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Balance, as author John Green once put it, is a "temporary and unpredictable gift" - it thrives when left unnoticed, but when things go off-kilter, its absence becomes very evident. Cricket too is a battle of balance. From keeping your own - a stable base for strokeplay, a confident landing on the follow-through, the attempt to keep both feet on the correct side of the boundary - to knocking the opposition off theirs, like Mohammed Shami did to Jos Buttler in the picture above.

A cricketer finding or losing their balance lends itself to art beautifully. Below, Daren Sammy attempts an arabesque to dig out a Shakib Al Hasan yorker during the first Test between West Indies and Bangladesh in Kingston, in 2009.

Balance, eh? Can't stand it, can't stand without it Andres Leighton / © Associated Press

Rishabh Pant was woefully out of form before he brought up a drought-breaking hundred in this year's IPL. How did he celebrate finding his feet again? With a handstand, of course.

Pant flips the narrative on its head Arun Sankar / © AFP/Getty Images

For cricket administrators, a big part of the job is balancing the schedule, player workloads, and sport against entertainment. Has the Hundred struck that balance? These BMX wizards have the audience-pleasing part nailed, at least.

Wheels up at the Hundred: it's cutting-edge entertainment Ian Forsyth / © ECB/Getty Images

When you're a team, it's all about carrying each other, having your team-mates backs, and not letting each other down. As Wahab Riaz demonstrates.

Back in the day, support staff had to do all the heavy lifting Eranga Jayawardena / © Associated Press

Shoaib Akhtar will tell you fast bowling is all about mind over batter. See ball, swing ball, seam ball.

Face is base yaar: Shoaib Akhtar has found his ball-ance Prakash Singh / © AFP/Getty Images

As an allrounder, there's a fair bit of juggling involved in your career. Though maybe not quite the kind Runako Morton and Dwayne Smith indulged in during practice session in Nagpur during West Indies' tour to India in 2007.

Do bat boys make good roll models? © Associated Press

You've heard of elf on a shelf, now get ready for the talents in the Ballance. In the photo below, Gary Ballance shows off his core strength.

Man of even keel: Gary Ballance was born for this Anthony Devlin / © PA Photos/Getty Images

How do you balance a side filled to bursting with terrifying fast bowlers like Michael Holding and Colin Croft? You pace them out.

Nice flex: the Croft of balance is in Holding steady © Evening Standard/Getty Images

Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Caddick prove it's true - there really is an apple for everything.

How do you like 'em apples? Trescothick and Caddick demonstrate the importance of a balanced diet © Getty Images

Abrasive, polarising England captain Archie MacLaren (1871-1944) was known to be autocratic when it came to team selection and expected unquestioning obedience from his team - which lent itself to plenty of lampooning. The picture below imagines him trying to put together a "balanced" England side.

Hiring squad: how does this team average? © Universal History Archive/Getty Images

Ekanth is a sub-editor with ESPNcricinfo

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

 

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