Batting · against pace
Batting technique, criterion by criterion.
29 criteria across 9 phases of the action, weighted to 100. Each page below sets out what amp looks for and what each of the three bands actually looks like on video.
What is a correct cricket batting grip and stance?
A sound grip puts both hands' Vs on the splice or slightly toward the outer edge, and a sound stance puts the feet about shoulder width apart with the weight on the balls of the feet and the head inside the base. The test is not how it looks but what it permits: from a good base you can move forward or back with the same degree of effort. amp scores four things here, worth 11 points of 100.
4 criteria · 11 of 100Where should the bat go in the backlift?
The backlift should be initiated by a cocked top-hand wrist rather than dragged up by the arms, travel toward gully or point (or controlled straight back), and stay close to the body. A high backlift is not the goal; a repeatable one that leaves the bat able to come down straight is. amp scores three things here, worth 10 points of 100.
3 criteria · 10 of 100What is a good initial movement against fast bowling?
A good initial movement is small, timed to the bowler's release, and uncommitted — it gets you moving without deciding for you. The commonest fault is not moving too little but moving too early, so the front foot is planted before the length is read. amp scores three things here, worth 9 points of 100.
3 criteria · 9 of 100In what order should a batting stroke happen?
Step first, then bat. The single heaviest-weighted thing amp measures in a batting action is whether the step is completed before the downswing begins — 8 points of 100 on that one criterion alone. Add a stable base through the downswing, a leading elbow that stays extended, and wrists that unlock late, and you have the sequence that turns body movement into bat speed. Four criteria, 18 points.
4 criteria · 18 of 100How should you play off the front foot?
Decisively, to the pitch of the ball, with the head and weight arriving over the front knee at contact. Step length matters more than most players think: too short and there is no base to work against, too far across and the bat has to come around the pad. amp scores these only on deliveries you actually played forward to. Three criteria, 12 points of 100.
3 criteria · 12 of 100How should you play off the back foot?
Back and across with real depth, decisively, keeping the top-hand elbow high enough to bring the bat down over the ball rather than at it. The weight has to stay controlled into the shot rather than falling away toward leg. Scored only on deliveries you played back to. Three criteria, 12 points of 100.
3 criteria · 12 of 100What is a good bat path and contact point?
The bat should travel aligned to the flight path, flatten through the impact zone rather than swinging on a tight arc, and meet the ball under or near the eyes with the face controlled. Contact quality is largely an outcome of path — which is why amp scores the path and the impact separately. Four criteria, 15 points of 100.
4 criteria · 15 of 100Does the follow-through matter in batting?
Not for power — the ball has gone. amp weights the batting follow-through at just 5 points of 100 and treats it as diagnostic: how you absorb force and whether you finish balanced tells you what happened earlier in the action. A collapse at the finish usually points at a fault in the sequence, not at the finish itself. Two criteria.
2 criteria · 5 of 100How is shot selection scored?
By whether you read length and line early enough to make a decisive call, how you respond to the short ball, and whether the technique holds up across a whole session rather than for one good delivery. This is the part of batting that separates a player who has a good shot from one who has a method. Three criteria, 8 points of 100.
3 criteria · 8 of 100