Lionel Palairet - Style and Technique

Style and Technique

Often considered the benchmark against which other batsmen are compared for attractive, graceful batting, Palairet won many plaudits for his style. In his book, The Jubilee Book of Cricket, K. S. Ranjitsinhji includes a number of staged photographs of Palairet playing his shots, and describes his methods in places, using them as the model which young players should adopt. He played predominantly off the front foot, and tended to be less effective on soft pitches. He favoured shots on the off side, particularly the off drive and cover drive. During Palairet's career, bowlers favoured a tactic, known as off theory, of bowling the ball just outside the off stump. The strength of Palairet's off side strokes blunted the tactic, and helped him to score more effectively. C. B. Fry suggests that the early practice that Palairet gained against Attewell and Martin, who bowled accurately at the stumps, was a key factor in his not developing such a range of leg side shots.

For a time early in his career, he attempted to play more powerfully, but then returned to his forward style. Despite this, he remained capable of hitting the ball out of the County Ground in Taunton and into the River Tone at one end or the churchyard at the other. Although considered a stylish batsman, David Foot describes Palairet as having "the minimum of extrovert flourish" and "no quaint mannerisms", both factors he considered relevant in Palairet's limited Test appearances. Throughout his career, Palairet shunned improvisation, and played well-establish, orthodox cricket shots. He remained absolutely still at the crease while preparing to play a shot, a feature later seen in Viv Richards' batting. Palairet invariably wore a Harlequins cricket cap during matches, and was considered aloof by his colleagues. His reluctance to play shots on the leg side or cut square on the off side could be considered a drawback in the modern game. He favoured lofted shots which were often compared to golf strokes.

He was a sure-handed catcher, occasional wicket-keeper, and medium-paced or lob bowler.