A cut shot is an execution in cricket that puts the ball offside. A square cut is an offside shot that hits close to 90 degrees from the ground. A late cut made on or after the ball crosses the striker's body and hits the third man. Late cuts are usually played with the back foot but are sometimes played with the front foot against slow balls. Presenting to you the Top 10 cricketers who are experts in cut shots:
1. Michael Hussey
He is a former cricketer from Australia who was a left-handed opener batsman. He was an aggressive batsman, and his strike rate was always high. He plays cut shots beautifully and provided the tutorial for the youngsters named ‘Hussey Masterclass’. He is nicknamed ‘Mr. Cricket’ for his batting perfection. He has also played for CSK in the IPL.
2. Kumar Sangakkara
The second player on this list is one of the best hitters in the world. Kumar Sangakkara has a good square cut and a late cut. In more than 500 international matches, Sangakkara has destroyed even the best bowling opponent, and he has one of the best cut shots, if not the best square cut, more brutally than the others.
3. Shikhar Dhawan
For Shikhar Dhawan, the entire ground area up to the third-man zone is an important area against both seamers and spinners. Shikhar Dhawan's good shots look easy and perfect against right-arm speed, slow cuts, and steady penetration. Despite facing a tough battle, Dhawan still wanted to stand out and hold onto his running record.
4. Alastair Cook
Square cuts are the dream shots for many cricketers, and Alastair Cook from the UK is another person who has mastered them. Another player who likes to play long and tiring innings is the pitcher, who takes too much to keep the flow going. His inning involved several cuts. He finds gaps between the point and cover points and executes his cut shot to perfection.
5. Mahela Jayawardene
Mahela Jayawardene has been ranked number one in ICC cricket for more than a year, and he is a right-handed batsman from Sri Lanka. With his ability to score runs around the ground, he is always quick to punish any bowler who bowls away from his body. He hits cut shots along the ground as well as lofted cut shots. He was a very crucial batsman from Sri Lanka.
6. Sanath Jayasuriya
He is one of the best batsmen Sri Lankan has given to world cricket. He was a left-handed batsman who opened the innings and faced the new ball. Cut shot was his trademark shot and he used late cuts against spinners. After retirement, he got involved in Sri Lanka Politics.
7. Babar Azam
Babar Azam is a right-handed batsman from Pakistan and the captain of Pakistan. He is on the number 1 spot in ODIs for past the 1 year. He is highly rated for his cut shots and cover drives. He takes singles and also creates gaps to the third man from his cut shots. He has a lean patch in the year 2022 and he was failing miserably in cricket.
8. Geoffrey Boycott
Former England great Geoffrey Boycott was one of the greatest cricketers to ever play the game and is referred to as a 'defender’ because of his blocking ability. One of his favourite shots was a cut shot. This is one of the best shots in Boycott's repertoire, and needless to say, his brilliant skills always make him hit the ball perfectly.
9. Virat Kohli
While Virat Kohli is not an expert in cut shots, the cricketer is more of a good slicer because of his strong wrist, which eventually allows him to hit good back-cutters. Cutting late is Virat's best hit, especially in the middle overs of ODI games. Kohli mostly relies on proper late cuts when hitting, especially when the pitcher's line gives him a good-length ball.
10. KL Rahul
While KL Rahul is still a full-time 360 player who shoots some good shots and scores or chips in late in his prime. It is his prudent and neat stance that allows Rahul to seamlessly pick up long picks and play his dynamic hits against bowlers. KL Rahul often made a late cut to the third man against spinners and seamers.
