Modern day cricket is highly contrasting to the cricket that was prevalent five decades ago. The game was initially one that focused on technique and skill and not much on power hitting. The latter skill took the spotlight as the shorter formats of the sport were introduced in the late 2000s. To increase their scoring rate, batters increased the range of their shot-making abilities, thereby adding ‘slog’ as a handy weapon.
Slogging in cricket refers to an unorthodox technique with the sole aim of the batter being to get the best possible outcome from the incoming delivery – a four or a six. Conventionally, a sweep shot is one where the batter directs the ball from a high to low trajectory by playing a front foot sweeping shot on the leg side. A slog sweep in complete contrast is one where the batter hits the ball from a lower level to trace a higher trajectory.
The shot is played when the ball is bowled at a full length at a medium pace. This allows the batter enough time to take a good stride forward and follow it with a single powerful sweep that is targeted over the square-leg and mid-wicket region. This shot was developed in 1970s by Hanif Mohammed and Mushtaq Mohammed. It was later popularized by Dermot Reeve in the 1980s.
In T20 cricket, bowlers often bowl slower deliveries in order to reduce the scoring rate. By a slow ball, the batter is likely to misjudge or mistime the ball, and has to utilize his or her own brute force to send the ball outside the stadium. Given the relative ease of playing the slog sweep and a technique that is easy to master, the slog sweep poses as a worthy opponent to the slower delivery.
The slog sweep is now a routinely played shot in limited overs cricket. Owing to the area that it covers in its motion, the shot is versatile enough to be hit in balls that are directed at any line.
