Tips for being a successful captain

[GodlikeGoose]

I hadn't played a Cricket Captain title since 2010 but having got back into playing in real life I fancied a virtual version for when the British summer inevitably forces games to be cancelled. To start with I am impressed with the interface and how everything is easy to pick up. Having not played for nearly five years it felt like I hadn't really left the game. However, I feel I require some hints and tips on how to become a master at the game and actually start winning matches. There will be quite a few so bear with me.

First of all I would like some advice on how to set the batting aggression during County Championship matches. I always seem to have a much slower run rate than the opposition and no matter how steadily I raise batsman's aggression I always seem to end up giving my wicket away cheaply and never really posting any decent scores. In relation to this I was interested in knowing how much form affects an overall performance, especially of a batsman. It has seemed at times that a relatively experienced opener with 5 stars in form cannot get above 20 runs whereas a batsman with one star can come in and knock a quick 50 out, obviously not that it's a bad thing getting 50.

Secondly, it would be great to know the best way to judge a pitch and weather conditions in terms of deciding whether to bat or bowl first. In reality, overcast skies and good bounce would dictate a decent seamers pitch however I've decided to bowl first and ended up being hit around the ground. I've then had the same conditions, chosen to bat and been well and truly skittled.

In terms of training I've had a scout around of forums and other websites in order to assist with what training works best and so far using technique on under 25's seems to be improving their abilities. However, the use of standard bowling, batting or fielding practice on the more experienced players doesn't really seem to be having any impact and I was wondering whether there was something I could do to change that.

Finally, when it comes to bowling I am totally inconsistent, which probably has to do with the pitch conditions I'm completely misreading. I can have two openers taking 3 a piece before session two or I can have no wickets for an entire day with the same two bowlers and quite often similar conditions. I wouldn't mind a little bit of tactical advice for when it comes to taking wickets, especially of stubborn tail enders!

Any help would be greatly appreciated so I can actually get to winning some matches!

[kishorea]

First of all I would like some advice on how to set the batting aggression during County Championship matches. I always seem to have a much slower run rate than the opposition and no matter how steadily I raise batsman's aggression I always seem to end up giving my wicket away cheaply and never really posting any decent scores.

I don't know whether you are open to experimenting with the pain of playing ball by ball (yes, first class matches!), but after I started doing that my game has improved so much. I don't always play entire matches that way, but during crucial stages, like the beginning of an innings or just after a couple of wickets have fallen, or while defending a small-ish target etc.

I've had decent success in scoring briskly in first class matches without throwing away wickets. You need to be on four-five aggression bars to do that, though. You don't always have to wait until the batsman is fully set. For example, if I have an in-form batsman at the crease, I often start with four bars of aggression. I play aggressively for the first two-three balls of the over, try to get a boundary (especially against part-time bowlers) and then defend. I also keep track of the highlights for dot-balls which give an indication whether the batsman is going for risky shots and adjust aggression accordingly.

Finally, when it comes to bowling I am totally inconsistent, which probably has to do with the pitch conditions I'm completely misreading. I can have two openers taking 3 a piece before session two or I can have no wickets for an entire day with the same two bowlers and quite often similar conditions. I wouldn't mind a little bit of tactical advice for when it comes to taking wickets, especially of stubborn tail enders!

Bowling oppositions out is something I'm still struggling with. But again, I've recently had some success with custom field placements. You can read more about that in my earlier post on the topic - http://forum.childishdownloads.co.uk...eld-Placements

It does seem that the more you pay attention to details the better your team performs. Initially it seemed like a chore, but now I enjoy taking time to set my field, or go through the opposition batsman's preferences. Instead of trying to rush through a season, I enjoy playing a single FC match over a couple of days sometimes.

[Maccy]

With the batting, I had similar issues with my Derbyshire side. Having 2 defensive openers meant that they'd often go under 2 an over for the first 20-30 overs before gradually picking up the pace, if they're still there.

How I dealt with it, and this is just my theory, is to balance it and trial and error where each batsman is most effective in the order. I found after half a season I had a good idea of how to order my batting line up.

If you have 2 defensive openers, or openers that tend to start slowly for you then try some more aggressive/normal batsmen(maybe try your in-form aggressive opener here) at 3. The opposition tend to be quite aggressive with new batsmen(as you'd expect) so if you bump them up to 3 bars from the off I find the new man in will quite comfortably pick his moments and stick away whilst their attack toils and tires. Granted it doesn't always work but the game would be boring if it did, right? after that, in 4 and 5 I usually look for backfoot/legside/spinner preferences, chances are you'll have some suitable with at least one of those preferences and they should help see you through to the new ball/end of day. If you're beyond these points by the time 4 and 5 are coming in then chances are you're doing very well anyway. Also, if I have a batsman that's good but out of form, 5 seems to be a good place for them to regain that form, just make sure you put in a night watchman instead if it's nearing the end of the day, no sense making them start up twice when they're out of form!

With training, just do general technique training for any decent under 25 until you get a guage for your players, then you can try either addressing weaknesses in their game, or making their strengths more formidable. I've not got deeper than 3 seasons though so maybe someone else should take charge with this.

As for bowling, I still struggle with this so again I won't try to give advice, someone else is probably better suited to do that.

[RVallant]

First of all I would like some advice on how to set the batting aggression during County Championship matches. I always seem to have a much slower run rate than the opposition and no matter how steadily I raise batsman's aggression I always seem to end up giving my wicket away cheaply and never really posting any decent scores. In relation to this I was interested in knowing how much form affects an overall performance, especially of a batsman. It has seemed at times that a relatively experienced opener with 5 stars in form cannot get above 20 runs whereas a batsman with one star can come in and knock a quick 50 out, obviously not that it's a bad thing getting 50.

I don't pay much heed to form, you still want the best players on the pitch up to and until they are on such a decline that you have no choice but to remove them. Bowler form for example, often drops to 0 even when they're actually bowling well.

In FC/Tests I always bat at 2 aggression until around 30-50% and then leave them on 3. That is usually the advised way and it is usually slower than the AI, but I think that is down to the AI playing more defensive fields than we do. Aggression is a flavour ability in my view, sometimes you can set them on zero aggression and watch them hook/cut and slog their way out, sometimes you can ramp it up to 7 and watch them play every ball sublimely.

I always bat at 2 for 10-15 overs of the new ball. I don't bother switching aggression around much towards the end of a session unless it's the final session and the batsman has been there all day.

When it is very cloudy, that's when I reduce everything by 1. So a settled batsman will bat on 2 and a new batsman will bat on 1 aggression. Exception is against spinners (stay on 2 and 3).

Secondly, it would be great to know the best way to judge a pitch and weather conditions in terms of deciding whether to bat or bowl first. In reality, overcast skies and good bounce would dictate a decent seamers pitch however I've decided to bowl first and ended up being hit around the ground. I've then had the same conditions, chosen to bat and been well and truly skittled.

Good bounce = batsmans pitch. Cloud = very slight advantage to the bowlers. In ALL cases, bat first. The only exception is in very heavy cloud cover and even then, only if that cloud cover will stay for 2-3 sessions. Otherwise, bat, if in doubt, bat, if you're really unsure, ask your vice captain, then bat.

In terms of training I've had a scout around of forums and other websites in order to assist with what training works best and so far using technique on under 25's seems to be improving their abilities. However, the use of standard bowling, batting or fielding practice on the more experienced players doesn't really seem to be having any impact and I was wondering whether there was something I could do to change that.

Technique training on youngsters, you'll be looking at an average (in the second XI) of 60+ batting or less than 20 in bowling. You're supposed to 'identify' when and how these youngsters are getting out and tailor the training to suit them, but I think the majority of people don't have time for that, especially as there's no aggregate statistic to show how that player has gotten out over his career.

So basic general technique until they hit 25 is the way to go. The easiest ones to do are:

Aggression training - In the modern era you want aggressive or very aggressive batsmen. Defensive players still have their place, but there's a huge question mark over very defensive players. They may have a place in the Test arena but in FC games where you need to score and score quickly for points in a format where a lot of draws will happen, then they can be a liability. It's funny watching them hit 10 runs off 70 balls though.

Pace/spin preference - These are tricky to get right as usually you want your batsmen to have a balanced attack against spinners and pacemen. The easiest decision to make here though is to train your opening batsmen to have a slight/strong pace preference. 99% of the time they're going to be facing pace bowlers, you want them to be strong against them. There's a case for number 3 being comfortable against pace bowlers too in case the openers are out first ball duck and so on. But at the same time, your number three could be arriving late when the spinners are on, so it's not so clear cut.

As for bowling training, having a look at the economy rates is useful to determine if they need accuracy or defensive bowling training, however it's impossible to tell entirely by statistics alone as your own field placements could skew things one way or another.

Finally, when it comes to bowling I am totally inconsistent, which probably has to do with the pitch conditions I'm completely misreading. I can have two openers taking 3 a piece before session two or I can have no wickets for an entire day with the same two bowlers and quite often similar conditions. I wouldn't mind a little bit of tactical advice for when it comes to taking wickets, especially of stubborn tail enders!

I find bowling a nightmare, because unless one of the bowlers is 'on fire' skittling everything then it's usually a case of waiting for something to happen. I think bowling at the legs is offering free runs, I usually bowl middle/off and only 4 aggression to start until they settle and then reduce to 3 aggression.

I think though, custom fielding settings is the way to go. I don't advise immediately targeting a batsman's weak points, because often people forget they're linked to your field settings. For example, bowling 4 aggression, short and to the legs (cos he's strong on the front foot and offside) leaves you with a field that has most people close in and no one outside where the most likely catches will happen.

Personally, I think there should be a newbie guide to bowling and fielding settings so that people can adapt to the bowling side of things. Batting, you can't do much about beside ticking the aggression bars, bowling is where the game is won and lost and there is very little out there that teaches the fundamentals that isn't a basic 'do this, hope it works' format - for example One day and 20-20 being to bowl at 3 aggression, outside off and most defensive field...

[Bearded]

here's my cry for help

i've done two FC teams, Essex and Surrey, and in each and every season i've started on fire before wilting and falling away. i don't usually change the team if i can help it but i usually look to make changes after 3 games.

it's happened in every season i've played and is driving me mad, please help



also, never bowl first. i always lose bowling first

[RVallant]

here's my cry for help

i've done two FC teams, Essex and Surrey, and in each and every season i've started on fire before wilting and falling away. i don't usually change the team if i can help it but i usually look to make changes after 3 games.

it's happened in every season i've played and is driving me mad, please help



also, never bowl first. i always lose bowling first

You may be coming up against teams in form, or you may be playing with a tired squad. There's a number of factors, but you can't win everything basically.

[Dick Van Dykes Disco Dog]

here's my cry for help

i've done two FC teams, Essex and Surrey, and in each and every season i've started on fire before wilting and falling away. i don't usually change the team if i can help it but i usually look to make changes after 3 games.

it's happened in every season i've played and is driving me mad, please help



also, never bowl first. i always lose bowling first

If it's cloudy .... ALWAYS bowl first

[Bearded]

If it's cloudy .... ALWAYS bowl first

seriously? bowling first never works for me, whether i win or lose the toss. it's pretty much always bat first and win on both sides.
one thing i'd really like to see introduced in the game is different pitch types so the green seamer would be a thing, hard and fast and low, slow dust bowls. that would make it far more interesting.

still, never ever bowl first