5 reasons why baseball's batters would make good cricket batsmen

Cricket and baseball have a number of similarities, to begin with. Both these sports feature batters, fielders and a player who will deliver the ball to the batter. In cricket, the bowler runs some distance (referred to as run-up) before delivering the ball to the batsman whereas the pitcher (as termed in baseball) does not require a run-up and delivers the ball while standing at a single position.

The differences arise in the size of the field where both these games are played on. While cricket is played on an oval-shaped ground with a 22-yard rectangular pitch placed in the middle of the ground, Baseball is played on a diamond-shaped field. Considering these differences, here are the top 5 reasons why baseball’s batters would make good batsmen in cricket.

1) Running between the bases

In cricket, it is necessary for a batsman to run well between the wickets. While hitting boundaries entertain the spectators, it is also highly important to pick those singles and doubles that keep the scoreboard moving and have a major impact on the overall score of the team in the limited overs format. Most of the successful batsmen in cricket give high importance to running well between the wickets and the Indian Captain for the limited overs format Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a great example.

Similarly, in baseball, the batters need to take a run at least once in 3 deliveries. If the batter fails to pick a run on 3 consecutive occasions, then it will be a strikeout where the batter will be adjudged out and asked to head towards the dugout. Once the batter connects the ball, he will have to reach the next base before the catcher runs him out and on certain occasions, the runner tries to steal a base before the pitcher has even delivered the ball to the batter.

The runner needs to have the right timing and good instincts in addition to being quick on his feet. These attributes certainly help a lot in cricket as well.

2) Clean hitting

The need to hit the ball cleanly is common in both games

Clearing the ball over the fence has become a necessity since the advent of the Twenty20 format. The batsmen have been hitting massive sixes in need of quick runs in the shorter format and must do so by hitting the ball a long distance. West Indies player Chris Gayle and the South African AB de Villiers are some examples of batsmen who can clear the ball with ease and consist the strength to do so to hit the ball for more than 80 meters on an average.

Baseball batters as well look to clear the ball and send it out of the ground for a Home Run. This gives a great advantage to the team as the batters will be able to make a complete circuit (covering all bases) that allows them to complete a run and reach home safely without any errors committed by the defensive team. It is somewhat similar to hitting a six in cricket and comes as a natural skill for the Baseball batters to execute.

3) Reflexes

Baseball’s batters need to have quick reflexes

Fast bowlers have been bowling regularly at speeds over 140-150 Kmph and that certainly, tests the batsmen’s reflexes to face such deliveries. Quality batsmen have been able to overcome fast bowlers by having quick hands and also being fast on their feet. It requires some level of skill to face modern bowlers like Mitchell Starc and Wahab Riaz, who can be lethal on their day and give batsmen a hard time on the pitch. Former legendary players like Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting were considered great players of fast bowling.

Baseball batters, too, require some quick hands to face the pitchers who release the ball at speeds of over 130-140 Kmph. The fastest ball ever thrown by a pitcher was 105.1 Mph by Aroldis Chapman in 2010. The baseball batter would naturally get accustomed to facing deliveries at high speeds and could get used to the bowling style of modern cricket bowlers as they will not have to worry about ‘strikes’ in a cricket match.

4) Size of the bat

The size of the baseball bat is different to that of a cricket bat

The size of the bats, currently, vary but the length of a bat can be no more than 965mm and the width cannot be more than 108mm. This gives the batsmen enough wood to strike the cricket ball to the preferred spot and score runs at a steady rate on a decent batting wicket. The circumference of the cricket ball used is between 22.4 cms and 22.9 cms and the bat is wide enough to connect completely with it.

Baseball batters have it harder as their bats do not have edges and are comparatively smaller than the current cricket bats. This could give an advantage for the baseball batters over the cricket batsmen as they are used to striking the ball with smaller bats. Bigger bats would give them higher chances of connecting with the ball. An average Baseball bat is 65-70 mm in diameter and 1066 mm long and the circumference of the ball is 235mm on an average. There is a considerable difference between the two games and the baseball batters could connect better while batting with a cricket bat as they are used to playing with smaller bats.

5) Timing the ball

There is nothing more satisfying than knocking the ball out of the park

Timing plays a crucial role in almost all sports and it certainly plays a major role in cricket. Timing the shots right can send the ball rocketing to the boundary fence and most certainly fetch some runs for the team. South African player Hashim Amla and Indian batsman Virat Kohli are some great timers in the modern cricket and have displayed some fine batting strokes while timing their shots beautifully.

Timing plays an important role in baseball as well since the batters have to time their shots to send the ball out of the park. The batters have to swing their bats at the right moment to connect with the ball and have even lesser time to react as the pitchers do not consist of run-ups. Pitchers have been noted to throw at slower speeds as well to confuse the batters and the batters, in turn, need to get the right timing to connect with the ball, adjusting to the variations that have been seen in cricket as well.