How to Play the Marillier Shot: The Slog Over Deep Fine Leg

Douglas Marillier pulled off one of ODI cricket’s great upsets in 2001 by doing something batters simply didn’t do against pace bowling: stepping clear of his stumps and swatting Javagal Srinath and Harbhajan Singh over fine leg, again and again, until Zimbabwe had chased down a total nobody gave them a chance at. The shot still carries his name for a reason.

Why the Shot Exists

The Marillier targets a gap conventional batting rarely touches: fine leg. When the off side is packed and the bowling team is going full and straight to shut down the slog, this shot changes the angle of attack entirely. Let the ball come on a touch, then swing across the line with power and loft.

Stance

Start normally. Unlike the sweep or slog sweep, there’s no set front-foot stride here. Many batters play it from a slightly open stance, shifting weight to the back foot as the ball arrives.

Step-by-Step Technique

Phase	Action
Read the line	Identify a full delivery on or outside off — this is the trigger ball
Clear the front leg	Step the front foot away to the leg side, creating room
Get leg-side of the ball	Move the head slightly to the off side so you can swing freely
Swing across the line	Use a high, flat-bat swing aimed at fine leg to deep square leg
Use the pace	Don’t try to hit too hard — let the bowler’s pace do the work
Follow-through	High, around the shoulder; don’t check the shot

When to Use It

• Late in a chase, when boundaries are needed fast and the field’s set conventionally.
• Against full, swinging-in deliveries — the swing across the line works with that movement rather than against it.
• Against pace bowlers going full and straight in the death overs.
• When fine leg sits inside the circle during the powerplay, since that’s when the gap is biggest.

Risks and How to Manage Them

The shot carries real risk. Here’s what tends to go wrong:

• Top edge. Usually from a ball that isn’t full enough. Only attempt it on a genuinely full-length delivery.
• Caught at deep fine leg. The fielder’s in the game if the swing isn’t clean. Hit through the ball, not under it.
• Bowled or LBW. Clear the front leg too early and the stumps are exposed. Time the leg clearance to after the ball leaves the bowler’s hand.

Practice Drill

Have a throwdown specialist or bowling machine deliver full balls on off stump at medium pace. Practise stepping the front foot to the on side and swinging flat across the line over fine leg. Start with a short boundary to build confidence, then push the target back. The goal is clean, consistent contact, not distance.