Complete the Action and Follow Through

At the weekend I attended the Hertfordshire Cricket Coaches Conferences where there were a couple of sessions run by a good friend and one of the best coaches I know, Pete Williams. Pete does a lot of work with Essex, particularly with their new fast bowling academy and this session included work with some of Hertfordshire's Under 17 bowlers.

At one part, they were asked to put cones in the area they wanted to pitch the ball based on a certain game scenario and then to bowl to hit the cones. This is a simple and fairly standard coaching technique I will use to get bowlers to understand what they are trying to achieve and why. Then they have to bowl to that plan. But that's not the end of this practice. The stumps at the non-striker's end are then moved about two thirds of the way down the pitch and the bowlers bowl from those stumps, off just five or six paces, to hit the same cones. The stumps are then gradually moved back towards the normal position with the same target.

Of course it's much easier but what is the effect? At first sight it may seem that this is bad practice, encouraging short pitched bowling. In fact, what it requires is the bowler to really complete the action, to get the front (non-bowling) arm going right back behind the body, exactly what is required for fast bowlers. Full blooded commitment to the action, following through and trusting yourself is absolutely vital. So often I can identify the bad balls simply by the front arm not taking the bowler through to the target and not fully completing it's circle behind the body. This is a drill I will be using during my coaching sessions from now on to help with this.

Batting - Playing in the "V"

What does this mean? Quite simply, the "V" is the area described by the angle between mid off and mid on as seen by the batter. When a batter first comes to the crease, and especially when the ball is likely to be moving around, as it may well be in April or with the new ball, the old adage of "playing in the 'v'" is as good as any advice I can give.

Essentially it requires that shots are played with a straight bat, the full face of the bat shown to the bowler, meaning less chance of getting an edge. Aim to hit the ball between mid on and mid off and leave the wide ones unless you're absolutely certain you can play them safely. Go chasing a wide ball for a cover drive and an edge is more likely than a four as it swings away towards the slips. A flick through mid wicket can find a leading edge spooning up to the bowler as the ball straightens from leg stump.

Once you've got yourself in, found the pace of the pitch and the bowlers, then you can be more expansive. But that first 20 minutes or so at the crease is vital. It can be a long old day if you chip up a simple catch in the first over then have to field after tea as the evening gets colder and darker knowing it's a week before you get another opportunity to score some runs.

Bowlers - Find a Rhythm In Your Run Up

There is no perfect type of run up for a bowler. As a general rule, it should be pretty straight in the approach to the stumps but plenty of world class bowlers defy this convention. What is important is for a bowler to find the right rhythm during the run up.

For quicker bowlers, this will usually mean a gradual acceleration but there are plenty of examples of bowlers who have ambled in until a last explosive delivery stride. Or those who sprint in the full way. Whilst we urge caution if the run up is too quick or if there is not enough momentum gathered from it to help achieve the pace being sought, if it works, and it's not causing injury, why change it? Look at footage of any number of international bowlers past and present and you will see the run ups are various speeds, lengths and angles. All with the aim of getting the bowler into the right position to deliver the ball on arrival at the crease whilst still having decent forward momentum.

Spinners have even more variety in their run ups. Shane Warne walked up to the crease before a couple of hops into his delivery stride and hey presto, 708 Test wickets. Other spinners seem to glide in from six or seven paces before turning elegantly in their delivery stride onto their front leg and pivoting around it to deliver balls with turn and bounce. Whatever your bowling style, find the run up that best suits you, mark it out and use it every time.