Cricket 101

[abpanther]

Hey guys,

Just wanted to start a thread for all current, past and future cricketers. I'm sure there is plenty of cricket knowledge on this board and it would be great to provide some tutelage and coaching for those who seek it.

I'm about to start playing again after a 4 year hiatus, I played a lot of cricket during my schooling years (with Braith Anasta of all people) but haven't played much since and never received much coaching, more just played on natural ability. Anyway we hit the nets on the weekend and I did pretty well.

My question is regarding swing bowling, I've always had the ability to swing the ball late away from the right handers, however I really can't control it. Just wondering what coaching/technique is involved in swing bowling and how I may also be able to develop an inswinger. Any knowledge would be appreciated.

Cheers

 

[Twizzle]

thats a hard one to answer without seeing your action, I'd say you probably have a bit of a natural round arm action that enables you to get the ball to move away from the right handers

to get the ball going both ways you need to get your arm over the top (no round arm action) and get your wrist behind the ball with the seam pointing slightly in the direction you want it to swing. If you point to seem to far like 45 degrees it will swing early. Shine one side of the ball only and the ball should swing away from the shiny side for conventional swing

when the ball is old for reverse swing you need to hold the ball seam up, dont point the seam either way

 

[abpanther]

Thanks for the advice mate, so essentially my action must slightly round arm making the ball move away. I'll try to straighten my action up and point the seam slightly to the right to get it to swing in to the right handers.

How long does it take for reverse swing to kick in??

 

[Twizzle]

depends on the conditions of the pitch and how long it takes for the ball to deteriorate

try a few and you'll see it go when the ball is ready

the most important thing is your wrist, its gotta be behind the seam

it also helps to get in the nets with one of those training balls, white on one side and red on the other, thats shows you if you are delivering the ball seam up

 

[abpanther]

Good idea, might give the training ball a go, thanks for the tip.

I've developed a real nasty slower ball, one out the back of the hand, batsmen really struggle to pick it up. I prefer it to the split finger as I figure that is much easier to pick up as the bowler runs in if the ball is held up.

 

[Twizzle]

that can depend on the level of cricket you play

good batsmen will watch the ball out of your hand and they can see the split finger slower ball

 

[abpanther]

Exactly, that's why I prefer the back of the hand method.

Do you play at the moment Twizzle?

 

[Twizzle]

still playing bush cricket

 

[abpanther]

I'm thinking of getting a new bat, got any suggestions at a decent price? At the moment I got a GN Viper.

 

[Twizzle]

as long as its comfortable and feels good it should work for you

make sure you get at least 8 or 9 grains in the wood, they are the vertical lines in the willow

stay away from any bat with knots in the willow, looks for clean grains

the more grains the better the bat

 

[abpanther]

I was checkin out the bats at Kingsgrove cricket centre, some really nice bats but man pricey, over $500, not sure if I can justify it...

This is what they say regarding the grains,

"N.B. Although we always try to ensure that your blade will have the best possible looking grain and willow available please realise that as once thought, this DOES NOT improve the performance of the bat. Please do not expect your bat to come with excessive amount of grain. Whilst this may look nice, our bats are now graded by the Manufacturers for the quality of their perfromance eg ping of the centre and not the quantity of grain. In this day and age you can expect a top grade willow bat to contain between 6 and 10 grains. Some bats may have some blemishes such as knots but this generally will not effect the quality of the bat. If it did, it would be graded lower. The reason that bats with over 10 grains are virtually extinct is because the demaind for willow means that trees do not mature as long as eras now long gone. Please remember, we are supplied with the highest quality bats from every manufacturer."

http://www.kingsgrovesports.com.au/cricket/go/Bats/About-Cricket-Bats

 

[Twizzle]

Iv'e found that the well grained bats tend to last alot longer than the one with around 6-8 grains.

They are correct regarding performance, they dont have a better middle, they just seem to last alot longer hence they are better value

you should be able to get a good bat for around $300, cheaper at the end of the season

this is the worst time to buy a bat

 

[abpanther]

Fair enough, maybe I'll stick with the GN and get something later in the season, I like the look of those Pumas.

How heavy is your bat Twiz?

 

[Twizzle]

nfi

I just pick them up and if it feels good, I buy it

those pumas are good bats, I like the handle they use

 

[IanG]

Speaking of new cricket bats I've noticed that you can buy the "Game Ready" now where you don't have to knock them in.

 

[abpanther]

They've been like that for a while now mate, I bought my GN Viper a few years ago and it came already knocked in with a protective rubber on the bottom. The Kingsgrove cricket place knocks them in for free, but obviously their bats are a bit dearer.

I had a bad experience knocking in a Kookaburra that I bought, so I prefer to buy them ready or get someone to do it for me...

 

[Coraki_kid]

Hey guys,

Just wanted to start a thread for all current, past and future cricketers. I'm sure there is plenty of cricket knowledge on this board and it would be great to provide some tutelage and coaching for those who seek it.

I'm about to start playing again after a 4 year hiatus, I played a lot of cricket during my schooling years (with Braith Anasta of all people) but haven't played much since and never received much coaching, more just played on natural ability. Anyway we hit the nets on the weekend and I did pretty well.

My question is regarding swing bowling, I've always had the ability to swing the ball late away from the right handers, however I really can't control it. Just wondering what coaching/technique is involved in swing bowling and how I may also be able to develop an inswinger. Any knowledge would be appreciated.

Cheers

Hey mate im in the same boat. Im a natural outswing bowler and also have developed a inswinger. What i do is essentially, instead of sweeping my arm past my left leg after i bowl the ball, i sweep my arm past my right leg. This helps in straightening your bowling arm and helps get that in swing. I dunno if that makes really any sense but yeah haha. It works for me so you should try it.

 

[abpanther]

Hey mate im in the same boat. Im a natural outswing bowler and also have developed a inswinger. What i do is essentially, instead of sweeping my arm past my left leg after i bowl the ball, i sweep my arm past my right leg. This helps in straightening your bowling arm and helps get that in swing. I dunno if that makes really any sense but yeah haha. It works for me so you should try it.

Nah that's good advice man, good way to keep your action straight, do you get any reverse?

 

[Coraki_kid]

Not anymore because our competition uses these crap gabba balls which dont swing nor last very well. Since you can swing the ball naturally that means you must have a good wrist/seam position so you should be able to get some reverse swing if conditions allow. But tbh i wouldnt really bother trying with reverse because it only really occurs in specific conditions. Maybe you should work on a offcutter which would be a nice variation with the outswinger.

 

[IanG]

They've been like that for a while now mate, I bought my GN Viper a few years ago and it came already knocked in with a protective rubber on the bottom. The Kingsgrove cricket place knocks them in for free, but obviously their bats are a bit dearer.

I had a bad experience knocking in a Kookaburra that I bought, so I prefer to buy them ready or get someone to do it for me...

Ah ok maybe I just didn't notice that. I retired back in 2003