Reading Cricket Cub

That catches win matches is a very old saying and this is very rightly said. Many times in a cricket match, the fielding level of teams is the determining factor in the outcome of a match. A team may have the best batting line up, have the world’s deadliest fast bowlers and spin bowlers, but if the fielding of the team is not up to the mark, winning can be an impossible task. The whole team could be playing well and a misfield from a fielder could suddenly demoralize the whole team. Cricket is a team game and every member of the team must give his best if the team wants to win a match.

Fielding in a cricket match is all about anticipation. Better the level of your anticipation is, better will be your resulting fielding effort. Remember a good fielder is one who is comfortable in fielding at any position, be it the boundary or the slip cordon. Cricket fielding tips are capable of giving you proper fielding guidance if you follow them seriously.

Fielding in the boundary can be very tricky if you do not have the right amount of concentration. The boundary is the nosiest area in a cricket field and any lapse can prove to be fatal to the team. If you are fielding in that position, never be distracted by the noise and bantering from the crowd. Cricket fielding tips suggest that your sole aim must be to follow the movement of the ball and anticipate in advance where the ball is likely to end up.

The golden rule of taking catches while fielding is not to celebrate too soon. Remember what happened to Herschelle Gibbs, when he started his celebrations a bit too early after taking the catch of Steve Waugh in a crucial world cup encounter. South Africa was knocked out from the tournament and Australia went on to win the trophy, all because of a missed catch. Remember to secure the ball in your hand for enough time before you start celebrating. Never get carried away when you have taken the catch, even if you have caught the world’s best batsman for a duck.

Following the cricket fielding tips are crucial while fielding at any position in the cricket field. While fielding at close in positions like slips, gully and short leg, make sure that your stance is proper. Keep a proper distance in between both your feet so that your body weight is divided evenly. Rest lightly on the balls of your feet so that you can easily maneuver yourself to the direction in which the ball is going past you. Remember, that catches should always be taken with soft hands. If you are a close in fielder, never neglect to wear protective gears like helmet and pad. Remember injuries sustained while fielding can turn to be life threatening for a player.

Always be alert while you are fielding, be it at any position. This is a golden cricket fielding tips, which will surely lead you to succeed in the cricket field. If you are fielding in the deep, take care to avoid the sun. Wear protective sunglasses to keep away the sun while you are running to take a catch. Remember the outcome of a match depends on the way you field for your team. Catches really do win matches.

The sweep and the reverse sweep are two batting shots which are not commonly used, especially the reverse sweep which is rarely used. However both shots can be used in certain batting situations and are an effective way to score runs and keep the score board ticking over.

There is a high element of risk with the sweep shot, so good judgement and excellent timing is essential. Avoid playing the sweep and reverse sweep early on in your innings especially to straight deliveries, as it is not a good idea to play it until you have your eye in and know how the pitch is playing and what the bowler is doing. As for example, if the ball stayed low it would be quite easy to misjudge and get out LBW or bowled which you definitely want to avoid, so be patient and play yourself in first.

The sweep and reverse sweep are both cross batted shots and should ideally be played to slow deliveries which are of a good length and not too full. To play the orthodox sweep shot, first wait for the ball to be released before making any movement – DON’T PREMEDITATE THE SHOT!

Once you have determined that the ball is there to play the sweep shot to, move your front foot as far down the wicket towards the pitch of the ball as you can. As you are moving forward bend both knees simultaneously so that you whole body is low down, let your back knee touch the ground to act as an extra base of support. Try to stay balanced and relaxed. Bring the bat down from the off side and across the ball towards the leg side and aim to hit it either in front of or behind square leg. You can roll your wrists over the ball as you hit to help keep it on the ground. Aim to have your arms fully extended when you contact the ball.

To play the reverse sweep, get in to the same position as for the orthodox sweep, however this time, bring you bat down and across from leg side towards the off side, so you are aiming to hit the ball through the gully area. This shot requires very good coordination and timing as you have to twist the bat round so that the bat face faces the off side at the point of contact without altering your grip.

Common problems:

-Premeditating the shot- deciding to play the shot before the bowler has bowled the ball. Wait until the ball is released from the bowlers hand before deciding to play the shot.

-Playing the sweep too early in the innings before getting your eye in. Wait until you are set and know how the pitch is playing and what the bowler is doing before attempting the shot.

-Trying to hit the ball too hard. Good timing and technique is better and more effective as you need to reduce the risk as much as possible.

-Playing the shot to deliveries which are either too full or too short, so good judgement of length is required.

Remember that the sweep and reverse sweep are quite hard shots to master and carry quite a lot of risk, so make sure that if you intend to use them, practice the shots in the nets and in training to get a feel for the shot and so you know when to play it; so that when you come to use them you are confident and skilled enough to do so.

The cricket world cup is an international event. These WC matches are based on men’s One Day International (ODI) cricket matches. WC matches are organized by the International Cricket Council (ICC). This tournament is being held after every four years since held the first time in England in 1975. The number of matches and teams are increased than first cricket wc match.

CRICKET WC HISTORY: 9 wc matches have been played till now. There history is as followed.

The FIRST match was played in 1975, hosted by England. West Indies won the first world cup by defeating Australia by 17 runs.

The SECOND match was played in 1979. hosted by England. Again West Indies won the world cup by defeating England by 92 runs.

The THIRD match was held in 1983, hosted by England third time. India won this world cup by defeating West Indies by 43 runs.

The FOURTH was played in 1987, hosted by Pakistan and India. This world cup was won by Australia by defeating England by 7 runs, the closest margin in world cup history.

The FIFTH matches were held in Australia and New Zealand in 1992. Pakistan won by defeating England by 22 runs.

The SIXTH was played in1996, hosted by India and Sri Lenka. And Australia defeated West Indies by 29 runs.

The SEVENTH was played in 1999, hosted by England, Ireland, Scotland, and Netherlands. Australia defeated Pakistan and reached the target in 20 overs.

The EIGHTH was hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya in 2003. Australia won this world cup by defeating India by 125 runs.

The last NINETH was played in 2007, and hosted by West Indies. And Australia defeated sri Lanka by 53 runs.

THE WC 2011:

The TENTH ICC cricket wc is going to held in 2011. This will be played during the months of February and March 2011. The first match will be played on 19th February 2011, and fourteen countries are going to participate this cricket world cup. India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are going to host this world cup tournament. It is first time for Bangladesh to co-host a cricket world cup.

Pakistan was also included in the co-hosting countries, but after the attack on Sri Lanka’s national cricket team in Lahore in 2009, the International Cricket Council (ICC) forced the Pakistan to strip its hosting rights. So Pakistan is not hosting the world cup matches now.

Fourteen matches included one semi final, were supposed to host by Pakistan, are now shifted to other countries. Eight matches of them are shifted to India, four are given to Sri Lanka and two are awarded to Bangladesh. The headquarters of the organizing committee were also in Lahore, which are shifted to Mumbai now.

HOW CRICKET AFFECTS HUMAN LIFE:

Cricket match is most exciting entertainment for the people of almost all over the world, and cricket WC has more significance in human life than a cricket match. These cricket matches are very popular among the people of every age children, youngsters, old and even women also show interest in cricket matches.

For most of the people cricket matches have become the matter of life and death. They can’t bear the defeat of their beloved country. Defeat disturbs them not only mentally but also physically. They use to become the patients of high blood pressure and depression.

No doubt both countries want victory, but its impossible. Anyone has to face defeat in every game, and these ups and downs are part of life. If today you have to face defeat then tomorrow you also can prove yourself as winner. And it is one of the best rules of happy life to face the hard realities of life courageously and open heartedly.

Author is sports event writer. You can watch and get more information about world cup 2011

If you are a cricketer and want to improve your bowling technique, especially with your pitching, then there are a few methods you can try.

The line is one important consideration as this dictates how much room the batsman has to play with. As a bowler, you should ideally focus on bowling towards the off stump and really concentrate on bowling in the ‘corridor of uncertainty’. This means that as long as you keep bowling in this region, you will always be putting pressure on the batsman to either play a shot or get caught, or if he misses then he will get bowled or caught behind. It is not easy to bowl a good line but this is something that can only developed with lots of practice.

The length at which you bowl is also very important. Ideally a ‘good length’ is a delivery one which does not allow the batsman enough time to hit the ball for a big shot. It should not be too close to the bat but not too far away either, this means that when the ball bounces it can either turn, or pitch in whichever direction it is required to.

As a bowler you can use the length to your advantage by bowling a various line of deliveries to confuse the batsman. You may want to start with a few short balls followed by a full length delivery and hopefully either get a leg before wicket or bowl him. This is another thing that requires a great deal of practice and can only be achieved once you have absolutely full control of the ball.

Remember, bowling isn’t just about speed. If you are a fast bowler then in order to achieve optimum speed, you need to perfect your line and length first. This can take several years before you can confidently bowl at a quick pace, start off slowly perfecting your run up and building up the power gradually. If you want to look at good line and length then your best bet is to look at Australian bowling legend Glen McGrath who has been one of the finest examples of line and length bowling. Furthermore, don’t forget to look at your run up and try to tweak this so you are confident of getting the right amount of pace and power in your follow through. Some of the world’s best bowlers do this by counting the number of strides so they don’t under or over stretch themselves.

Z Fazal