Slog
Slog is one of the ways the batsman hits the ball. It is a powerful shot over the Mid wicket zone, the main goal of which is to set six runs (which is possible only if the ball crossed the border while in the air, that is, without bouncing off the pitch).
Slog is considered a rather dangerous hit because when it is performed, the ball is in the air longer than usual, which means that the batsman needs to make a lot of effort to avoid it being intercepted by fielders.
Interestingly, despite all its complexity, the Slog has rather a negative connotation since it assumes the superiority of strength over skill, which is so valued in cricket. It is not surprising that sometimes it is also called a Cow corner kick – the sector between Deep midwicket and Long on on the Leg side.
According to cricket historians, this name came from the playing field at Dulwich College, which was also used for grazing cattle. Often, the animals were on one of its sections, even during matches, so the blows directed in their direction were given the appropriate name. Sometimes they were also called “agricultural”, meaning that the batsman who hits the ball in this way grew up in a remote province and is simply not familiar with more complex and refined techniques.
Nevertheless, if the Slog was treated with some contempt in the Test format, then in T20, it found recognition and distribution. The main reason is the time constraints that force batsmen to look for ways to score points quickly. The Slog in Test also continues to be used, but more for psychological than for strategic purposes. As a rule, this happens in cases when one of the teams has managed to form a clear advantage and wants to demonstrate to the opponents that it has enough time to take them all out of the game.
At the same time, the Slog still cannot be called a standard strike since its use requires a lot of experience and endurance from the batsman. If you do it incorrectly, it is very easy to be bowled or make a spade. In addition, even after taking the ball to the bat, the batsman may not have time to direct it to the right corner without risking hitting one of the fielders. Thus, in general, the Slog can be called a “blow of despair” since it is more often used in episodes when one of the teams needs to score as many runs as possible to reduce the gap in the score.
Slog also has some technical features of execution, thanks to which, over time, this blow has ceased to be considered too simple and not worthy of attention. So, if earlier Slog was a kind of power technique, today the focus has shifted from a perfectly balanced defense to an aggressive one, which requires, among other things, practicing a fundamentally different type of stance (the head is stationary, the elbow of the leading hand is straightened).
It is impossible to perform a Slog correctly without preliminary training and the ability to determine the right moment for a blow. That is why batsmen who have sufficiently mastered the Slog technique are required to maintain good physical shape and improve the ability to assess the direction of the ball’s flight correctly. As batsmen continue to improve the Slog, it is possible that new varieties of this stroke will appear in the future.
In cricket, there are many similar-sounding but completely different terms in meaning. So, in particular, the Slog has very little in common with the Slog over (or “death over”) at the end of the match, when the bowlers try to do everything possible to prevent the opponent’s batters from gaining additional runs. According to the generally accepted point of view, the more runs made in the last overs of the match, the higher the chances of batters to win, so batsmen in such a situation are usually ready to perform far from the most honest and spectacular strikes, including resorting to the standard Slog.
This is interesting: Slog sweep is a kind of Slog, the key feature of which is that in this case, the batsman takes the ball to the bat, falling on one knee. In addition, the Slog sweep is more often directed not towards the Mid wicket but over the Square leg.
