The Left Handed Revolution

Shafin · #1 November 28, 2006, 05:28 AM

The supremacy between Lara and Shachin is a long undecided fact. While on the field of career average and number of runs Shachin is clearly the winner, a lot of people tend to support Lara on the fact that he is the more talented and capable of the two, probably the better match winner too. But people like me support Lara for another reason, style. The stylish batting of Lara is simply unrivaled. And there is a cause, too. Left handed batsmen, however rare, normally tend to be the more eye-pleasing of the two batsmen types. Just think of the way they cut, pull or drive through cover. Or just remember these majestic dancing down the wicket long-on sixes by Ganguly.Also the cool finishers Bevan and Hussey, to whom aussies own many of their close wins,were left handed.

But there is something more about left handed batsmen that eye does not catch so easily. This is their contributions to a developing team. Recent history just shows us that Left handed batsmen are just the preferred kind in the voyage of a tam to maturity. Just take a look at the present WI team. While the team is still vastly unstable, the fact that this team can now give any team a good thrashing at their day is mainly due to the presence of the likes of Chanderpaul, Gayle and Lara in their team, all left handed batsmen.

Now let's look a little back, at the previous two teams that got test status ahead of us. First comes Zimbabwe. They are now in a position where no one wants to be at, but that's another matter. Look at their previous two world cup performances. In 2003 their place in the super six was mainly due to teams refusing to play in their homeland. But in 1999 they earned their place. The beating of South Africa was a remarkable one. And the man of the match that day was Neil Johnson. And after that, they were cruising merrily, and if the turmoil did not happen, they might have gone to the top six of the rankings by now, the way they were going. Remember the streak of fifties by Andy Flower, after that? We were his victim, too. And to the transformation of the team, key element was left handed batsmen, Neil Johnson, Andy Flower, Alistair Campbell, all of whom were capable of winning a match.

A flashback to the SL team that permanently transformed their position among the elite. No one should argue that while their bowling attack also performed their job, it was the formidable batting line up that won them the 1996 WC. And no coincidence, it was full of blazing left handed batsmen, Ranatunga, Gurusingha, Joyasuria. Another similarity between the Zim and SL team, both the captains were left hander, and brilliant captains they were, especially Ranatunga.

Therefore, the presence of at least three left handed batsmen is quite important a fact in one teams journey to success, and hopefully, we have got our pack waiting, too. Shahrier Nafees will lead our team in the next 20Twenty, a match in which Sakib and maybe Mehrab will also play. SN ahs already proved him to be the most consistent batsman in our current line up. While Sakib and Mehrab still has things to prove, their performance at the A team and U-19 level or the National League leaves enough room for us to hope.
And then there are the pipeline one's. Nazmus Sahadat is certainly the most exciting prospect to be the partner of SN we are looking so desperately for. And there is another person whose performance has not really reflected his level recently, but I for one would love to watch him play for the team, Tamim "Bucher" Iqbal. Younger brother to former national team opener Nafees Iqbal, this former U-19 lad can just chop a team at his given day, much like Joyasuria.

So, if past was any indication, we can certainly hope for a future where we are among the best teams in the world, with a balanced Left Right batting. Yes, balanced is the phrase here. While SL had all those wonders, they also had Kalu and A.D. Silva. Beware, the Left Handed Revolution is about to come!

SS · #2 November 28, 2006, 09:26 AM

Do we have left hand pacers??

RazabQ · #3 November 28, 2006, 02:42 PM

SS - Rasel?
Shafin - Interesting premise, but you can't take away the contribution of Aravinda DeSilva in the rise of the SL team. I'd argue he was their key batsmen for a while and he was right handed. For Kenya, their rise to prominence was on the basis of Odumbe - who bats right handed. I agree with you that southpaws are more attractive batters, but you haven't convinced me about the last part.

SS · #4 November 28, 2006, 04:15 PM

I don't consider Rasel as left arm fast pacers rather consider him slow medium pacer. We had one I believe Shafaq, i guess he is lost!!
Not sure if we have any body else, is Dollar left arm pacer?

RazabQ · #5 November 28, 2006, 04:44 PM

Shafaq isn't lost. He never arrived. While he dominates in the domestic level, he's been surprisingly ineffective when given the opportunity in the A-team level. He's not terribly fast either. He's just tall and gets good bounce.

Tokyobreeze · #6 November 28, 2006, 11:18 PM

Nicely written.We have an array of left-handed coming these days.Surely SN is in the top.And, talking about Tamim, I was surprised that he wasn't chosen for the 20-20.He seems very much fitting for it.

DotBall · #7 November 29, 2006, 12:48 AM

Lefties are indeed more fun to watch but it is hard say that they are more successful or dominant over the righties. There are few advantages for left handers:

1. Most of the bowlers are right handed and prefers to bowl from the left of the wicket. This opens up shots on the on side. Also a little width on the off side creates more room for cut shots.
2. Lower probability of LBW and Bowled.

There are also some disadvantages:

1. Due to the angle from a right handed bowler makes lefties pron to caught behind (coming from left of the wicket).
2. A left handed bowler nullifies the advantages on different shots.

We had Bradman, Sobers, G. Pollok, Waugh and many others (with left and right handed) who ruled the teams. We need quality batsmen of either handed. It would more beneficial to have few good lefties to give us advantages to put opposition under pressure. I am excited to see our upcoming lefties rule the oppositions. Just few years away now.

SS · #8 January 29, 2009, 01:24 PM

As I mentioned earlier in another thread and today after reading the following article and research findings from Harvard. I think we should be seeing a change in leadership too in our national team if everything goes ok. Lefties seemed to be a rare breed.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/...amashandedness

mijanur · #9 January 29, 2009, 01:26 PM

sajidul islam

SS · #10 January 29, 2009, 01:40 PM

"According to this theory, right-handed people are thought to process information using a "linear sequential" method in which one thread must complete its processing before the next thread can be started."
[ Not sure how our Ash falls into this category of linear thinking process, he wants to learn from his mistake, after completing his task of getting out playing foolish shot and then go back to the coach to learn again]

"Left-handed persons are thought to process information using a "visual simultaneous" method in which several threads can be processed simultaneously. Another way to view this is such: Suppose there were one thousand pieces of popcorn and one of them was colored blue. Right-handed people—using the linear sequential processing style—would look at the popcorn one at a time until they encountered the blue one. The left-handed person would spread out the pieces of popcorn and look at all of them to find the one that was blue. A side effect of these differing styles of processing is that right-handers need to complete one task before they can start the next."

[I believe that's why our left handed batsmen easily understand how coach is showing them how to hold the bat, but Ash still can't "visualize" how he is trained to hold the bat in training session.]

"Left-handers, by contrast, are capable and comfortable switching between tasks. This seems to suggest that left-handed people have an excellent ability to multi-task, and anecdotal evidence that they are more creative may stem from this ability to multi-task."
[There are lot of right handed players who is allrounder in our team, but they are not too good in both areas, but few of our lefties also good at being all rounders or have different distingquish qualities (SN was captancy material, Big Z was too tall, Tamim got the guts to come out of the crease, Rasel bowls with Chacha's speed but still great swing bowler etc. etc...]

"Right-handed people process information using "analysis" which is the method of solving a problem by breaking it down to its pieces and analyzing the pieces one at a time. By contrast, left-handed people process information using "synthesis" which is the method of solving a problem by looking at the whole and trying to use pattern-matching to solve the problem.^"

Source: Wiki

I believe if you compare with Ash, Tamim or Sakib, their thinking,learning process and how they apply the techniques are really different. Though Tamim having rough patch but still when he applies his head, he plays really good. Obviously not all left handed players are same as they differ in characteristics.

Zeeshan · #11 January 29, 2009, 01:45 PM

We need ambidextrous players groomed right from the birth for whole-brain synchrony. Both left-handedness and right-handedness has their own predispositions...

Nafi · #12 January 29, 2009, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SS
Do we have left hand pacers??

Of note:
Syed Rasel
Sajidul Islam

betaar · #13 January 29, 2009, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SS

"Right-handed people process information using "analysis", which is the method of solving a problem by breaking it down to its pieces and analyzing the pieces one at a time. By contrast, left-handed people process information using "synthesis", which is the method of solving a problem by looking at the whole and trying to use pattern-matching to solve the problem.^"

Source: Wiki

I get everything you say but don't get who came up with the idea of using left hand to clean our "you know what"?

Nafi · #14 January 29, 2009, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gopal Bhar
We need ambidextrous players groomed right from the birth for whole-brain synchrony. Both left-handedness and right-handedness has their own predispositions...

a la Kevin Pieterson

Zeeshan · #15 January 29, 2009, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nafi
a la Kevin Pieterson

he will rock with the both-sided bat...

betaar · #16 January 29, 2009, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gopal Bhar
We need ambidextrous players groomed right from the birth for whole-brain synchrony. Both left-handedness and right-handedness has their own predispositions...

Should we do what Hitler had done during world war II (trying to create his perfect army he decided to breed perfect white male by making his best soldiers mate with prostitutes in a breeding camp)?
Problem is we don't have a good supply of prostitutes back home needless to say good players.

SS · #17 January 29, 2009, 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by betaar
I get everything you say but don't get who came up with the idea of using left hand to clean our "you know what"?

So you saying rest of the worlds think of that "term" when it comes to "left hand"...

SS · #18 January 29, 2009, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by betaar
Should we do what Hitler had done during world war II (trying to create his perfect army he decided to breed perfect white male by making his best soldiers mate with prostitutes in a breeding camp)?
Problem is we don't have a good supply of prostitutes back home needless to say good players.

hey may be that process will help our future generation players too...why it has to be in an illegal way...if you open your other eye that you winked and look around you might find good supplies.

Tigers_eye · #19 January 29, 2009, 03:31 PM

Perfect generation do not come by breeding between the best physically dominant couples. Michael Jordan's son plays college basketball. Had to walk on. Was offered no scholarships at Illinois I believe.

nycpro96 · #20 January 29, 2009, 03:53 PM

it may be true that left handed batsmen may look elegant at times but so do right handed batsman. i think the leftys have more classical shots while the right handers have the power and more modern cheekier strokes.

betaar · #21 January 29, 2009, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SS
hey may be that process will help our future generation players too...why it has to be in an illegal way...if you open your other eye that you winked and look around you might find good supplies.

If you have eye for things then one is good enough.

Umar · #22 January 29, 2009, 07:38 PM

I think the thread opener SHAFIN bhai is left handed ! don't know why i think that!

BANFAN · #23 January 30, 2009, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DotBall
Lefties are indeed more fun to watch but it is hard say that they are more successful or dominant over the righties. .................................................. .................................................. .............................

Things opposite to one self, is always a fun to watch.

cricket_king · #24 January 30, 2009, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SS

"According to this theory, right-handed people are thought to process information using a "linear sequential" method in which one thread must complete its processing before the next thread can be started."
[ Not sure how our Ash falls into this category of linear thinking process, he wants to learn from his mistake, after completing his task of getting out playing foolish shot and then go back to the coach to learn again]

"Left-handed persons are thought to process information using a "visual simultaneous" method in which several threads can be processed simultaneously. Another way to view this is such: Suppose there were one thousand pieces of popcorn and one of them was colored blue. Right-handed people—using the linear sequential processing style—would look at the popcorn one at a time until they encountered the blue one. The left-handed person would spread out the pieces of popcorn and look at all of them to find the one that was blue. A side effect of these differing styles of processing is that right-handers need to complete one task before they can start the next."

[I believe that's why our left handed batsmen easily understand how coach is showing them how to hold the bat, but Ash still can't "visualize" how he is trained to hold the bat in training session.]

"Left-handers, by contrast, are capable and comfortable switching between tasks. This seems to suggest that left-handed people have an excellent ability to multi-task, and anecdotal evidence that they are more creative may stem from this ability to multi-task."
[There are lot of right handed players who is allrounder in our team, but they are not too good in both areas, but few of our lefties also good at being all rounders or have different distingquish qualities (SN was captancy material, Big Z was too tall, Tamim got the guts to come out of the crease, Rasel bowls with Chacha's speed but still great swing bowler etc. etc...]

"Right-handed people process information using "analysis" which is the method of solving a problem by breaking it down to its pieces and analyzing the pieces one at a time. By contrast, left-handed people process information using "synthesis" which is the method of solving a problem by looking at the whole and trying to use pattern-matching to solve the problem.^"

Source: Wiki

I believe if you compare with Ash, Tamim or Sakib, their thinking,learning process and how they apply the techniques are really different. Though Tamim having rough patch but still when he applies his head, he plays really good. Obviously not all left handed players are same as they differ in characteristics.

Curse my right-handedness.

billah · #25 January 30, 2009, 11:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cricket_king
Curse my right-handedness.

Each has its advantage.

You're gonna need step-by-step analytical process to design a microchip. I don't see how the pattern matching synthesis would come in handy there. Yes, I can see how this would help leadership skills - to reflect on the past experience and foresee the challenges ahead. May be this is why there are disproportionate number of left-handed leaders.

BTW, lefties have shorter life-span, studies showed in the past. Possible reason - the stress of living in a right-handed world. Most everyday use items are predominantly made for the right handed people - starting from kitchen knives to buses, to the placement of door-knobs and computer keyboards.

Who wants to curse his left-handedness now?