Square Cut:  

Sachin Tendulkar belts the ball square of the wicket © CricInfo

• The square cut is played to a ball bowled short and wide outside the off stump.

• The back foot moves back and across with the body weight transferred to it and the bat comes down on the ball from the top of the backlift.

• The ball should be hit with the full face of the bat at a point in front of the body.

• Generally, the back foot points in the direction you want to play the shot and the impact should be preferably at full arms length.

• The ball is kept on the ground with the roll of the wrists just after impact. The square cut can also be played off the front foot. This is done by going on the front foot and the stroke is played by bending the front knee and the bat is brought down from its backlift and thrown at the ball.

• What is important when playing the square cut is that the bat must come down from top on to the ball to get maximum power on the shot. The body weight must transfer from the front foot on to the back foot and into the arms during the downswing of the bat, from a high back lift.

Gear
Cricket bat
Protective gear
Shoes Basic techniques
Grip
Stance
Backlift
Taking Guard Defensive strokes
Front foot defence
Backfoot Defence Drives
Off Drive
Straight Drive
On Drive
Lofted Drive Horizontal bat shots
Square Cut
The Pull
The Hook