Paddle scoop

A paddle scoop, Marillier shot or ramp shot is a modern cricketing shot. Players use it more and more often in One Day International and Twenty20 cricket matches, since it appeared in the early 21st century. The player makes the shot by positioning the body square-on with the ball, both feet pointing towards the bowler at a perpendicular angle. The player uses the bat to deflect the ball over the batsman's leg side shoulder, thus guiding the ball towards the fine leg region.

The shot is considered unorthodox, and not usually included in coaching manuals and textbooks. Many purists suggest it is not a true, graceful cricketing shot. However, executed well, the paddle-scoop is useful—often because it can be used on a delivery that is usually considered a good "line and length" delivery, and otherwise difficult to score runs on.

Also, the area where the shot sends the ball is often not patrolled by a fielder—and since the bowler's pace on the ball (faster than the pace imparted by a batsman's hit) sends it to the boundary, fielders may still find it difficult to cover more than a couple of yards on either side of themselves to stop the ball, because of its momentum.

This shot requires good hand-eye coordination and bravery, especially against faster bowlers—where a miss can not only result in the batsmen being dismissed. but the ball can injure the batsman if it hits his head. However, used occasionally as a calculated risk, the shot can frustrate the fielding side's captain, because positioning a fielder to stop a paddle scoop may present gaps and scoring opportunities in other areas.

Batsmen known to play such shots frequently in international cricket include:

Many modern other batsmen now use this shot, including Ryan Campbell (Western Australia's former wicket-keeper). Ashraful scored a couple of boundaries playing this shot, which helped Bangladesh win the game against South Africa in the venue of Providence, Guyana in the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup.

The shot tends to be used only in the late stages of limited overs matches, due to the favourable field settings. The region behind the wicket tends to be more lightly patrolled by fielders at that phase of the game, so the risk-benefit status of the shot is more relatively favourable to the batsman. It is also physically dangerous because an incorrectly deflected or missed ball can hit the batsman in the head.

Marillier shot history

The shot was developed by Zimbabwean batsman Dougie Marillier. In a triangular tournament in Australia with Zimbabwe, Australia and West Indies, Zimbabwe played their final match with Australia and Marillier got a chance in the team. He could hardly have had a more testing experience, as a fine Zimbabwe batting performance after Australia scored 303 meant that he came in at number seven needing to score 15 to win the match in the final over, which was to be bowled by Glenn McGrath. Marillier moved across to the first and third balls he received from McGrath and flicked them over his shoulder to fine leg for boundaries, reviving hopes of an incredible Zimbabwe victory. But he was just unable to complete the job, and his team lost by two runs. His two courageous and unorthodox boundary strokes made him famous, with the shot becoming known as the Marillier shot.[2]

Marillier continued to do reasonably well for the national side. In 2002 he "Marilliered" Zimbabwe to a famous win in India in an One Day International at Faridabad,India with 56 not out at the death, although this time he used the shot against Zaheer Khan.[3]

Comparison with Dilscoop

Dilshan's success with a similar shot in the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 tournament has led Dilshan's shot being titled the "Dilscoop"; there is some dispute over whether the Dilscoop is identical to the Marillier shot, or similar but distinct.[4] Dilshan's Dilscoops is unique and different from Marillier shot, because Dilshan scoop is played right above the head of Wicket-keeper, not by sides of the Wicket-keeper. Dilshan's team-mates have said that they call the shot the "Starfish," 'because a Starfish has no brain'.[5]

See also

  1. ↑ http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2003/nov/03match.htm
  2. ↑ http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_20030511/ai_n12582503
  3. ↑ http://www.hinduonnet.com/tss/tss2512/25120280.htm Archived 2007-10-14 at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/8093499.stm
  5. ↑ [Sky TV's coverage of the 2009 ICC World Twenty20]
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