by Richard Pybus
(Question from V Chaitanya, Delhi Cantt, New Delhi, India)
A.B. de Villiers: Superbat ( photo AFP)
Sir, my name is Chaitanya, I am 13 years old. I am struggling with playing fast bowling in the short formats of the game. Can you give me some tips to improve myself ?
Dear Chaitanya, the first thing you need to do is decide what your strengths are against fast bowling and play to them. Do not focus on your weaknesses at the moment. We call it having a solutions focus, not a problem focus … it’s not what you can’t do it, it’s what you can do and we build the plan around it.
You need a plan for two key aspects of your game, how to rotate strike and take singles when your playing defensively, I call this offensive defence.
Your mindset is that you are still looking to score, even when the bowler bowls you a good ball. This helps to relieve the pressure and get the other batter on strike. When you can rotate strike then the pressure goes back on the bowler.
Secondly, you need to decide on your best and strongest boundary shots to put the bad ball away when the opportunity comes. What do you play the best? The cut, the pull or the back foot drive?
A.B.de Villiers has developed into a wonderful exponent of this, being able to play himself in and build his innings, beginning with strike rotation and then controlling the tempo of the innings.
How to do it:
1. Rotating strike: In the nets and doing throw downs with friends and the coach, practice your defensive strokes off front and back foot.
What to do: Firstly ask your partner to throw full to you, at the stumps so that you have to defend, practice playing the ball softly in front of you. Play the line of the ball, if it’s at leg stump you will drop the ball on the leg side, either in front or just behind square. Same with the off side.
Do the same with short balls, back of a length that you can practice the same drill to.
Do this in the nets when batting with a partner so you can practice rotating strike under pressure.
Play the ball very softly so it doesn’t get pushed out to the fielders in the inner ring.The goal is to get the fielder to have to run in to get the ball.
Play with this each time you go to the nets so that you can develop this as the centre of your batting game.
Boundary Options:
Practice your best back foot shots, so you can play them with confidence in game time.
What to do: Do throw downs with partner and coach, get them to throw to your favourite shots, practice 12 to 18 shots of each, three times a week.
Practice your cuts, pulls and back foot drives so that you become very proficient at them. Set target areas to hit the ball into, hit the ball on the ground.
The pull is an essential shot to develop to be able to open up the leg side, when you play it well it puts the bowlers length under pressure and makes the captain move fielders to the leg side.
So even if this isn’t a strength at the moment, do work on it.
Game Plan: Play yourself in at the beginning of your innings, in T20 you have 6-18 balls to get your eye in, look to rotate strike when you first come in, if you’re opening the batting then look for your boundary options as well if the bowler bowls you a loose ball, you still need to be able to attack the powerplay.
In one day cricket you have longer to get in, you still pay with good intent, but defend strongly and look to rotate strike to get the other batter to face as well.
Play with positive intent, as you become comfortable you can look to become more aggressive, manage your innings and set yourself the goal of being the batter who controls the game for his team.
This work is simple and will build a solid foundation for all your batting.
Best Wishes Coach
Comments for Cricket Coaching Batting
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
Join in and write your own page! It’s easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Ask Coach? |
About Richard Pybus
I'm Richard Pybus, I've coached Pakistan, Bangladesh, Middlesex, Titans and the Cape Cobras in South Africa and the goal of this site is to help you to play winning cricket.