5 greatest players of the hook/pull shot

#1 Ricky Ponting

One thing that fast bowlers realised quite early in Ricky Ponting's career was that bowling short to him was the worst strategy in the world. Throughout the course of his stellar career that spanned 17 years (1995-2012), the right-hander was the best player of the hook and pull shots in the world, and definitely the best in the history of the game.

His backfoot play was something out of the ordinary and what made him great was that he not only punished deliveries that were pitched too short but even those that landed on the right length and were well directed.

The hooks and pulls were majestic to watch, and he also found the placement absolutely correct on most occasions. However, what made him a great player of those shots was the fact that when he had even committed himself on the front foot, he could alter his shot and play a crunching pull shot if he wanted to.