Cricket that was played up until forty years ago did not see batters wear any protective equipment. The bowlers routinely bowled the cork ball at a higher pace. The absence on the limit to short pitched deliveries or bouncers further made it a challenge for the batters to score runs off these seemingly dangerous deliveries. In most cases, batters would either duck or leave the ball.
When protective gear like helmets, elbow guards, pelvic guard, thigh guard were introduced, it increased the batter’s confidence. They now risked taking the short balls intentionally, and scoring runs off such balls. This led to the increased use of what is known as the hook shot. Not that the hook shot was never played in the absence of protective gear. It was simply a risky shot to hit as the margin of error is so thin that it could cause a fatal injury.
A hook shot is played against a ball that reaches the batter’s shoulder height or higher. The approaching ball gradually rises upon pitching at a fast pace. Thus, batters have to be quick on their feet to get in a position to hit the hook shot. A hook shot is played such that the bat’s follow through begins on the off-side at chest height and ends over the batter’s shoulder towards the leg-side.
A hook shot demands precision. The contact with the ball must be made at a time wherein the batter can feel the ball catapulting from the bat. The direction of the ball is usually anywhere between the backward square-leg and fine leg region. A mistimed swing of the bat can cause two things. Either the batter misses the shot completely that can lead to the ball hitting the helmet and resulting in concussion, or the ball contacts the bat’s edge that increases the chances of a batter being dismissed caught out.
Oftentimes, a hook shot is confused with a pull shot. This is because there are many similarities in the manner in which both the shots are played. However, the key difference lies in the length of the ball based on which batters make a choice between the hook and the pull. A hook shot is hit when the ball is at or above shoulder height whereas a pull shot is played when the ball is at chest height.
