Running between the
wickets
Inzamam-ul-Haq is an extremely good batsman. His
average though doesn't do justice to his talent.
He has been run out more times than any other
batsman currently playing. Only God knows what
his average would have been, if he hadn't fallen
short of the crease on the occasions he did and
instead continued on.
In today's modern game, effective running
between the wickets is of utmost important.
Scoring rates have risen linearly over the last
few decades. This doesn't only have to do with
the mentality of hitting more big shots, but
also running at the smallest opportunity
presented.
The most important part for being a good runner
between the wickets is calling. Often because of
large crowds, your 'Yes' or 'No' call will be
inaudible. Thus, it's necessary that the call is
loud and clear.
Judging when and what to call is another tricky
proposition, especially for those close singles.
For anything in front of him, the non-striker
should ideally make the call. In the end though,
the batsman running to the danger end should be
the one to be entirely sure of making it to be
able to go forward with the run. The partner
should then trust his instincts, and do the
needful.
This is not all there's to running. Just as a
job well begun is only half done, proper calling
and setting off isn't what would ensure a
perfect run. Grounding the bat, when reaching
the crease, is something that Indians especially
are extremely poor at. There have been many run
outs, when the batsman has actually made it to
the crease, but hasn't grounded his bat.
In case of a close call, diving at the crease,
or extending the bat at maximum stretch, should
be adopted to try and save your wicket.
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