Bowling Advice

[lcc24]

Hi,

I've really been enjoying this year's game as always but my bowling seems to usually let me down when playing, especially in first class/test matches.

Usually I look at a batsman's preferences and bowl to his weaknesses. For example, a player with a leg side preference I would look to bowl outside off stump to try and make him play to the off side more. Is this a useful tactic? If so how should I bowl to batsmen with front/back foot preference? Should I target weaknesses in one day games as we'll or just bowl in a specific area to all batsmen?

Also would like some advice on when to use high/low aggression in all formats. Should I use high aggression with the new ball in one-day games? And to new batsmen? In first class matches when should I turn down aggression to a bastmen, when he is on 50 or 10? And when should low aggression be used, if at all?

Thanks in advance for any helpful advice someone could give me.

[Robinson]

I'm not sure when you'll get this message, as my posts all seem to be pre-moderated at present, so someone else will probably have replied by the time you see this.

I've only just returned to the game, not played since 2012 edition until this week, but not new to cricket, so hopefully my words should still be appropriate.

Hi,

I've really been enjoying this year's game as always but my bowling seems to usually let me down when playing, especially in first class/test matches.

Usually I look at a batsman's preferences and bowl to his weaknesses. For example, a player with a leg side preference I would look to bowl outside off stump to try and make him play to the off side more. Is this a useful tactic?

Indeed, it is.

Yet I would still vary my attack a little, as to not become too predictable.

If so how should I bowl to batsmen with front/back foot preference? Should I target weaknesses in one day games as we'll or just bowl in a specific area to all batsmen?

In one day games, I find it is more difficult to "set the batsman up" - as the strike is generally rotating so quickly.

In First Class and Test matches, you can bowl outside off on a good length for say four or five balls to a legside back-footer, to set them up for a decisive full lenth middle/off yorker for example. You get the time necessary to focus on weaknesses, and implement tactical bowling much more effectively. But bowling to weaknesses in short-form Cricket is still perfectly appropriate. You just don't get the same time to focus on setting your opponent up, and rely on your attack being as clinical as possible.

But whilst focussing on weaknesses is a good thing, you should also bear in mind, that just because a batsman may favour some areas over others, if you have a good attack, there is no reason that you cannot still take wickets whilst bowling to a batsman's strengths too.

For example: whilst playing with England last night in our fourth One Dayer against the Kiwis - Brendan McCullum has a preference for a back-foot legside approach - so the vast majority of my focus was bowling outside off or middle to him, on a full length. Yet after smashing us through the covers for a few early on at his arrival to the crease - a few balls later, he fell to a surprise shorter ball that was arrowing in on his leg stump, whilst attempting to slog to Cow Corner.

Now that should at least in theory be his strongest shot or main preference, yet Broady removed his leg stump with a sumptuous delivery before he could even really get going.

My point is, that just because a batsman has strong preferences, doesn't mean that a class bowler cannot expose him there.

You just don't want to be constantly giving the batsman the meat and drink and sugary treats of delivering to his preferences too often, is all.

Also would like some advice on when to use high/low aggression in all formats. Should I use high aggression with the new ball in one-day games? And to new batsmen? In first class matches when should I turn down aggression to a bastmen, when he is on 50 or 10? And when should low aggression be used, if at all?

Thanks in advance for any helpful advice someone could give me.

This really comes down to your own style of captaincy as much as anything.

Another example, again from last night's ODI -- After opening my bowling aggressively (two bars from the top) -- I gradually began to pull back to a more defensive shape, to try to limit them to singles and twos, as we were leaking a lot of quick runs to Williamson and Latham in particular smashing boundaries. Eventually, I'd gone completely defensive against them (zero aggression bars) bowling outside off no matter batsman preferences, attempting to lure them into catching an edge. Often this works out well - yet on this occasion, we were barely stemming the flow. So after a few overs of this, I surprised them both by suddenly ratcheting back up the tempo, with a few very aggressive deliveries. We skittled them both in one sublime Ben Stokes over.

So you have to weigh up the situation and what is happening around you on the field of play at the time.

Captaincy is naturally a most intricate beast - and as well as being as positive as you can whilst there is still a chance for victory, you have to be able to react to what is actually happening at the time, rather than simply relying on what should 'theoretically' work.

In 'theory' - going ultra defensive in that ODI at that point "should" have slowed them down significantly. By they were still working the strike very effectively and clocking up runs. So I had to take a bold move, and trust my attack that they had the quality shatter some stumps given time, regardless if it cost us a few more boundaries. So back came a fresh Stokes on almost full aggression - and cleaned up the problems for me.

You have to experiment until you find a solution to whatever problems you are experiencing at the time. Whilst there are 'guidelines' of what may generally work well in various situations - sometimes what you think should happen just isn't working out, and you need to take a different approach for a while.

And sometimes, despite your best laid plans, you just come up against a batsman in supreme form and confidence, and nothing you do seems able to remove him. And that's cricket.

[lcc24]

Thanks for your in-depth reply.

Some interesting tips, will start to vary up my bowling a bit more I guess. Seems like just bowling to a batsman's weakness for long periods isn't always a successful tactic so you're right, a surprise ball or looking to set them up will be something I look to try from now on.

Aggression looks like something I should use more. Trying to up it suddenly to a batsman piling on the runs was something I hadn't thought of. Monitoring the situation does seem key, something I'll look to do now and adjust the field accordingly.

Will try to implement some your suggestions now, let's hope I get on a little better!

[Robinson]

You're welcome. Good luck.