The Flick: Playing Through the Leg Side Off the Pads
The flick shot — a wrist-powered stroke that redirects a delivery from the leg stump line toward midwicket or square leg — the difference between a flick and a glance, how the wrist roll generates power from a ball delivered at the body, the footwork required for a front-foot flick versus a back-foot flick, and why the flick is a more aggressive and higher-risk shot than the leg glance.
Wrist Power and Direction
The flick generates power through a rotation of the wrists and forearms at the point of contact — unlike the glance, which deflects the ball using its own momentum, the flick uses the batsman's wrist and forearm motion to add pace to the ball and direct it more squarely to the leg side (toward midwicket or square leg rather than fine leg). The ball is contacted near the body, often off the thigh or hip line, and the wrists roll over at contact to close the bat face and drive the ball through the leg side. A flick played well produces a ball that reaches the boundary at midwicket with power despite minimal bat swing — the power comes from the wrist motion rather than a full bat swing, which is why the flick looks deceptively effortless when played by a batsman with supple wrists.
Front-Foot vs Back-Foot Flick
The front-foot flick is played to a full delivery aimed at the pads — the batsman steps forward, the ball arrives at knee-to-thigh height, and the wrist roll at contact redirects it toward midwicket. The danger is the delivery that swings in late and misses the bat, hitting the pad in line with the stumps — this is a common LBW mode for the front-foot flick. The back-foot flick is played to a short-of-a-good-length delivery that arrives at hip or waist height — the batsman moves onto the back foot, the ball sits up to a natural hitting height, and the wrist roll hits it to the leg side. The back-foot flick is often considered safer than the front-foot flick because the ball has passed the LBW danger zone (pitched outside the crease area) before being struck.
Risk Compared to the Glance
The flick is inherently higher risk than the leg glance because it requires more commitment from the batsman. A glance is controlled — the bat barely moves, and if the ball behaves unexpectedly (swings, seams, changes pace), the batsman can abort the shot without much consequence. A flick requires the wrists to be committed to the rolling motion before contact — if the delivery swings in more than expected, the ball can hit the pad (LBW risk) or the inside edge of the flick can fly behind to the fine leg area (caught behind or at fine leg). The greater power and aggressive direction of the flick come at the cost of greater vulnerability to the ball doing more than the batsman expected.
Frequently asked questions
Can left-handed and right-handed batsmen play the flick equally effectively?
The flick is available to both left-handed and right-handed batsmen — it is played to deliveries aimed at the leg stump line, which is defined relative to the batsman's stance rather than their handedness. A left-handed batsman's leg-side flick goes to the same directional zone (midwicket/square leg from their perspective) as a right-handed batsman's. Some batting analysts observe that specific batsmen have more developed flick shots than others based on individual wrist flexibility and technique rather than any handedness advantage. Sanath Jayasuriya and Mahela Jayawardene (right-handed Sri Lankan batsmen) were both noted for exceptional flick shots; similarly, David Gower (left-handed) was regarded as one of the most elegant flick players in English cricket history.
What is the difference between a flick and a pull shot?
Both are leg-side attacking shots but played to different delivery lengths and at different ball heights. The pull shot is played to a short-pitched ball (bouncer or genuine short ball) that rises to chest or shoulder height — the batsman plays horizontally across the line to hit a ball that is rising at them. The flick is played to a full or medium-length delivery that arrives at the hip or thigh — the ball is not rising aggressively, and the flick uses a more vertical bat swing with wrist roll. The pull is used against short bowling; the flick against full or medium-length bowling aimed at the body. Both end up directing the ball to the leg side but from very different ball positions and with very different techniques.
What bowlers are the flick most effective against?
The flick is most effective against bowlers who bowl a full length aimed at or outside leg stump — specifically, bowlers attempting to limit the batsman's scoring options by bowling at the body (preventing off-side shots without the off stump danger of an in-swinger). A bowler who bowls a full length at leg stump hoping to concede only blocked singles has misjudged — a batsman with an effective flick turns the leg-stump full delivery into a boundary opportunity. Fast bowlers who bowl leg-side lines in death overs (T20) to take pace off the straight shots give flick players extra time to play the shot. The flick is less effective against bowlers with significant in-swing or those bowling shorter pitches where the ball doesn't sit up in the flick zone.