Batting & Bowling Strategies

[GotCrabs]

Been playing ICC/CC on & off since the first installment & recently got back into it after a couple years off with CC ‘24 on iPad, curious to hear how others play the game in regards to batting & bowling.

How do you start your innings in 4/5 day matches, OD & T20 matches with the bat? How many bars do you start with & when do you up the aggression when needed?

Same with bowling, how do you start an innings? Attacking? Defensive? What field settings? Do you customise field settings to your liking or stick with the set fields in game?

I go OK, I’m playing with South Australia at the moment, but also have another save playing as South Africa, lost every match in the T20 WC, yup, even to Netherlands & Nepal, haha.

So how do you start an innings with bat & ball? When do you change aggression? Change field settings? How long do you bowl your bowlers for?

Do you keep images of field settings you have set for later use?

Have had mixed results with Sth Aust, usually finish last or second to last with them but did manage to win the OD comp in the 25/26 seasons which was a huge surprise.

Also curious to see if you use current squads or you create squads of players with better stats, like at the moment I’m running the current Sth Australia, Adelaide Strikers & South Africa squads, even batting & bowling the right person in the same position as they were in the actual match played in real life.

Any other info or tips you could share? What else do you like to do in game?

Have asked these questions on Reddit & get very little feedback so thought I’d ask here amongst the die hard fans, hope this is OK to post here, or if there is another area to post to.

Thanks.

[Wilted]

Bowling Strategies: I always bowl opposite to a batsman's strengths. So if a batsman has strong back foot and leg side preferences, I will bowl full and outside off stump. I will use the default fields, mainly to save time. In short-form games, I bowl as defensively as possible unless I need wickets rather than restricting runs. Two bars are typically as high as I would go. In FC matches, I stick with four bars unless I need to bowl a team out on the last day with little risk of my total being chased.

Batting Strategies: In T20s, I give batsmen around ten balls to settle in before increasing their aggression to 7, 8 or 9 bars depending on how many overs or wickets are left. In T20 matches, it's helpful to play one ball at a time in the first half of the innings. Then if you hit a boundary early in the over, you can lower your aggression to coast out the rest of the over. Then you will be more likely to have settled batsmen in the latter half. In OD matches, I allow batsmen to reach ten runs at 3 or 4 bars before increasing to 6 bars. At the 35- or 40-over mark I increase any fully-settled batter to 7 or 8 bars and 9 if I have batsmen in the sheds in the death overs. In FC matches, I allow batsmen to settle in at two bars before increasing to three. I will raise it to four bars if I need to improve my run rate for fully settled batsmen.

The first few years of playing as a domestic team are much harder but get easier as you develop your squad, poach some star players and start signing regens. For reference, in my first few years playing as Victoria/Renegades, I was lucky to make the finals of the domestic comps (or not finish last in the OD comps) but in the 2030s I'm in the finals for all three comps most years and win more often than not.

As for the way you're playing (trying to mimic real-life teams), you're giving yourself an extra challenge. Form is probably the only somewhat reliable indicator in this game so dropping a real-life star for a rookie who is crushing it in the 2nd XI will usually be the efficient choice.

[512fm]

In 4/5 day games I generally always bat on 3 bars, maybe increase to 4 if the batsman has 75+ and I need quick runs. For bowling I will go full length if front foot is not a strength of the batsman, but mostly stick to good length on off stump which has worked well.

In ODIs I bat on 5 bars to start (kind of risky) and then increase to 6 later on in the innings, for bowling I always bowl to a 7-2 off side field and bowl outside off stump.

I have no defined strategy in T20s as I've played this format in cricket captain for many years and always seems to be a coin flip.

[GotCrabs]

Started a new season with Sth Australia last night & thought I’d play around with different batting & bowling, fielding.

Will try what you’ve all suggested & see how I go.

Keen to hear from others also, how do you play the game when it comes to batting & bowling.

Really enjoy this game still after all these years, not much has changed but I think it’s a good thing really, been playing since the first installment, haha.

[GotCrabs]

Struggling with T20 matches, can’t chase down a target & can’t seem to put up a decent target.

Starting in 7 or 8 aggression, going to 9 once settled 100%.

Bowling, have tried 2 & 3 aggression & 2nd fielding option from the top, once the power play is done I push to the top field option.

Bowling on off stump, length is middle option, cloudy days I pitch it up though.

Just played a T20 tri series against NZ & Zim, didn’t win a game.

[512fm]

I think that is similar to most peoples experience with the T20 format on the game mate. Its an absolute lottery and I don't think the games mechanics work all that well for a 20 over innings. You go too aggressive and all of a sudden you're 40 for 5 after the powerplay. You go less aggressive to get your batsmen settled and you're 20 for 0 off the powerplay. Its a mess.

[Lynx54321]

I think that is similar to most peoples experience with the T20 format on the game mate. Its an absolute lottery and I don't think the games mechanics work all that well for a 20 over innings. You go too aggressive and all of a sudden you're 40 for 5 after the powerplay. You go less aggressive to get your batsmen settled and you're 20 for 0 off the powerplay. Its a mess.

Here here. Been telling Nige this since release but he's not having it.

[GotCrabs]

Just played a T20 series as Ireland v Pakistan & won 2-1.

[Yorkie]

One win won’t change anything, maybe you just got lucky that time. Unless you play Easy mode there’s no semblance or method to winning T20 games whatever you try. I’ve found a little success on easy by using ultra economy bowlers, trying to stifle the oppo run rate but other than that it just boils down to luck.
Its maddening- batsman out on 8 bars. Another comes in on 8 - out! Another in on 8 - out! Whoops now a hatrick. Next batsman I’ll bring in on 7 bars - he scores 2 then defends! Game already lost!

[Lynx54321]

One win won’t change anything, maybe you just got lucky that time. Unless you play Easy mode there’s no semblance or method to winning T20 games whatever you try. I’ve found a little success on easy by using ultra economy bowlers, trying to stifle the oppo run rate but other than that it just boils down to luck.
Its maddening- batsman out on 8 bars. Another comes in on 8 - out! Another in on 8 - out! Whoops now a hatrick. Next batsman I’ll bring in on 7 bars - he scores 2 then defends! Game already lost!

Agreed. The amount of hatricks is obscene.

[GotCrabs]

In 4/5 day games I generally always bat on 3 bars, maybe increase to 4 if the batsman has 75+ and I need quick runs. For bowling I will go full length if front foot is not a strength of the batsman, but mostly stick to good length on off stump which has worked well.

In ODIs I bat on 5 bars to start (kind of risky) and then increase to 6 later on in the innings, for bowling I always bowl to a 7-2 off side field and bowl outside off stump.

I have no defined strategy in T20s as I've played this format in cricket captain for many years and always seems to be a coin flip.

7/2 field? In a ODI/OD? Playing with fire there in real life, haha.

I should probably spend some time working on field settings for certain formats of the game.

[GotCrabs]

One win won’t change anything, maybe you just got lucky that time. Unless you play Easy mode there’s no semblance or method to winning T20 games whatever you try. I’ve found a little success on easy by using ultra economy bowlers, trying to stifle the oppo run rate but other than that it just boils down to luck.
It’s maddening- batsman out on 8 bars. Another comes in on 8 - out! Another in on 8 - out! Whoops now a hatrick. Next batsman I’ll bring in on 7 bars - he scores 2 then defends! Game already lost!

Had a good ODI series against RSA as Ireland, winning 3-0, much to my surprise, haha, rolled Zimbabwe in the T20 series, they did me in the ODI series & won the 1 off Test against me by 9 wickets, batsmen for them on debut made 207 against me, haha.

Definitely frustrating losing wickets often, almost guarantee I’ll lose a wicket straight up after the loss of a wicket each match.

[GotCrabs]

Agreed. The amount of hatricks is obscene.

100%! I’ve had two taken against me today & I’ve taken one.

[512fm]

7/2 field? In a ODI/OD? Playing with fire there in real life, haha.

I should probably spend some time working on field settings for certain formats of the game.

Haha yep not very realistic but it definitely makes a difference in limiting the run scoring of the AI. I rarely have a bowler with an economy of over 5 in one dayers with the 7/2 off side field.

[GotCrabs]

Haha yep not very realistic but it definitely makes a difference in limiting the run scoring of the AI. I rarely have a bowler with an economy of over 5 in one dayers with the 7/2 off side field.

What does the field look like? Surely a square leg & mid on?