Pull

Dozens of options for pitching and striking techniques in cricket make millions of people worldwide enjoy this game. It is always interesting to see how a bowler or batsman will get out of a given situation, how they will act at a certain point in the game, etc. And some techniques really fascinate with the beauty of the performance. One of them is a pull shot.

The pull, despite its seeming simplicity, is a very difficult shot. It’s really hard to reproduce effectively. In general, all the details can be found in our material: how the shot is carried out, what nuances it has, etc. We will also tell you about five legendary batsmen who ideally mastered this technique.

Pull: a type of hit in cricket

Before proceeding with the analysis of the technical features of the execution of a shot according to the pull technique, it is necessary to give a brief definition of this term. We tried to make it simple and understandable:

Pull is a type of hit in cricket that can be easily described as “swing and hit”. It involves putting force into the shot to hit the ball as far as possible.

The shot was invented to knock out “sixes”. However, its implementation requires perfect preparation from the batsman since everything is much more complicated than it seems at first glance. For example, if there was not enough power to hit, a fielder on the edge of the field will easily intercept the pull that the batsman did incorrectly. Plus, the bowler can vary the speed of the ball. If the batsman decides to play pull, expecting the ball to fly fast, but in reality, everything turns out to be wrong, then the projectile may hit the wrong part of the bat and fly straight up. Because of this, he will either simply be caught or fly past the bat and break the wicket.

To finally understand how the pull is performed, we recommend watching the corresponding videos on YouTube. Better to see once than read a hundred times.

Pull: technical details of the shot

You need to understand that you will have to train a lot and hard to perform the pull, and just reading the text describing the technique is not enough. But we will describe its technical details for you to have at least a minimal understanding of how to execute this shot correctly.

To correctly and instantly carry out the pull, the player must take a position that will be easier for him to hit. However, there are several nuances: the weight should be directed slightly forward, and the head should protrude slightly above the knees. This stance makes it easier to move your legs in the right direction. As you hit, the weight will shift from your front leg to your back leg, which will become your pivot point when you rotate your body while playing pull.

The key for a successful pull is swinging quickly and delivering an accurate and powerful hit. And only a correctly delivered technique, achieved over the years of training, will allow it to be done beautifully and effectively.

Pull: five cricketers with brilliant shotting skills

Now that you know all the technical features of the pull shot and understand that it is not so easy to execute it. It is time to get acquainted with the batsmen who ideally own this type of strike. The pull is a separate art form, and not every batsman can complete it successfully.

Here is a list of five batsmen who managed to shock cricket fans with their perfect pulls.

Eoin Morgan

The first athlete on our list is Eoin Morgan, an Irish-born English cricketer. Through hard training and constant work on himself, the batsman is considered the top scorer and highest scoring player for England in the ODI and T20 matches. He also holds England’s record for the fastest fifty in the ODI. Also, one of Eoin Morgan’s accomplishments is that he scored the most sixes in ODI innings, with 17 sixes against Afghanistan at the 2019 ICC World Championship.

It is believed he has one of the most productive and accurate pulls, which always delights cricket fans.

David Warner

The next cricketer on our list is David Warner, the legendary Australian batsman. The athlete is not the tallest (about 170 cm), but this factor did not prevent him from mastering pull. Generally, David Warner owns a variety of percussion techniques, but it is pull that deserves the greatest praise.

Considering that David Warner plays most of his games on Australia’s fast and resilient surfaces, he has always practiced his shots against short innings. And it was given to him well. In addition, he made the pull one of his most effective ways to hit the ball.

Ben Stokes

English cricketer Ben Stokes is currently one of the best all-rounders in the world. All cricket professionals recognize his skill. He is an excellent master of the game. The Englishman is about 185 centimeters tall, which gives him the edge for short ball play. Ben Stokes makes the most of his position and masterfully pulls off spectacular pulls.

However, in July 2021, it was announced that Ben Stokes was taking an “indefinite hiatus” in cricket. We hope it will not last long, and soon we will be able to watch the game of this talented athlete again.

Rohit Sharma

Let’s add the Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma to our list of pull masters. It is important to note that this man is not only one of the best pullers of our time but arguably one of the greatest players of all time performing this type of shot. Many experts note his amazing pulling technique: he transfers weight to the front leg and maintains excellent balance.

At the same time, Rohit Sharma perfectly combines aggressive playing style with elegance. It is always a pleasure to watch the matches in which this Indian athlete participates. An additional plus in the karma of Rohit Sharma is his charitable work, in which the protection of animals is especially highlighted.

Ricky Ponting

Ending our selection of pull masters is the Australian cricketer Ricky Ponting, who isn’t playing now. Of course, you will not see his live pull technique, but you will find many videos featuring Ricky Ponting, where he performs this type of punch on the YouTube video hosting. Even a simple viewing of the video is admirable at the sight of how skillfully and accurately Ponting performs the pull. It is difficult to imagine what sensations the viewers had in reality.

It is also noted that Ricky Ponting is the most successful captain in the history of international cricket: under his leadership, the team won 220 matches out of 324.

Now you know everything about the pull. I wonder if you also like it when the batsman hits the ball sharply, or are you more impressed with other types of strikes? Share your opinion in the comments below this article.