Rough guide to formats

[Dick Van Dykes Disco Dog]

Any chance we get can this moved across to the 2017 page?
some really good tips on this thread

[GrahamB]

Would be interested in hearing peoples bowling tactics in OD games. Just failed to defend 357 against Pakistan and anything i tinkered with (length/line or fields) just seemed hopeless.

Try bowling normal length outside offstump, unless the batsman has an offside preference. In that case bowl at middle. 3 bars aggression throughout at either a 2 field or 1 field.

[512fm]

Would be interested in hearing peoples bowling tactics in OD games. Just failed to defend 357 against Pakistan and anything i tinkered with (length/line or fields) just seemed hopeless.

[GrahamB]

What bowling aggression should I use in OD and T20 games? Same as in FC, or?

In T20, I bowl at 3 aggression outside off stump to the most defensive field possible.

[StanBeal97]

What bowling aggression should I use in OD and T20 games? Same as in FC, or?

[MarksNotts]

Something I've realised is there is not much mention of tips for spin bowling on this thread.

I use at least 2 spinners in each format but I'm never sure if I'm doing well or could be doing even better.
Historically I have tended to aim for middle stump.

Basic questions to start with

1. when bowling a leg spinner against a RHB should I aim for leg stump? ... Or middle ?

2. off spinner to a RHB - off stump or middle?

3.SLA to a RHB to follow the same approach to the leg spinner ?
(Albeit with the SLA would bowl around the wicket)

4. Bowling to LHB .... Which variations have ppl used?
Simply the off stump for the RHB becomes the leg stump for the LHB switches sides when bowling ?

5. Does anyone use a different tactic in terms of ball placement for the shorter formats of the game?

Good question DVDDD, I have often wondered about spinners, I always use them the same as seamers in 1st class games with limited success, ie middle and off and aggression level according to batmans score, but the AI murders me with his spinners(even average ones on none turning pitches) and I wonder if I am doing something wrong.
I do mix it up a bit in limited over games varying line and length.

[AlexB]

OK, just had a slightly better T20 batting experience. Bear in mind that I'm playing as Leicestershire, and we're not very good, but instead of going out hard from ball 1, gave each batsman an over at level 4 aggression, then a couple at level 5, before upping to L6. Runs actually dried up at L6, so went back down to 5 and carried on at 6-7 an over. When a couple of batsmen got settled to about 60% upping to L6 seemed to work . The smallest sample size, but my T20 record has been terrible, and this at least felt like something worked better...

[Chris Child]

Some fantastic advice here. Everything in the FC section will still be accurate. A couple of people have pointed out in the thread that scores are lower in OD/T20 matches than in real life. This article was posted a while back for the 2015 game, and we've re-balanced the engine for 2016 to be as close as possible modern scores, so tactics should be adjusted. Also there was a question about wickets in hand for the last 10 overs. If you have wickets in hand then batsmen will try to score faster at max aggression than if you don't. So if you're 9 down, they will still try to score at around 10 an over (which is the normal max rating), but if you have wickets in hand you can score at 12+.

[Greed378]

This is the first version of the game I have played, and while I have found decent tactics in the First Class and one day formats with a little help from this guide, the one thing I'm really struggling with is T20. I can usually bowl pretty well and limit the other side to the 140-150 mark, a very chasable total in today's game and yet even in very good batting conditions I really struggle to even chase such a small total. If I go below the top 2 aggression sections my players tend to go along about 2-3 an over which is obviously unfeasible even with a small target in t20 but anything above that and the wickets absolutely tumble. I've tried letting my players settle at 3 an over for about 5 overs which is the most I could possibly do but then the moment I try and accelerate both my set batsmen get out and I'm left needing 11 an over with 2 unset batsmen which never works. Any tips?

[Dick Van Dykes Disco Dog]

Something I've realised is there is not much mention of tips for spin bowling on this thread.

I use at least 2 spinners in each format but I'm never sure if I'm doing well or could be doing even better.
Historically I have tended to aim for middle stump.

Basic questions to start with

1. when bowling a leg spinner against a RHB should I aim for leg stump? ... Or middle ?

2. off spinner to a RHB - off stump or middle?

3.SLA to a RHB to follow the same approach to the leg spinner ?
(Albeit with the SLA would bowl around the wicket)

4. Bowling to LHB .... Which variations have ppl used?
Simply the off stump for the RHB becomes the leg stump for the LHB switches sides when bowling ?

5. Does anyone use a different tactic in terms of ball placement for the shorter formats of the game?

[Dick Van Dykes Disco Dog]

Excellent thread, A question about the new ball....when after 80 overs in a county game you take the new ball, do you guys put your opening bowlers aggression back up to 4-5 bars? even if the 2 batsman at the crease are settled on decent scores, I have always wondered about this, I normally stay on the aggression that the bowlers are currently on, but when I'm batting I reset my batsman back down to 2 bars for the first 15 overs as I do normally with my openers.

I always go back to full aggression with the new ball whether batsmen are settle or not.

[MarksNotts]

Excellent thread, A question about the new ball....when after 80 overs in a county game you take the new ball, do you guys put your opening bowlers aggression back up to 4-5 bars? even if the 2 batsman at the crease are settled on decent scores, I have always wondered about this, I normally stay on the aggression that the bowlers are currently on, but when I'm batting I reset my batsman back down to 2 bars for the first 15 overs as I do normally with my openers.

[GrahamB]

I would disagree a little about OD games. While in real life building a base and exploding at the end can work very well, playing to that plan in ICC can be very risky. I generally start off at 5 bars of aggression and move up to 6 bars when a good batsman is settled, although obviously adjust depending on the situation. I've found this works better than starting on lower aggression, where players just seem to get bogged down.

Yes - I've found this too.

[Sureshot]

I've copied this to the 2016 forum, as the information in here is great.

[Graham_5000]

Not outside off stump?
What length is best? Mid?

I have always assumed the midden option to be the off-4th stump line. You'll probably want to stick to this line mostly in FC cricket, combined with a good length. I sometimes drop the ball short if I'm bowling to a front foot loving batsman on an unevenly bouncing pitch (with a quality fast bowler)

If a batsman gets settled I sometimes try a couple of overs where I vary the length - mainly giving them the length they don't prefer - I vary the field accordingly, eg long on and long off if I'm pitching it up to a very well settled batsman. If that fails, I set a defensive field and give them a line they don't like (can be risky against quality batsmen, as they will probably lap up leg stump balls, even if they prefer the offside). Defensive cover is required! I don't like bowling different lines or lengths unless the bowler is high quality and accurate.

Generally though line and length is best most of the time I think.