Reverse Sweep in Cricket — Technique, Risks, and When to Play It

What Is the Reverse Sweep?

The reverse sweep is a batting stroke in which the batter switches their grip — top hand becomes bottom hand — and sweeps the ball to the off side rather than the leg side. It converts a delivery aimed at leg stump into one played to a gap on the wrong side of the field.

How to Play the Reverse Sweep

1. Get into the sweep position — front knee drops toward the pitch, head over the ball.
2. Reverse the bat: the leading hand (normally top) twists to sit below the trailing hand.
3. Keep the bottom hand pointing down the pitch to generate direction control.
4. Make contact at or just outside off stump to steer through third man or point.
5. The wrists roll through to keep the ball down and avoid top-edges.

Why Batters Play It

The primary purpose is to exploit gaps in the field. Captains who pack the leg side for a sweep-heavy batter leave point and third man unguarded — the reverse sweep punishes this. It also disrupts a spin bowler's length, forcing them to rethink their plan mid-series.

The Risks

• Top-edge leading to a catch behind or at fine leg.
• LBW if bat hits pad and the ball is tracking into stumps.
• Handled ball (now 'obstructing the field') if hand comes off the handle.
• The batter must complete the change of stance before contact — partial changes lead to miscues.

Famous Reverse Sweeps

Kevin Pietersen made the reverse sweep central to his game against spin. His reverse sweep off Muttiah Muralitharan in the 2006 series in Sri Lanka was celebrated as audacious batting. Eoin Morgan used it heavily in England's ODI revolution. AB de Villiers played it from outside leg stump, a more extreme version known as a ramp sweep.

Sweep-heavy batter faces an offspinner. Captain sets: mid-on, mid-wicket, square leg, fine leg — all on the leg side. Third man and backward point are vacant. The batter plays a reverse sweep through third man — 4 runs — and forces the captain to reset.

Variants

• Reverse ramp: plays over third man rather than along the ground — risks top-edge but rewards are 4 or 6.
• Switch hit: a complete 180° stance change — legal if done before the bowler bowls, governed by the same law as the reverse sweep.
• Reverse flick: plays the ball off the hips toward square leg on the off side.