Batting is one of the most exciting parts of cricket for cricket fans.

cricket because fast bowlers don't pitch full enough that often.'  'The important things are to get your foot across to the pitch of the ball  and to stroke the shot, rather than hit it too hard.'  Mark says, 'I would  play this shot more to spinners, when when you can make a little room for yourself.'     The On Drive A very tough shot because it is hard to open your foot to point  straight down the pitch, bring the bat down nice and straight a nd still hit the ball hard enough to go down the ground.' 'I tend to hit this one wide of mid-on against pace bowlers,  whereas David Boon hit his straight back past the bowlder.  Boonie used this shot to great effect against fast bowlers  whenever they over-pitched.  I do hit spinners in the air over  mid-on and quicks there on the ground in one-dayers.'     Off the Pads through the On-side My trademark shot I suppose. The key is to let the ball come  to you and then turn your wrists at the last instant.  I can play this to balls on off-stump when I'm seeing them well.' 'In one-day games I sometimes hit it harder and in the air,  but in Tests I just turn the wrists and let the pace of the  ball do the work. A shot that often goes for four because there are plenty of gaps in the field     Square CutA shot I really like.   As long as you have enough width outside off-stump,  you can hit the square cut quite hard, sometimes in the air as well as on the ground.' 'It is an important shot in Test cricket because pace bowlders usually bowl short of a length and you need the cut to score runs.  Against spinners I sometimes play it off the stumps on a slow pitch.'   Backfoot DefenceA basic bread and butter shot against pace bowlers.  The keys are decisive footwork, a straight bat and soft  hands which allow you to adjust up or down depending on the bounce,  and to pull your hands and bat inside the line if you decide late to let the ball go.' 'The key is to stay on line, not follow the ball if it leaves you late.  One of those shots you must be able to play to keep your wicket intact.'   Forward DefenceMark says, 'Soft hands are important here too,  especially against spinners where you might have  close-in fielders waiting for a catch.  It's important to keep your bat and pad close together and your head over the ball.' 'Again, a key shot in that it allows you to keep good balls out of your stumps.'