How to Play the Ramp Shot in Cricket: Technique Guide

Angle the bat face skyward right at the point of contact and a full or back-of-a-length ball sails over the wicketkeeper or backward point instead of into a fielder’s hands. That’s the ramp shot: using the bowler’s own pace, rather than bat speed, to clear the infield toward fine leg or third man.

Why Batters Use the Ramp

The ramp reaches gaps a conventional shot can’t. Captains stack the off-side infield during powerplays and death overs in T20 cricket, so a drive usually finds a fielder while a ramp finds the rope. It also messes with a bowler’s plans: someone aiming at the blockhole has to think twice once the batter can scoop that exact ball over the keeper for four.

The shot grew out of T20-era improvisation and is now standard equipment for top-order and specialist white-ball batters.

Two Variations of the Ramp

Variation	Direction	Best Ball to Use On
Over the keeper	Straight down toward fine leg	Full ball, middle/off stump
Toward third man	Angled behind backward point	Short of length, outside off
Lap-ramp	Over fine leg, slightly squarer	Full ball on leg/middle stump

Understanding which variation suits the delivery prevents misdirection.

Step-by-Step Technique

1. Pick up the length early. The ramp needs commitment before the ball arrives. Decide late and the bat angle comes out wrong, sending a top edge straight to a fielder.

2. Move into position. Many batters step slightly across toward off, creating room to open the bat face without the body getting in the way. Some move outside off stump entirely for extra space.

3. Angle the bat face upward. Tilt the face skyward as the ball arrives. Think roof, not wall: the ball should travel at roughly 45 degrees upward, not into the ground.

4. Soft hands at contact. Hard hitting kills this shot. The ball’s own pace provides the energy, so grip lightly and guide it rather than swing.

5. Head stays still. Track the ball onto the bat face with your eyes. The instant the head moves toward fine leg in anticipation, the bat comes off line.

6. Follow through upward. Let the bat continue skyward after contact. Stopping it abruptly kills both elevation and direction.

Common Mistakes

• Deciding too late, so the bat face is flat at contact and the ball goes straight to mid-off or the bowler.
• Using too much bottom hand, which forces the bat down instead of up and produces a top edge.
• Moving the head too early, tilting it before contact and pulling the bat out of line.
• Trying it against full deliveries on leg stump, where the geometry doesn’t work; a sweep or flick is the better option there.

Drills

1. Throw-down ramps: have a partner throw full deliveries at off stump from 10 metres. Work only on bat angle and head position.
2. Tee practice: set a tee at knee height outside off and practice the tilting bat face action without footwork until the angle feels instinctive.
3. Target training: hang a target above and behind the wicketkeeper’s position and aim for it deliberately during practice.

Reading the Field and Situation

Only ramp when there is a clear gap. If a fine leg is stationed specifically to stop the ramp, adapt: go squarer toward third man, or abandon the shot entirely and drive straight. The ramp is a weapon, not a reflex.