‘front’ eye in a side-on activity like throwing the ball another,” he explained. won a major playing left-handed were The study found that cricketers adopting a batting, allowing an unobstructed view of MAXIMISE POTENTIAL There has long been anecdotal specula- right-hand dominant, while other leg- reversed stance (right-handers batting left- the ball. He added: “By adopting the convention- tion that left-handed batsmen have a ‘nat- endary golfers, such as Ben Hogan and handed, and vice versa) are far more likely to Co-author Peter Allen, Professor of al stance, batsmen may have been unin- ural’ advantage over their right-handed Arnold Palmer, were left-hand dominant reach first-class and international level. Optometry and Visual Science at Anglia tentionally taught to bat ‘back to front’ and counterparts. but played, right-handed.” —AFP Black Caps now World T20 favourites: Kiwi media WELLINGTON: The Black Caps’ undefeated at the Twenty20 World Cup”. “While we mar- march to the World Twenty20 semi-finals velled at their bold spin-win over hosts means the side that international pundits India and delighted in seeing off old foe initially dismissed as “a lesser team” are now Australia, the nature of the victory over tournament favourites, New Zealand media Pakistan has New Zealand looking like the said yesterday. real deal to win the World T20 title,” he said. The New Zealanders seized their place Johnstone pointed to New Zealand’s in the final four with a 22-run win over potent young spin attack and their batting Pakistan in Mohali on Tuesday, adding to a depth, underlined by Martin Guptill’s 80 off string of scalps that already includes India 48 balls in Mohali. and Australia. He said the most impressive aspect of All three results would have been con- the win was the way the Black Caps refused sidered upsets at the start of the tourna- to panic as Pakistan made a strong start to ment, but NZ Herald cricket writer Andrew their run chase, instead setting about stran- Alderson said the Black Caps were on track gling the innings. for their biggest-ever achievement on the “This is a team that looks increasingly world stage. good at defending totals as well as setting “New Zealand’s three convincing victo- them,” he wrote. ries mean they now loom as a favourite to Radio Sport cricket commentator Bryan take out their maiden World Cup or World Waddle praised skipper Kane Williamson, T20 title,” he wrote. who is new to the job after replacing Former England captain Michael Brendon McCullum but has shown a will- Vaughan ruffled Kiwi feathers last week ingness to pick players on form and forged when he criticised India for allowing “lesser a winning unit. teams into the game” during their tourna- “They’ve done it in style against some ment opener against the Black Caps. of the best teams in the world... it just New Zealand fans also noted that Indian highlights where this team is at the television commentators seemed incredu- moment,” he said. New Zealand have only lous that the underdogs ground out a 47- reached the semis of the World T20 once run victory over the highly-fancied hosts in before, at the inaugural event in 2007. Nagpur. But the win over Pakistan means They were the form team going into the NEW DELHI: England’s Ben Stokes (L) watches as Afghanistan’s Shafiqullah Shafaq successfully reaches the crease during the World T20 cricket they will no longer be underestimated, final of last year’s World Cup before col- tournament match between England and Afghanistan at The Feroz Shah Kolta Cricket Stadium in New Delhi yesterday. — AFP with Fairfax New Zealand’s Duncan lapsing against Australia at the Johnstone labelling them “the team to beat Melbourne Cricket Ground. —AFP Ali the star as England Bangladesh’s Taskin loses suspension appeal survive Afghan scare NEW DELHI: Eoin Morgan breathed a sigh of relief NEW DELHI: Bangladesh failed in their cerned of his decision that Taskin’s suspen- about England’s strength in depth after a late flour- SCOREBOARD frantic bid to get paceman Taskin Ahmed’s sion from bowling in international cricket ish from Moeen Ali and David Willey spared the bowling suspension overturned to help shall be upheld and indicated that a writ- team’s blushes yesterday against Afghanistan at NEW DELHI: Scoreboard of the World Twenty20 match between England and Afghanistan at the Feroz Shah Kotla revive their flagging World Twenty20 cam- ten reasoned decision will be provided in cricket’s World Twenty20. ground in New Delhi yesterday: paign after a judicial commissioner upheld due course,” it said. Ali and Willey shared an unbroken 57-run part- the ban for an illegal bowling action. After being reported in Dharamsala, nership for the eighth wicket to reach 142 for seven England: Noor Ali Zadran c Morgan b Ali 17 The right-arm bowler and his team Taskin, was assessed at the ICC-accredited J. Roy b Hamza 5 A. Stanikzai c Root b Jordan 1 after being 85 for seven at one stage as England J. Vince c & b Nabi 22 mate, left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny, were test centre in Chennai where, according to eventually beat the minnows by 15 runs. G. Naib c Stokes b Willey 0 suspended from bowling on Saturday after media reports, his bouncers were found to J. Root run out 12 R. Khan c Morgan b Ali 15 After losing early wickets, Afghanistan never E. Morgan by Nabi 0 both were reported for illegal actions fol- exceed the ICC limit of elbow extensions. M. Nabi c Jordan b Rashid 12 looked like overhauling their illustrious opponents B. Stokes b Khan 7 lowing a March 9 qualifier against the After fixing his action, Taskin, who turns S. Shenwari c Root by Stokes 22 but went down fighting as they reached 127 for J. Buttler c Nabi b Shenwari 6 Netherlands in Dharamsala. 21 next month, could apply for a re-assess- nine at New Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla stadium. M. Ali not out 41 Najibullah Zadran run out 14 “...Taskin Ahmed’s suspension from ment, the ICC said. “In the event of such re- The result means that Afghanistan have now no C. Jordan c & b Khan 15 Shafiqullah not out 35 bowling in international cricket has been assessment concluding that Taskin has chance of progressing to the semi-finals but D. Willey not out 20 A. Hamza run out 1 upheld, following a review hearing con- remedied his bowling action and that his England are in second place in their group ahead Extras (lb 6, w 8) 14 Shapoor Zadran not out 0 ducted by a Judicial Commissioner,” the elbow extension is within the permissible Total (for 7 wickets, 20 overs) 142 Extras (lb 2, w 4) 6 of their final match on Saturday against Sri Lanka.