'Let the ball come under your eyes': Matthew Hayden critiques batters technique as 28 wickets fall in two days of WTC Final
Lungi Ngidi of South Africa successfully appeals the wicket of Steve Smith of Australia (Photo by)
Former Australian opener
Matthew Hayden
analyzed the batting collapse during the World Test Championship final between South Africa and Australia, pointing out technical deficiencies as batters struggled against seam movement, with 28 wickets falling across the first two days of play.
The Australian batting lineup faced a severe collapse on Day 2, losing five wickets in just 42 balls, including key players
Marnus Labuschagne
, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, and captain
Pat Cummins
, leaving them at 73/7.
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Historical data indicated that the pitch conditions were not unusually challenging compared to previous matches at the venue.
Hayden highlighted how the demands of Test cricket differ significantly from white-ball formats, particularly regarding scoring rates and batting techniques.
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"Test match cricket demands that you get comfortable with not scoring quickly--something that's the opposite of what the shorter formats teach. T20 batting encourages moving away from the ball to create space and power, but in Tests, that becomes a weakness. Dismissals like those of Labuschagne, Green, and Webster all stemmed from not getting close to the ball," Hayden said on JioHotstar.
"We were taught to 'smell the leather'--to let the ball come under your eyes.
In the longer format, that means moving towards the ball, not away from it. At the moment, there are clear technical deficiencies as these players readjust to Test cricket," he added.
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The dismissals of Labuschagne, Cameron Green, and Webster demonstrated this technical issue, as they failed to minimize the distance between their position and the ball, resulting in either thick outside edges or LBW dismissals.
Former India coach
Sanjay Bangar
provided additional insight into the batting techniques of modern players, particularly focusing on their positioning at the crease.
"This might be a tendency among Australian and South African batters. Many of them, like Marnus Labuschagne, are consistently getting out on that fifth or sixth stump line. Standing on off stump makes you think defensively, and your front foot doesn't go towards the ball," Bangar explained.
"You're worried about LBW, and that hesitation impacts technique. In England, successful batters--like Rahul Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly, and Joe Root --often stayed leg side of the ball. On bouncy wickets, you can get away with it, but in these conditions, you become a sitting duck in front of the stumps," he concluded.
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