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Tuesday, March 08, 2005
The style of substance
Writers are often taught to cut out unneccessary flourishes from their writing. Style should be a slave to substance, we are told. But does this apply to batting? When you have a split second to play each ball, you'd imagine that it does.
Inzamam-ul-Haq is one of the batsmen I most like watching, and I always marvel at how he achieves so much by seemingly doing so little. When he stands at the crease he seems almost immobile, but he plays the fastest of bowlers with such ease. His ability to spot the length of the ball early is a strength, of course, but even the rest of the package is something to be marvelled at: the simple fluid movement of the feet, never exaggerated, with which he gets into position; the stillness and balance of his torso; the swiftness of the execution, when the bat comes down on the ball. He is a modern genius; a giant for more than just his substantial frame.
Inzamam-ul-Haq is one of the batsmen I most like watching, and I always marvel at how he achieves so much by seemingly doing so little. When he stands at the crease he seems almost immobile, but he plays the fastest of bowlers with such ease. His ability to spot the length of the ball early is a strength, of course, but even the rest of the package is something to be marvelled at: the simple fluid movement of the feet, never exaggerated, with which he gets into position; the stillness and balance of his torso; the swiftness of the execution, when the bat comes down on the ball. He is a modern genius; a giant for more than just his substantial frame.
