Who is the King of Pull Shot in Cricket? Top Players Ranked!

Being the king of pull shots in cricket is no small feat, given the shot's wide range of usage. It is widely believed to be the most natural shot in cricket, which an individual develops more as a reflex before the need for technique takes over.

Originating fundamentally to counter the once-feared short-pitched deliveries by the fearsome fast bowlers, a pull shot could be effectively used to score runs faster if executed well. Earlier, the nasty bouncers hurled at batsmen often came around the chest or shoulder height that neither allowed batters to defend them nor could they be dispatched straight down the ground.

It was at this point that the pull shot was invented as an alternative to batters repetitively ducking the shorter deliveries. Suddenly, the equation had changed as batters could now put pressure on the fast bowlers with pull shots as what were once fearsome bouncers had now become scoring opportunities.   

By properly mastering the pull shot a batsman now enables bowlers to change their line and length and not resort only to the bodyline. Pull shot is popular more so for its utility to target specific areas on the field like the square-leg, mid-wicket and other such fielding positions. Over the years, the pull shot has evolved alongside other back-foot shots like the hook as bowlers also kept experimenting with their short-pitched deliveries. 

Apart from being very productive, a pull shot also gives a psychological edge to the batters. One of the best-looking cricket shots, a batsman can properly establish who’s in charge with a perfectly executed pull shot.

While batters have been using the pull shot for decades, its effectiveness could only be quantified after ball-tracking was introduced in 2010. Below we gathered the top five batters who have managed the most runs from the pull shot in Tests and T20Is from Cricket.com. 

Joe Root | 1115 Runs off Pull Shots

The English skipper has been in the news for closing in on the Test run tally of former Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar, widely believed to be the greatest cricket player ever. Apart from being close to 13000 runs in Test cricket, Root is also the most lethal puller of the ball in the longest format of the game. Though limiting bouncers to just two per over has drastically reduced the challenge for batters today, wielding the weapon so well against the shorter deliveries does call for a mention. Since 2010, Root has averaged a brilliant 92.92 while pulling a delivery, scoring 1115 runs off the shot and getting out 12 times in the process. 

David Warner | 982 Runs off Pull Shots

Given his short stature, former Australian opener David Warner had to develop his pull shot quite early in his career as most deliveries ended up coming chest-high for the southpaw. Consequently, the explosive batter used this shot to a devastating effect. Having played most of his games on the hard, bouncy turfs of Australia made Warner an expert in pulling the ball and he averaged almost 50 with this shot, scoring 982 runs in the process. Being a risk-taker whose primary job was to keep the scoreboard ticking at all costs, Warner also got dismissed 20 times playing this shot. As per the Fan Code published in 2020, Warner scored 14% of his runs across all formats playing the pull shot. 

Angelo Mathews | 881 Runs off Pull Shots

Though the former Sri Lankan all-rounder faded away quite underwhelmingly at the fag end of his career, Angelo Mathews was one the best puller of the ball at his peak and won Sri Lanka numerous games from difficult positions. He averaged 67.77 playing the pull shot and scored 881 Test runs through it since 2010.

Ben Stokes | 847 Runs off Pull Shots

England’s 2019 ODI World Cup star and star all-rounder Ben Stokes is yet another good puller of the ball. Unlike Warner, Stokes is tall enough to get over the bouncers and hit measured pull shots at desired areas on the leg side. Since 2010, the middle-order batsman has averaged 42.35 through the pull shots and tallied 847 runs in the process. With bowlers not bowling enough bouncers at his height, Stokes has often found variations of the short-pitched deliveries that have also seen him getting dismissed 20 times while pulling the ball.

Babar Azam | 733 Runs Playing the Pull Shot

The Pakistani batsman has earned a name for himself for executing some of the text-book cricketing shots to perfection. The pull shot is one of them in which Babar Azam has tallied 733 runs since 2010 while averaging 43.12 in the process. One might argue that while the top-order Pakistani batter has scored the most runs in T20Is since 2010 by playing the pull shot, he isn’t widely believed to be the best player of the pull shot.

Rohit Sharma | 659 Runs Playing the Pull Shot 

Called the “king of pull shot”, the former T20I Indian skipper has redefined the way the pull shot is played. He doesn’t top the list owing to late international debuts and not being a part of the starting eleven across various formats, but the Hit-man pulls the short-pitched deliveries like no other. He has tallied 659 runs through the pull shots while averaging just 29.95, which shows how frequently he uses it. More recent data has shown that Rohit Sharma is miles ahead of other top batters while playing the pull shot.

Mohammad Rizwan | 596 Runs Playing the Pull Shot

Yet another Pakistani batter who has been Babar Azam’s opening partner and the side’s most reliable batsman for a long time, Mohammad Rizwan has also been a strong player of the pull shot. Though he doesn’t use it as much as his contemporaries, Rizwan has a high success rate while playing it averaging 198.67 and tallying 596 runs through it.

Jos Buttler | 526 Runs Playing the Pull Shot 

The English opener has been one of the most prolific batsmen over the last few years, whose expertise lies in scoring runs at a lightning pace and handing his team sold starts. Pull shot is one of his favourites and the right-hander executes it beautifully in limited-over cricket, tallying 526 runs and averaging 37.57.