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5 reasons why the batsman moves away when the bowler is about to deliver

Tendulkar telling the Aussies why he moved away from the wicket

The game of cricket is pretty unique when compared to other sports as it requires immense concentration for longer durations, a lot more than any other sport. Test cricket, especially, goes on for five days and it takes an enormous amount of application for a player to survive and a slight glitch may lead to his downfall.

Batsman while batting has to follow the bowler’s run up very closely, try to judge the release of the ball and determine the kind of delivery the bowler is intending to bowl.

In the process, if there are any disturbances, the batsman often pulls out and stops the bowler from delivering the ball. In such a situation, the umpire signals a dead ball and this could sometimes be unavoidable from the batsman’s point of view or could be a tactic for his own advantage.

Here are the 5 most common reasons why the batsman pulls when the bowler is about to deliver the ball:


#1 The sight screen

England v Sri Lanka: 3rd Investec Test - Day Four : News Photo
Batsmen are very particular about the sight screen

The sight screen is the most frequent reason of the batsman opting to pull out. Very often, spectators or the ground officials are found wandering near the sight screen, which is stationed to aid the batsman to track the release of the ball from the bowler’s hand.

Whenever the movement of such personnel catches the eye of the batsman, he loses concentration and finds it better to step away rather than face the danger of getting out.

Sachin Tendulkar was one such player who did not accept even the slightest of disturbance behind the bowler’s arm. Despite having sight screens of giant sizes, he would pull out if there was any disturbance and never compromised with the concentration.

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