Missing the ball completely IS a worse effort than managing (as Haddin, e.g., just did) to get an edge

I'll try but will probably get pulled up on a few things...

OK, a batsman may be lucky in playing and missing completely but the last thing a batsman wants to do is get an edge - it could go anywhere - often to slips or the wicket keeper. He may get away with it, even score runs from it but he's not in control.

The batsman wants to either play a controlled shot (including just defending his stumps) or leave the ball when a) it's safe to do so and b) he doesn't believe he is going to gain anything by hitting it and he would be taking an unnecessary risk in trying to do so (in the limited overs forms, a batsman is more likely to try to score runs from every ball. In test cricket one can get very annoyed when a batsman takes a wild slash at a ball he had no need to play and gets himself out - it's giving his wicket away).

A bowler doesn't just try to hit the stumps. He tries to "trick" the batsman into making the wrong decisions or play poorly judged shots.