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Bowling tactics in First-Class Matches

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  • Bowling tactics in First-Class Matches

    Hello all. Just got myself a copy of 2020 and I'm figuring out what's changed. Probably quite a few posts to come.

    I've noticed that the old tactics - laid down so clearly in the Formats posts a few years back - seem somewhat less effective in this edition, particularly on the bowling side.

    Has anyone else found the same, and has anyone tweaked their tactics in the first-class game at all?

    For reference, that post recommended bowling at 4+ aggression until the batsman was set (~25 runs) then dropping to 3 and staying there (back up to 4 just before and after close, new ball).


  • #2
    Personally I go on 4 aggression until a batsmen gets to 15. Up the aggression of the weather is bad but otherwise I just stick to 3 bar aggression and rotate my bowlers and hope for the best. Seems to work ok most the time

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    • #3
      Originally posted by Jamesy1984 View Post
      Personally I go on 4 aggression until a batsmen gets to 15. Up the aggression of the weather is bad but otherwise I just stick to 3 bar aggression and rotate my bowlers and hope for the best. Seems to work ok most the time
      Exactly what I do.

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      • #4
        Same here but onto full to remove the tail. Full and onto leg stump works great for me

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        • #5
          Originally posted by Yorkie View Post
          Same here but onto full to remove the tail. Full and onto leg stump works great for me
          I’ll try that tactic for the tail, the number of times a 9th or 10th wicket stand becomes a big partnership...

          I found I had to change my bowling tactics last year. Suddenly every other match I would have at least one opposition player cream my bowlers around the pitch. It didn’t even seem to matter how aggressive they were.

          For the quicks I bowled middle and off, 4 bars to start off with dropping to 3 when they pass 10, 2 once the get to 20 and stayed there. I would move to outside off if they reached 50.

          Now I keep the same aggression levels but bowl outside off, unless they seriously favour the off side, then I bowl middle and off. I tend to stick to middle and off for the tail. I’m getting more nicks to the slips but fewer LBWs and the economy rate is good.

          For the spinners I’ve found it varies between SLA, LS, OS depending on how much the pitch is turning. If bowing a SLA to a right hander on a turning wicket I go middle and off all the way, if it’s hardly turning I start there but move to outside off once they are 20+.

          Curiously I have found that since last year my spinners are taking more wickets on 3 bar aggression than if I start higher, a change from previous versions.

          I would say that I never stick with the preset fields. They can give you somewhere to start but I’ve found that changing them makes a big difference.

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          • #6
            Similar to what other people have said. For a normal batsman I start on 5 bars for the first 15-20 balls, then drop to 4 bars, then drop to 3 bars after another 15-20 balls or if the batsman is scoring quick runs. If the batsman is really set and scoring at a decent rate I will drop further.

            If conditions suit the bowling and I'm creating chances then I'll leave the aggression higher for longer.

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            • #7
              One other thing I'll do is that if a batsman really starts motoring I'll drop the bars down to zero to try and slow his run rate whilst concentrating on the other end. I find spinners can still reliably take wickets even at low bowling agression if the pitch is helpful.

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Lynx54321 View Post
                One other thing I'll do is that if a batsman really starts motoring I'll drop the bars down to zero to try and slow his run rate whilst concentrating on the other end. I find spinners can still reliably take wickets even at low bowling agression if the pitch is helpful.
                This is similar to my change in tactics this year, mostly using 3 bars for my spinners in FC.

                Don't forget to attack with the new ball or when batsmen start a new day, even if they score runs the prrevious day/session.

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                • #9
                  To those of you who use five bars of aggression early on - does this work for you? I tend to find run scoring gets away from me and I take more wickets with agg 4 (seamers).

                  cde - you're the only one I've seen who drops to 2 aggression. Do you find that stymies the runs?

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                  • #10
                    Not found 5 bar aggression to work against good batsmen unless light is really bad

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                    • #11
                      frustratedofnewport I too find that if I kick off on 5 bars I leak runs at an alarming rate. I also find that I take more wicket on 4 too, especially on a first day pitch. I find that 5 bars is only useful when the pitch really suits a bowler - a fast bowler on a 4th day pitch giving them some short stuff with some fielders appropriately placed for example. Even then I find that full whack only works if the bowler is in tip-top form and everything suits him.

                      I haven’t tried the full aggression on leg technique to the tail yet but have tended to stick to what has got the top of the order out. So often in real life you see bowlers take wickets by bowling a good length on off stump until a no 8 gets in and they instantly drop it short to rough ‘em up. Mysteriously they struggle with getting the tail out.

                      I find that 2 bars dries up the runs but retains an acceptable chance of taking a wicket. If anything I find it increases the chances. It seems to help that the bowlers aren’t getting smacked about and it all feels under control.

                      It is one of the areas of the game I find quite realistic because:

                      1. All batsmen like to score, if you slow them down they can get impatient and try to force something, giving you more chances. There are very few Geoffrey Boycotts out there.

                      2. If you are really trying to get a batsman out you push yourself a bit harder and lose control a little, offering more bad balls to be hit. This doesn’t matter when the batsman is new at the crease because, as a batsman, when you are just in you are a bit more cautious and if you do go for it you can miscue or mistime it - just what the bowler is looking for. The more settled a batsman becomes the easier it is for him to spot and hit those balls so as a bowler you need to offer less chances - you dial back the aggression. If you bowl too cautiously it becomes increasingly harder to take a wicket, you want the batsman to have to try hard to score runs and not to be able to sit back safe in the knowledge you are just hoping for him to be caught on the long-off boundary going for another 6.

                      If a batsmen is really motoring, or if they are really good, I change the field to a more LO setting and that can really slow them down. If they are an aggressive batsmen it can get them out quite quickly.

                      This post is far far too long. Maybe I overthink this.

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                      • #12
                        I also stopped opening on high aggression. If conditions are decent I go at 4 for a few overs, drop to 3 when the batsman reaches 15 runs and down to 2 after 30. If a batsman passes 50 I drop to 1 if the bowler matches their preference or keep at 2 if the opposite type.

                        My spinners do seem best at 3-2. For seamers I’ve taken quite a few wickets against settled batsman soon after dropping to 1 bar outside off.

                        I now only go to 5 or max aggression if conditions and the pitch are really bad, otherwise I get smacked around.

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                        • #13
                          As a basis, I usually open with F or MF on 4 aggression and bowling full/off stump, along with my best FM bowling good length on off stump with 3 aggression. I always adapt the field setting for 4 aggression to ensure a man at cover, too. Obviously will mix it up a bit but this has been working well as a base. Good spinners for me seem to work really well on 3 aggression, if you’re lucky enough to get 2 high quality spinners I find that bowling them In tandem, one over the wicket and one around the wicket, works great. I’ve won a lot of of games with even 1 really good and one half decent spinner working together.

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by frustratedofnewport View Post
                            To those of you who use five bars of aggression early on - does this work for you? I tend to find run scoring gets away from me and I take more wickets with agg 4 (seamers).

                            cde - you're the only one I've seen who drops to 2 aggression. Do you find that stymies the runs?
                            I’ve been paying a bit more attention to how I’m using the field when bowling on 2 bars. I principally use two slightly different settings, the first is a more ‘standard’ setting, two slips, third man, point, cover, long off, mid off, deepish mid wicket and deep backward square. The second is the Field I use in LO matches.

                            I get more wickets with the ‘standard’ field than the LO field and keep the run rate under reasonable control, they seldom seem to get away from me. With the LO field I can dry the runs up quite substantially and I do take wickets but it takes much longer. The difference between the runs-to-wicket ratio isn’t huge but how I use them is. I only use the LO field to put the brakes on a batsmen who is smashing us about the field, and I often get aggressive batsmen out this way.

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                            • #15
                              This illustrates the effect in a match today. He accelerated from 10 to 30 odd like a bullet and I then switched to LO field and bowling.

                              The same bowlers put down another 5 or so overs between them before a change, so it isn’t just using a better / in form bowler.

                              As you can see, it didn’t stop him altogether but that line flattens out quite markedly.

                              He was eventually bowled by one of the bowlers he started off giving a hiding.

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