West Indian skipper Shivnarine Chanderpaul has rubbished critics of his bizarre batting stance, claiming the unusual setup is helping rather than hindering his international career.
The well-performed left-hander attracted some candid remarks about his stance during last weekend's opening one-day international.
He was effectively nutmegged by a Jeetan Patel delivery
that spun between his legs and clipped off-stump.
Chanderpaul, who faces up with both feet pointing towards the bowler, and prepares for the moment of delivery by taking a leisurely stroll across his wickets, rejected suggestions that the stance created weaknesses in his game.
"It's something I developed when I was a young guy, from when I was about 8 years old," he said.
"It helps me with my balance and stuff, and I'm happy with it.
"A lot of coaches have spoken to me about it in the past, and I've tried to change and become more side-on - but then I find myself walking across my wickets and doing things I'm not supposed to do.
"It's correct that I'm squared up in my stance, but the truth is that I find it easier to balance that way, and to stand up."
To be fair, it's difficult to argue with Chanderpaul's record.
The 31-year-old has scored 6156 test runs at an average of 45.94, including 14 hundreds and 35 half-centuries.
In a federation that prides itself on its batting legends, Chanderpaul is eighth on the all-time run-scoring list and still climbing.
And he's proved just as valuable on the one-day stage, scoring 5299 runs at an average of 36.29, in a career so far spanning 179 matches.
"I listened to the television comments on my dismissal the other night," he said.
"There are people out there who might be watching the cricket, but they clearly don't understand it."
Meanwhile, Chanderpaul confirmed that key all-rounder Dwayne Bravo would miss today's one-dayer at Queenstown because of a side-strain.
