In an ever-growing list of unconventional shots, none are quite as polarizing as Switch-Hit. The shot in which the ball is delivered before the batsman’s grip is effectively converted into right-handed or left-handed moments has given rise to raging debate.
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recently, India Spinner Ravichandran Ashwin suggested that the batsman should be given out lbw even when the ball is pitched outside leg and he misses a shot while going for a switch hit to restore parity.
“Let the batsmen play switch hits, but when they miss, give us LBW. How can you tell that it is not LBW when the batter is flipped? If they start giving out in all formats of the game, then some similarity between bowling and batting can be retained,” Ashwin had said on his YouTube channel.
Former New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris though agrees with Ashwin’s demand to restore the balance between batsmen and bowlers, but said instead of modifying the LBW law, switch-hits should receive a complete ban.
“Okay, I have to go back half a step here. I like a lot of the points Ashwin made,” Styris said on Sports18’s daily sports news show ‘Sports Over the Top’.
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He continued, “I completely disagreed with all of their solutions. I really think that even though we may have had some fun with Switch Hits, I think Switch Hits should be banned completely. Captains And there are rules for bowlers as to where their fieldmen can be, how many behind points, how many leg-sides, that’s all.
Styris said a reverse sweep was acceptable but it was not appropriate for the fielding team to change stance completely.
“So, I don’t think a batsman should be able to change his arm and I don’t think he should be able to change his leg. You can play reverse sweep or reverse hit if you want but I don’t like it. In terms of hands, Kevin Pietersen has turned out to be a complete left-hander. If you remove the switch hit, but allow all reverse sweeps and reverse hits, I think you don’t have to worry about the LBW law Ashwin is talking about. And it allows a fair competition between bowler and batsman as well. Styris said.
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