Is higher backlift from modern day batsman the proof that fast bowlers have become faster and batting is physically demanding?

[MechEng]

Watch any video from 1960s cricket, you will see zero backlift from batsmen of that time, be it Pataudi or Vijay Manjrekar and any other English batsman.

 

Switch to 1970s/80s, all batsmen had very low backlifts except for West Indian batsmen who had moderate backifts.

 

1990s and 2000s had most batsmen with moderate backlifts with exceptions being some Aussie and South African batsmen with big backlifts.

 

2010s to today, almost everyone has a large backlift. Low backlifts are almost extinct, except for Pujara I have not seen anyone with a low backlift.

 

This is a proof that since bowlers have become physically fitter and the game is more power based, batsmen tend to prefer high backlifts.

[cricketfan28]

don't think bowlers have become faster(Imran khan thinks the bowler from the past were faster, i don't think so) but the need to score faster might be the reason.

[MechEng]

3 minutes ago, cricketfan28 said:

don't think bowlers have become faster(Imran khan thinks the bowler from the past were faster, i don't think so) but the need to score faster might be the reason.

 

There was lesser protection, so bowlers appeared faster than they actually were.

[New guy]

Higher backlift actually gives you lesser time to react to fuller balls and yorkers. In fact the faster a bowler you face, the smaller backlift is recommended. The fraction of extra second it takes to bring bat down can cost you against a 145+ bowler

 

Also bigger backlift is recommended for getting under ball and lifting it, in the olden times you mentioned, the priority was to hit balls along the ground and not in the air

Edited November 13, 2021 by New guy

[Sean Bradley]

Batlift is a subjective and personal thing to any batter. It has nothing to do with the pace of Ball. Adam Gilchrist had a very little batlift, but he was as devastating as anyone in the world. Lance klusener on the other hand had a very high batlift with a base ball style stance, but still equally disruptive. The modern day T20 generation of cricketers have a high batlift maybe to gain momentum in their shots and make ball travel the distance. Again nothing to do with pace. 

[Khota]

It gives you an advantage on generating bat velocity. It also cuts down on reaction time

 

[Mesky99]

I don't think facing faster bowlers would be the reason behind higher backlifts, lower backlifts meant limited stroke play and mainly strokes were played in the v, players of the past were much superior in terms of footwork so made up for it with lesser backlifts. 

[Jay]

2 hours ago, Mesky99 said:

I don't think facing faster bowlers would be the reason behind higher backlifts, lower backlifts meant limited stroke play and mainly strokes were played in the v, players of the past were much superior in terms of footwork so made up for it with lesser backlifts. 

Varat kuli is so arrogant that he even plays shots along the V. He does not like being inventive. 

[rkt.india]

5 hours ago, Mesky99 said:

I don't think facing faster bowlers would be the reason behind higher backlifts, lower backlifts meant limited stroke play and mainly strokes were played in the v, players of the past were much superior in terms of footwork so made up for it with lesser backlifts. 

superior footwork? Watch the videos of 70s, 80s. Most batsmen would hardly come on front foot. 

[speedheat]

Actually it's ulta... @New guy guy has brilliantly explained it in above  post.

[MechEng]

29 minutes ago, speedheat said:

Actually it's ulta... @New guy guy has brilliantly explained it in above  post.

 

10 hours ago, New guy said:

Higher backlift actually gives you lesser time to react to fuller balls and yorkers. In fact the faster a bowler you face, the smaller backlift is recommended. The fraction of extra second it takes to bring bat down can cost you against a 145+ bowler

 

Also bigger backlift is recommended for getting under ball and lifting it, in the olden times you mentioned, the priority was to hit balls along the ground and not in the air

 

Have you watched Graham Gooch bat? The reason why he was so successful against Marshall, Ambrose, Walsh was because of his massive backlift which made it easier to play bounce and pace.

[Jay]

1 hour ago, speedheat said:

Actually it's ulta... @New guy guy has brilliantly explained it in above  post.

No its not. Only Pakistanis would say bowlers were faster in 80s and 90s for obvious reasons. 

 

Bowlers are quicker and overall better athletes now. 

[express bowling]

In every sport we see people sprinting faster, swimming faster, running faster, jumping longer, jumping higher etc. in the last 20 years compared to the 1970s and 1980s. 

 

Bodybuilders of the 1980s look like ordinary people compared to bodybuilders of today.

 

Only in cricket is it debated whether pacers of today are faster !!

 

Fast bowlers of the last 20 years are much faster than their counterparts from the 1970s and 1980s. 

[speedheat]

22 minutes ago, Jay said:

No its not. Only Pakistanis would say bowlers were faster in 80s and 90s for obvious reasons. 

 

Bowlers are quicker and overall better athletes now. 

That I agree, but there are few bowlers who looks genuinely fast like Thomson, Lilly, Patrick Patterson etc.

 

[Jay]

1 hour ago, speedheat said:

That I agree, but there are few bowlers who looks genuinely fast like Thomson, Lilly, Patrick Patterson etc.

 

True. I feel like those players would struggle in Asia.

[Mesky99]

6 hours ago, rkt.india said:

superior footwork? Watch the videos of 70s, 80s. Most batsmen would hardly come on front foot. 

Offcourse they played of the front foot, you don't just drag your foot forward like most modern day batsmen do even before the bowl is bowled, vengsarkar, gavaskar, amaranth, boycott, chappel, gower, gooch were all great front foot players, they had better judgement and never over did it with trigger moments, pitches were uncovered so planting your foot down would be quite stupid.

 

 

[Rantzz]

High bat lift is very effective in T20 and ODI and allows you to swing through the line. 
 

you will not see too many high bat lifts  in test cricket

[Khota]

Let me explain further. To send the ball further you need maximum swing velocity. This technique comes from baseball. At the point of impact you want a very high or maximum speed.

 

First order simplification is that you are imparting kinetic energy to the ball to go far. This energy is coming from the bat. 

The equation is = (1/2)*m*v*v.

As you can see the energy goes up by the square of the velocity. So at the point of impact you want maximum bat speed. Backlift allows to literally swing it hard. 

Another anecdotal thing you can see in baseball dugout

 The bat who has to walking next is taking a bat with weight attached to the bat sometimes and swinging hard. This allows him to swing much faster during game time.

This is derivative of baseball and Gooch was the first one to implement it.

[Khota]

6 hours ago, express bowling said:

In every sport we see people sprinting faster, swimming faster, running faster, jumping longer, jumping higher etc. in the last 20 years compared to the 1970s and 1980s. 

 

Bodybuilders of the 1980s look like ordinary people compared to bodybuilders of today.

 

Only in cricket is it debated whether pacers of today are faster !!

 

Fast bowlers of the last 20 years are much faster than their counterparts from the 1970s and 1980s. 

There is no comparison. Just like olympic records etc. Present day generation of bowlers are much stronger and faster. Sixes are longer

 

[MechEng]

1 hour ago, Khota said:

Let me explain further. To send the ball further you need maximum swing velocity. This technique comes from baseball. At the point of impact you want a very high or maximum speed.

 

First order simplification is that you are imparting kinetic energy to the ball to go far. This energy is coming from the bat. 

The equation is = (1/2)*m*v*v.

As you can see the energy goes up by the square of the velocity. So at the point of impact you want maximum bat speed. Backlift allows to literally swing it hard. 

Another anecdotal thing you can see in baseball dugout

 The bat who has to walking next is taking a bat with weight attached to the bat sometimes and swinging hard. This allows him to swing much faster during game time.

This is derivative of baseball and Gooch was the first one to implement it.

 

Well explained, but the reason why Gooch had a big backlift was because it became easier to play backfoot shots.

 

Unlike Pakistani bowlers who bowled very full lengths and swung it late at high speeds, the West Indies bowlers bowled short of good length and obtained seam movement like Pat Cummins. So it made sense to play them with a high backlift.