Reading Cricket Cub

There is a range of cricket ground equipment needed to play a successful game of cricket. The equipment used must fulfill specific requirements in regards to the rules and regulations of the game of cricket.

When setting up the cricket ground equipment the first few basic items required are the boundary and the sight screen. The boundary has 2 primary uses within cricket. Firstly the boundary is simply used to mark out the edge of the playing field, marking out the area of play. Secondly the boundary is used for the scoring of runs within the game of cricket, where a four is when the ball reaches the boundary, but a six is when the ball is hit clean over it. A sight screen is another very important piece of cricket ground equipment that must be set up before playing a game of cricket. The purpose of a cricket sight screen in crickets is to aid the visibility of the ball. The sight screens are placed at each end of the cricket ground opposite to the wickets, the colour of the sight screens makes seeing the cricket ball easier for the batsman. The sight screen also helps block out any distractions through light or otherwise that the bowler or batsman may face, which in turn help improve player performance.

The third piece of cricket ground equipment that is needed before starting to play cricket is the stumps and bails. The stumps are 3 wooden polls that are placed vertically in the ground directly behind the batter at each end of the pitch. Stumps are no more than 28 inches tall and have a spike at the end to be easily put into the ground. The bails are two small pieces of wood that sit on top of the stumps to link them together. In a game of cricket the batter is out when the stumps are broken apart, with one or both of the bail’s leaving the stumps. This can happen through the ball hitting the wicket, the batter hitting the wicket with their bat or if a fielder hits the wicket with the hand the ball is in.

The final two pieces of cricket ground equipment needed to begin your game of cricket is a ball and a bat. A regulation cricket ball has a cork base, and is wrapped in twine which is covered with leather. Cricket balls are also normally red or white, and very hard making them a potentially dangerous object when playing a game. A regulation cricket bat is often made from either Kashmir or English willow. A cricket bat has a long handle and on smooth face, with the other face in a triangular shape. Regulations also state that bats can be no longer than 38 inches and no wider than 4.25 inches.

With the amount of cricket ground equipment needed it is very important not only to purchase high quality items that will last but also affordable to save on major costs. Should you have any questions about the equipment available always to be sure to ask a customer representative at your cricket ground equipment supplier and they will always be willing to help.

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When you watch cricket on television, it can appear to be quite an easy and simple sport, but under the helmet of the batter, there is a whole different game going on inside the batters mind in an attempt to banish any possible distractions, and focus every bit of mental energy on the ball as it is released from the bowlers hand, this is the psychological side to batting.

As a batter, your aim is to score runs, stay in and help your team reach a certain particular target. To achieve this, you need to be in the correct mental state. To help reach this state of fierce concentration there are several things that you must do.

Firstly, you need to be clear your mind of any possible distractions, distractions can come in many forms; these may be concerns about the pitch, fielder’s comments, being scared of the ball, fear of getting out etc. These matters need to be cleared out of the head prior to the start of the bowlers run up to allow for the stages of concentration that will soon follow, this is vital, if there are distractions floating around your mind, you are sure not to be focussing to your optimum level and are more likely to male a mistake.

Every ball requires you to concentrate at your highest possible levels, and in so you should have a strategy to help you concentrate. I was taught by a prominent cricketing figure this following method that I find extremely useful in exploiting my maximum concentration levels. Firstly, after clearing all distractions from your mind, as the bowler starts to run up, you should enter a state of fine focus, in this state, your mind should have no negative thoughts and be concentrating on the top half of the bowler, you vision should be like a television, only focussed in on the top half of the bowler as her approaches, in this period you should have constructive positive thoughts, for example I say to myself over and over “Focus, watch the ball, focus, watch the ball” etc… By doing this and saying positive statements, it stops negative thoughts entering the mind and also stops any possible distractions drifting into your thoughts.

As the bowler enters his final steps your focus level should increase to what is commonly known as a state of fierce focus, in this stage all mental powers should be focusing on the ball and the ball only, your mental screen should now just be the size of the ball. This allows your brain to compute and work out the line, length and flight of the ball and so gives you the maximum amount of time to help you get your feet and body into position as early as possible helping giving you the best possible chances of making a good decision and playing a good shot.

This should be applied to nets as well as matches as this will get you well trained and so it becomes second nature.

The Mental and Psychological side to Cricket – Bowling

As a bowler, like batting, to gain optimum results, there are certain thought processes that need to take place. Again, like batting you need to eradicate possible distractions from your mind as you prepare to bowl, such distractions include worries about the batsmen “hitting out”, fear of making mistakes e.g. bowling down the leg sidea wide etc. With negative thoughts running through your mind, you are much more likely to tense up and make mistakes, your thought patterns should always remain positive.

Bowlers need a game plan (I discuss game plans in the free e-book), and they should plan their next ball as they are walking back to their mark. If you are deciding what ball you are going to ball while you run up, then you are likely to get caught in two minds and make mistakes. If you decide prior to starting your run up what type of ball you are going to bowl, e.g. slower ball, it gives you the opportunity to really focus and concentrate on how and where you want to pitch the ball. How you go about deciding where about you focus on e.g. the base of off stump, or where you want to pitch the ball is very much a personal matter which should be worked out in nets as everyone is different.

So you’re a budding cricketer who wants to improve their batting technique? In order to become good at something it’s always helpful to learn a few tried and tested tips. We will be looking at skills that should help improve your game.

Keep your eye on the ball

Keeping your eye in the ball at all times helps to ensure that you don’t get any surprises. The world’s top batsmen try and play the ball as late as possible so that they can make use of things such as late swing or turn.

Back-lift

A batsman such as Brian Lara of the West Indies was renowned for his high back-lift. This meant that he could get plenty of power into his stroke. Depending on the type of delivery it may be wise to adjust your back-lift accordingly.

Footwork

Footwork is an integral part of being either a good batsman or a world-class batsman. This is because good footwork means that in some cases you do not need so much power for big shots. For example, Pakistani Inzamam Ul-Haq was never renowned for his running between the wickets but he always managed to hit big shots. This was due partly to his magnificent footwork which saw him hitting huge boundaries. In addition, from a defensive perspective, it can also help you with your guard.

Timing and Strokeplay

Timing is probably the key factor when it comes to differentiating yourself as a great batsman. If you have a fast bowler charging down at you and fail to time properly, the ball can whiz past you in about half a second. It is therefore essential that you work on your timing. Just imagine that ball hitting the sweet spot of your bat at 95mph? Some people are lucky to have raw talent in timing and stroke-play, if you aren’t then this is something that should be on top of your priority list and something that should be worked on all the time.

Posture

A good posture is instrumental in keeping your body going for years. A bad posture can use up lots of energy which could potentially reduce the amount of time you spend on the pitch, If you are comfortable then you will be more relaxed and focussed on your game.

Practice

All the above are important points that need to be addressed. However, without continuous and consistent practice, one cannot improve. It is therefore recommended to play as much cricket as possible and try and focus on all the elements above. Remember that this will not happen overnight, rather take time so don’t forget to enjoy yourself in the process.

Z Fazal has been writing articles for many years. His website Window Blinds and Shades provides information about the various types that are available on the market such as Vinyl Window Blinds. Visit the website to learn more.

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.

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