Usually a purely defensive shot designed to interpose the bat in front of the wicket so as to stop the ball from hitting the wicket, although it can be used to kill the ball or work it into a gap so that the batsman can run a quick single. This shot has no strength behind it, usually played with a light or "soft" bottom-hand grip and merely stops the ball moving towards the wicket. Also known as a forward defensive or backward defensive, depending on whether the batsman plays the shot from the front foot or the back foot.
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