The Art of Smart Cricket – Bowling
Unlike batting, bowling is far more complex job. It requires far more control on the tool at hand, read: ball. As discussed earlier, cricket is played with 2 different types of balls; red ball for test format & white ball for limited overs format. A bowler needs to consider the type of ball he is handling & adjust his skills & controls accordingly. Bowlers are generally not as popular as the flashy batsmen are. Bowling is often a tiresome & thankless job to be frank. Especially, in a test match, when the bowler bowls long spells, and at times bowls for almost 50-60 overs (across both innings), bowlers too deserve equal amount of attention & appreciation.
Typically, a bowler has to do 2 important things; restrict runs & take wickets. The role usually depends on the approach of the opposition team or even the format of the game, unlike in batting. If the opposition team is looking to chase / set a bigger total in limited overs format, bowlers usually need to restrict runs, especially if the bowler is not confident enough to take wickets because of the nature of pitch (flat-pitch) or depending on the team think-tank. However, there are times when bowler focuses more on taking wickets, as that is supposedly the best way to put pressure on the opposition, more so when the opposition is chasing.
Similar to batting, in test matches, even the bowlers get to bowl in 2 separate innings. However, generally second innings becomes bit more difficult for pacers as the pitch gets slower as the days progress. On the other hand, spinners play significant role when bowling second time as against the first time. That is more prominent in Indian sub-continent.
Broadly, there are 4 roles in bowling department too:
• Openers:
o Typically the ones who are fast & / or who can swing the ball (especially in the test format)
o These are also strike bowlers who are capable of taking early wickets, thereby putting pressure on the opposition batting line-up straight-away
o Generally, these bowlers bowl in short spells, first spell while opening the bowling attack, another one near 60+ over mark when there is some amount of reverse swing available or when the pitch is still good for bowling fast (especially green-tops)
• First-change:
o Typically another 2 pacers (often medium pacer or someone who doesn’t need the ball to swing as much but can work on the bounce or variations; or one pacer & one spinner as is the case often these days)
o Their job is to sustain the pressure applied by the openers. However, if the batsmen have settled down already, they could keep runs restricted, thereby slowing down the game, especially in the limited overs format
• Spinners:
o Usually spinners come into play after 20-25 overs when the ball has started getting older. The older the ball, the better for spinners.
o Spinners are of 2 types; wrist (often leg spinners), finger (off spinners or left-armers)
o Spinners main job is to take wickets and they are helped by an army of close-in fielders who are ready to take up catches offered by the batsmen when they attempt a shot or defend the ball, but the ball changes its direction after connecting with the bat
• Part-timers:
o Typically, batsmen who can bowl a bit
o Often these players are given the ball, for some overs, if the specialist bowlers are not able to perform their roles to the expectations, but at times they are given chance to bowl to break partnerships. As they are not regular bowlers, batsmen often over-cautiously or over-confidently play against these bowlers & end up giving them wickets.
o These bowlers are also deployed to give some rest to the regular bowlers, especially on a hot-humid day if the regular bowlers have bowled a good or long spell, and / or if the regular bowlers are tired but unable to take wickets.
o The disadvantage is that because they are not regularly used, often their skills are not as sharp & therefore they end up leaking runs. A part-time bowler is quite a risky proposition in limited overs cricket, unless he bowls regularly (atleast 2-3 overs in most games). Giving them a chance in once a while could pose quite a risk.
Often teams choose 4-5 bowlers in the playing 11. At times, bowlers who can bat are given preference over specialist bowlers who may not be able to bat. It would depend on various factors, such as pitch, conditions, opposition, team position (in case of a tournament), etc. There are cases, where bowling all-rounders are preferred over batting all-rounders and vice versa. Let us look in details the various roles & types of bowlers.
Openers:
As mentioned earlier, the 2 bowlers who open the bowling attack are usually the fastest, or atleast someone who could swing ball. Their primary job is to take early wickets & put pressure on the opposition team straight-away. Swing bowling is quite an easier task to learn. However, having control on the swing, line & length, & adjusting the control between red & white ball is far from being easy. If you bowl fast, you have lesser control over the swing & vice versa. Especially, in test format, the bowler has to get both swing & line-length right to have any impact. Any slight mistake in that, especially against batsmen like Sehwag / Hayden / Gayle could pose serious issues to the bowling side. In limited overs format, any lapse in the control gives away easy & quick runs as once the ball goes past the in-field, it rarely stops.
In recent times, however, there have been instances of spinner(s) opening the bowling attack, atleast from one end; especially in limited overs. However, that is more related to the shock-treatment for the batting team rather than sticking to conventional wisdom. Hence, for this blog purpose, I would consider only pacers as openers. There are different types of bowlers who would fall under this categorization:
• Bowler who can swing the ball in both direction: a must-have type of bowler for any team as he can apply pressure to both, left-handed & right-handed bowlers by swinging the ball away or into the batsman
• Bowler who can swing in only one direction: not exactly a must-have type, but acceptable. For e.g., an in-swing to a right-handed batsman becomes out-swing for a left-handed batsman, so although the type of delivery is same, the line & length should change accordingly & there has to be minute changes to the grip as well, so that the ball can land in the right way & effect the intended result.
• Bowlers who are not able to swing the ball much, but they rely more on the bounce (either of the wicket or by landing the ball on seam position). These bowlers, are expected to be good at variations in line and / or length, thus posing doubts in minds of the batsmen, thereby forcing them to commit errors & get their wickets or atleast restrict the runs.
Generally, most of the pacers are players with good height, often above 6-foot. Very rarely, you would find pacers who are of less height. These bowlers also fall short on raw pace, but they make-up for that with better control on the swing & variations. Regardless, of their heights and type of bowling employed, these fast bowlers have to be the best athlete of all the team-members. Fast bowling is quite a tasking art & takes a toll on your body. Rarely, you would find a ‘fast’ bowler with a career span of more than 10-12 years. He has sprint for longer distances, run hard, jump & land on one leg first, bowl in a way that uses his back – shoulder – elbow – wrist generate the right amount of pace (as much as can be generated). Bowling a longer spell (more than 5 typically) takes adverse toll on the body of the fast bowler. Hence, he needs to have an athletic / lean body to cope up.
First change:
A first-change is someone who can continue putting up the pressure already built by the opening bowlers. A fast bowler rarely bowls more than 5-6 overs at a stretch, regardless of any format. Often the pitch is not favorable for spin bowling straight-away after the initial spell of both openers. Most teams have atleast one medium-pacer as first-change bowler. Often, such a bowler is either a bowling all-rounder or someone who is good at bat as well. Teams from outside of Indian sub-continent are not overtly reliant on spin bowling (things are changing now). They employ medium pacers as first-change, often from both ends. Asian teams, rely heavily on spinners to share the major workload, thus most Asian teams employ spinners as first-change, atleast from one end. Usually, if the first-change is a spinner, he tends to bowl longer spells. Spinners in Indian team usually become the first-change & bowl longer spells of 10 or more overs on the trot, in a test match.
In limited overs, usually the first-change comes into play when the fielding restrictions are lifted off, thus with the field spread these bowlers play the role of restricting the run-flow and taking some wickets. It is a crucial period as the batsmen often try to settle down or are already settled down & because the field is spread, although the big shots are less frequent, but singles-doubles are taken at a higher frequency which slowly but steadily increases the opposition total & puts pressure on the fielding team. So the bowler has to be accurate (usually a stump-to-stump line) with his line & length as well as bowling to the field set for him (or placing the field according to the plan). Since the batsmen usually take lesser risk by hitting lesser aerial shots, the primary task for first-change bowlers is to restrict the runs. This is especially true when opposition is chasing small totals. Being restricted the batsmen tend to break the shackles by committing errors and thereby either putting more pressure on themselves or gifting away wickets.
Spinners:
For long, spinners have been specialty of teams from Indian sub-continent. That doesn’t mean other teams did not have spinners. But they were never the bread-earners of the team. Indian team, especially, heavily relied on spinners through the history and rightly so, because the conditions in the country meant that it produced more spinners than quicker bowlers. I mean the pitches, the soil. Indian pitches have never been favorable for fast bowlers. By nature, the spinners often are able to bowl longer spells, thus requiring lesser rotation of bowlers & ability to have lesser number of bowlers as against the number of batsmen in the team. Spin bowling is a complex art, not only to learn but to bat against as well. Hence, traditionally batsmen have found it difficult to bat against spinners. The ball often turns off the pitch and also off the bat making it difficult to control the shots & this creates higher chance of giving away the wickets. This is especially true in test matches where the ball starts becoming softer & along with the deteriorating nature of the pitch (as the days progress) it becomes relatively easier for the spinner to grip the ball better & thus weave better web around the batsman. The white ball is relatively tougher to grip as the ball is not too old (only 50-overs per side) & pitch hasn’t deteriorated as bad. Add to it the relatively more bounce in the pitch (favorable for batting) it becomes quite difficult to control the spin as much as in test matches. The field is usually spread when spinners come into play in limited overs, therefore, the batsman need not take risk of big shots, but place the ball around for quick singles-doubles.
There are 2 types of spinners: wrist & finger. The wrist spinner uses the wrist to give the ball more rotations & therefore the ball spins more. However, the wrist spinner also has to be accurate especially with his line & length to get the desired spin & effect. If not, the batsman could find it easier to maneuver the ball & score runs. Usually, the wrist spinners are leg-spinners & more effective against right-handed batsman as the batsman has 2 choices, either to hit along with the spin which means he has to go on back-foot to get the desired effect or to hit against the spin which means higher chances of ball going in the air & therefore getting out. Considering these options, the spinner (along with his captain) has to set the field and bowl accordingly. It is rare to see batsman hit aerial shots along with the spin, so the field has to be alert for restricting the runs, especially if the bowler spins the ball more, having a slip & close-in fielder(s) would be helpful to get the edge. If the spinner is bowling on a leg-stump, there are less or no chances of getting the batsman out LBW, & therefore it is better to give the ball some flight, to let the ball rotate more, spin more & induce a top-edge while the batsman attempts to hit against the spin. The field placement has to be such that the fielders are able to catch, especially ranging between square-leg & mid-wicket positions, either mid-way or near boundaries depending on the batsman.
The finger spinners, usually off-spinners and left-armers, have a more difficult job on hand. The finger doesn’t give the ball as much rotation as the wrist. Thus, the finger spinners have to be more accurate, rarely drifting away from the stump-to-stump line & giving less or no room for the batsman to adjust his shots. An off-spinner is generally effective against the left-handed batsman as the ball spins away from the batsman, and therefore he either has to drive the ball (inducing an edge to slip fielders or playing aerial shot in hands of cover fielders) or playing the cut shot, playing it towards the gully or point fielders. The left-armers are more effective against the right-handed batsmen with similar logic. As the finger spinners usually do not spin the ball as much as the wrist spinner, the need of having a good line & length is even more prominent, else they could be treated as slower bowlers & hit for big shots easily.
When the ball rotates more in the air after being let through the spinner’s hands, it has higher tendency to change its direction. So the spinner has to land the ball at such a spot from where it will move to the intended direction (preferably the stumps) or hits the bat in such a way that it goes in the air for the fielders to catch. For this you need more close-in fielders in positions. Often a new batsman is greeted with more close-in fielders, especially the non-specialist batsmen. Historically, Indian batsmen have been good at playing against any type of spinners as the Indian conditions & abundance of spinners in India has always helped them decipher the spin. However, the trend is fast changing & the other teams have also been sporting one or more spinners in the team & they are getting good at the art.
Part-timers:
The main job of a part-timer in test match is to give some rest to the regular bowlers. These are usually batsman who can bowl decently. Not being a specialist bowler, often they are used for shorter spell of 2-3 overs. There are many situations where the part-timers are used:
• To rest the regular bowlers before rotating them again. For example, in a test match a fast bowler has bowled his spell of 5 overs, then the spinner has bowled his spell of say 10 overs. A part-timer can be deployed for a few overs, so that the fast bowler can get more rest & come back for his next spell.
• When the new ball is due in test match, and fielding captain thinks of getting some surprise wicket(s) because seeing the part-timer the batsmen might attempt to play some strokes, resulting in errors.
• When the regular bowler is supposed to change the ends. For example, a bowler is bowling from one end but is not getting his line & length right or not being able to get wicket, the fielding captain may change his end and use a part-timer for one over (or more). This happens often in limited overs format, especially in case of fast bowlers.
• To break the partnership. Often regular bowlers are not able get wickets & the batting partnership keeps going strong. Because the part-timers are not regular bowlers, batsmen are often not confident enough to play against them & the fielding captain may deploy part-timer(s).
• To fill in for the need of 5th bowler, especially in limited overs format. Generally, a team has combination of 5 bowlers & 6 batsmen (including the wicket-keeper). However, there are times when the team decides to go with 4 bowlers & 7 batsmen, often with the help of 2 or more part-time bowlers who are good batsmen, but can bowl a few overs together filling up for 5th bowler. (In 50-50 or T20, only 4 bowlers can bowl full quota, therefore needing a 5th bowler.
As you can see, a bowler, especially specialist bowler, has to have appropriate skills, upgrade them sooner & add more variations. He also needs to be able to surprise the batsman with odd-delivery, with un-expected delivery. There are regular skills of the bowler which he uses often during the game. However, every bowler needs to have a few surprises up his sleeve. For example, a pace bowler could use short-pitch delivery or Yorker once a while to surprise the batsman while bowling regular deliveries. The bowler needs to understand the pitch, observe it closely, to know about the spots where if he lands the ball, it could behave in-line with the surprise delivery requirement. For example, a spinner needs to make use of the rough patches near the batting area, so use to his advantage.
Monday, June 26, 2017
The Art of Smart Cricket - Batting
The Art of Smart Cricket – Batting
As mentioned in my previous blog, cricket is generally played in 2 different formats (3 versions):
• Test cricket (5-day version; red ball)
• Limited overs cricket (white ball)
o ODI – One Day International (50-over game)
o T20 – Twenty20 (20-over game)
Cricket is mainly popular as batsman game & that’s true to some extent. People love the fact that there are only 2 players (batsmen) who fight it out against 11 players (and sometimes 3 umpires too, including the TV umpire). Not only that, but the batsmen are supposed to defend their wickets, score runs & thus play a major role to put the chase beyond the opposition. Viewers like the batsmen hitting boundaries & sixes instead of showing their skills in defending the wickets. That is the main reason why the shorter format is so popular. More the runs, the better. More so, because the 5-day version sometimes can become bit boring to watch when the batsmen try to defend the bowling attack by blocking every or most deliveries. Throughout the history of the game, the batsmen have become more popular than the bowlers. Largely, they have dominated the game. Only few bowlers have had the distinction of becoming more popular.
Typically, a batsman’s role is simpler. He has to defend his wicket (not get out) and score enough runs. The speed at which the batsman scores the runs generally depends on the format. In a 5-day test, the batsman scores runs at a very slow pace often termed as strike rate (‘x’ runs per 100 balls). A strike rate of approximately 40-60 is quite common. Sometimes, depending on the situation the strike rate could be even lower (especially when the team is playing for a draw). In normal cases, it purely depends on how the batsman counters the bowling attack and scores the runs at more than common strike rate. However, a similar strike rate in the shorter version is almost like a cardinal sin. The shorter format encourages the batsman to score atleast at run-a-ball pace or more (strike rate of 100 or more), thus ensuring maximum possible runs in the limited overs of the game & putting the chase beyond reach for the opposition (or winning sooner while chasing).
Generally, in a test match, the batsman gets to bat twice (in 2 separate innings) & once in limited overs format. Ofcourse, it depends on what position he bats. But often specialist batsmen get enough opportunities to bat in most of the situations. Broadly, there are 4 roles of a batsman, across both formats:
• Openers:
o 2 batsmen open the batting for the team in the batting innings
o Often batsmen who are able to tackle the swinging ball at the initial stage are assigned the job
o In tests, the basic idea is to tackle the swing & tire out the bowling team by not giving away wickets & then build a platform for attacking at a later stage (at times for next batsmen)
o In shorter format, there are restrictions on the field placement (power-play) for the initial few overs (10 for 50-over & 6 for 20-over game) & thus often batsmen who can tackle the swing & hit over the in-field are preferred for the job
• Middle-order:
o Generally 3 batsmen (no. 3-4-5)
o Typically specialist (or full-time batsmen) or batting all-rounders play at these positions; batting all-rounders are those who are primarily a batsman, but are decent bowlers as well
o The primary job is to build upon the platform given by the openers
o If one or both openers fall early, no. 3-4 have to fill up for them
o If the openers have done their job, usually the middle order comes into play when the ball is getting older & therefore they have to tackle slower bowlers or spinners; therefore requiring little different skills than the openers
o They also have to keep the scoreboard ticking by rotating the strike much frequently than the openers, especially in limited overs format, where the field restrictions are lesser and therefore field is spread-out thereby restricting the aerial shots
• Lower middle-order:
o Generally 2 batsman; sometimes 3 (depending on availability of bowlers who can bat decently)
o Batsman who are part-time bowlers or wicket-keepers usually bat at these positions
o Often their services are needed to either prolong the innings (in test format) or get some quick runs at the end of the innings (limited overs format); more of finisher role in the limited overs
• Tail-enders:
o Generally 4 or 3 (depending on how long the middle-order & lower-middle-order is)
o Typically all bowlers, mainly pacers, are part of tail-enders
o Not specialist batsmen, hence they are expected to hold up as long as they can or score some big hits if possible (in both formats)
o The length of the tail also plays a crucial role, especially in the shorter format; shorter the better
In normal case every batsman (under various roles) has a specific task, but ultimately, the main goal is to score as many runs as possible. When batting first, the batsman (batsmen) have to score as many runs as possible to have the chase beyond reach of the opposition. When batting second (chasing), the batsman has to score as quickly as possible, especially in limited overs format, to successfully chase down the target set. In limited overs format, it is important to rotate the strike, especially when there is a combination of left-hand - right-hand batsmen. Also it is important to place the ball in gaps rather than hitting it hard and rotate the strike. There are various ways a batsman can adapt to the above adversities & come up successful. Let’s see how the players go about their roles in detail.
Openers:
As mentioned earlier, in the test match, the basic task of an opening batsman (both ends) is to play out the initial 15-20 overs. If the team is batting first (first day of the test match, first innings), often openers end up playing responsibly, guarding their wickets & scoring with lesser strike rates. While batting second or in subsequent innings, often the first 15-20 overs are with slower strike rates, then batsmen start opening up with more shots being played. Mainly, in the 4th innings when the team is chasing a target, the approach of the openers will entirely depend on what the team has decided. If the team has decided to play for a draw, the openers will block every delivery. Typically, the openers are required to have a good technique against any type of bowlers & this comes under scrutiny in such situations. If the team decides to play to win the game, the openers may not wait for the aforementioned 15-20 overs, but start playing their shots from the word go. In 2008-09, India won the Chennai test match against England, by successfully chasing down 350+ in 4 sessions (across 2 days) only because India’s Virender Sehwag attacked the English bowlers from the first over. He scored a quickfire 80+ runs to give a solid platform for the middle order (Sachin & Yuvraj) to successfully chase the target on last day. Had he failed, India would have played for a draw or even lost the game.
In limited overs, however, the openers have to attack from the first ball. There are restrictions on field placements in the first few overs, wherein only limited number of fielders can be placed near boundary, thus giving more scoring options to the batsmen. Attacking batsmen play aerial shots & score quick runs through boundaries or sixes, thereby giving a solid platform for a 300+ total (in 50-over game) & 160+ total (in 20-over game). While batting first, if these scores are crossed, it is supposed to put pressure on the team batting second and there are higher chances of winning for the team batting first. Thus, it is apparent, that more than the batting technique, it is the ability to hit big shots that becomes the pre-requisite. Ofcourse, point to be noted is that, the white ball in limited overs format swings much lesser than the red ball in test matches. Moreover, because often the bowling team starts with 2 slips, that means lesser fielders in other positions, thereby giving more scoring options. In limited overs the batsmen do not mind playing horizontal bat shots which means there are lesser chances of the ball going behind the stumps (in the hands of slip fielders or wicket keeper).
Whatever the format is, one can summarize the role of opening batsman as building the foundation for the other batsmen, thus ensuring that the team scores as many runs as possible.
Middle-order:
In older times, there was a belief that the batsman that comes in at no. 3 is often the team’s best batsman. There is some truth in that. Often it would happen that team would lose its first wicket at the start of the innings. Thus, the no. 3 batsman would have to fill in early. Generally, his role is to bat in the middle overs when the ball has gotten older. But in such rare situations, he would be facing the swinging ball in a test match. Therefore, he needed to have best technique that could help him counter any type of bowling attack & prevent further fall of wickets. He might need to defend and see-off the first few overs like an opener and then change into his original role of rotating the strike or scoring off the slower bowlers (including the spinners). The same would apply to no. 4 batsman just in case the team loses both of its openers early.
The role of the middle-order is mainly to build up on the start given by the openers (unless they have fallen early). Often the team’s success depends on how the middle order (and the lower-middle-order at times) has performed. During the late 90s or previous century and first decade of the current century, India had the strongest middle-order amongst the cricket playing nations. Much of the success by the Indian team is attributed to this quartet (Rahul, Sachin, Saurav, Laxman) as often one or more of these have performed well & stabilized the innings & built upon the starts given by the openers (mainly Sehwag in the first decade of current century). That ensured that the bowlers had enough runs to defend and then the spinners could weave their magic. In Indian sub-continent this middle-order has always been successful, but also on foreign soil they have posed quite a threat to the oppositions.
Lower middle-order:
Often in test matches, the batting side is dependent on the openers & middle-order batsman. However, there are situations when these batsmen fail or the team is playing for a draw in fourth innings. This is a crucial stage of the game & hence requires substantial effort & contribution by the lower middle-order. Generally, these are decent batsmen & can hold up the innings good enough. Often you would see all-rounders (batsmen who are decent slow bowlers or vice versa) or wicket-keepers in this group. They may not be technically as sound as the openers or middle-order batsmen but they are able to tackle the situation. These batsmen would almost perfectly fit into the category of smart-bats. As they are not technically sound enough, they would often try different tricks or innovative shots to score runs. Instead of defensive shots, they rely more on rotating the strike or hitting some unorthodox shots to get runs.
The same usually applies to limited overs format as well & the main responsibility of these batsmen is to score as many runs as possible. Since they are always-on-toes batsmen, the opposition captain often finds it little difficult to keep them restricted. He may place defensive field and these batsmen would rotate the strike, scoring in quick singles-doubles. He may place attacking field and these batsmen would be smart enough to score over-the-top of the in-field (not necessarily a six or boundary) and get runs. They also are often the finishers of the limited overs format as often the responsibility of closing the game (while chasing) falls upon this group. Their average runs per game would be lower than the top orders, but their strike rates are usually higher than 100.
Tail-enders:
Often the length of tail of the team is discussed at length, especially in test matches. This tail usually consists of specialist bowlers, often those who are not good at batting skills. The length of the tail would depend on how the team composition is and how many bowlers can’t bat. These players are usually not expected to score runs, but just hold up one end if there is a specialist batsman at other end. This is useful, when the team is trying to prolong the innings, especially when either the entire set of batsmen have failed or when the team is batting for a draw.
However, when it comes to limited overs format, when these players come to bat, they are often expected to hit big blows. Being bowlers (especially pacers), these players are strong enough to hit some big sixes (if the bat and ball connects). Often they come into play in the last 5-10 overs of the game and thus hitting big blows is already need of the hour, to get as many quick runs as possible while batting first. While batting second, it often is a matter of luck if they happen to score the winning runs, but they can atleast bring the target closer.
As you can see, the role of the batsman, though looks simple to score runs, is quite complex. More than the above things, there are different situations, conditions, opposition players, that play an important role where the batsman has to adjust accordingly. Let us look at these:
• Climate: Often the climate is affected by the rains. In such situations the ball (especially red ball in test matches) becomes a little heavier, swings more and thus batsman has to adjust the shots accordingly. Also the outfield becomes slippery and little difficult to field. A smart batsman would not really need to hit the ball for boundary, he may place the ball in gaps & rotate the strike frequently. In humid conditions (especially summer in Indian sub-continent), it is difficult to grip the ball (while bowling under lights in limited overs game); therefore batting would become relatively easier.
• Pitch: Pitches play a very important role in test matches as the match is played for 5 long days & there are no extensive repairs to the wear-and-tear of the pitch during the game. A pitch usually is good for batting for first 3 days, gradually deteriorating and becoming favorable to spinners. Sometimes, pitches become favorable to spin from as early as 2nd day (especially some pitches in Indian sub-continent). So the batsman has to adjust his skills and temperament accordingly.
• Match situation: In normal cases, the batsman follows the role of his position as discussed above. However, not always things go by the same situation. There are times when the entire batting line fails with less runs on the board, especially in test matches. In such situation, when playing in second innings, often the batsman has to employ a different approach, usually defensive. Also, when the team has to play for a draw, the most important thing is to play out the entire remaining period and not lose wicket(s). So almost every batsman in the team is expected to play with similar approach, to avoid losing wickets & losing the match.
• Opposition players: Often a batsman (settled in the team) is able to play against the same opposition & same players more frequently. However, when a new player arrives in the opposition team, especially a bowler, the batsman may not necessarily know about his skills or what the bowler is capable of. In such case, the batsman cannot simply face the bowler & attack him. He has to play cautiously & try to judge the capability / restrictions of that bowler & plan accordingly. Also the batsman has to judge the fielders, who is capable of fielding / throwing the ball faster, when to take risk of running singles / doubles, etc. He also has to judge the field placements and remember them before playing his shots.
• Non-striker: Finally, the batsman also has to understand his own team-member who is involved in the batting partnership at any given point of time. He should have a good understanding of the capabilities of the non-striker, while judging about the running between the wickets, or to allow the non-striker strike on next ball or next over. There has to be mutual trust & confidence between the two for a good partnership.
Considering the above points, it is quite a complex job. The only help is your partner to fight out the situation & the team management who could send in messages to guide the expected progress of the game plan. A seasoned batsman, who has had good experience of most situations, would be able to decipher the situation & find a way out. However, any batsman has to be constantly on learning curve, to understand, decode & solve any issue that he faces in any game. Every game could be a different learning experience & the batsman needs to learn from his past experiences (even mistakes) & figure out ways for improving on his skills. As mentioned earlier, he needs to develop skills according to various roles / situations, as the team management could choose upon moving him across the batting order depending on the need. A seasoned opener could be asked to move down the batting order to accommodate a better opener or to help the team through difficult situations (if the middle-order or lower middle-order is weaker) or the reverse could also happen.
As mentioned in my previous blog, cricket is generally played in 2 different formats (3 versions):
• Test cricket (5-day version; red ball)
• Limited overs cricket (white ball)
o ODI – One Day International (50-over game)
o T20 – Twenty20 (20-over game)
Cricket is mainly popular as batsman game & that’s true to some extent. People love the fact that there are only 2 players (batsmen) who fight it out against 11 players (and sometimes 3 umpires too, including the TV umpire). Not only that, but the batsmen are supposed to defend their wickets, score runs & thus play a major role to put the chase beyond the opposition. Viewers like the batsmen hitting boundaries & sixes instead of showing their skills in defending the wickets. That is the main reason why the shorter format is so popular. More the runs, the better. More so, because the 5-day version sometimes can become bit boring to watch when the batsmen try to defend the bowling attack by blocking every or most deliveries. Throughout the history of the game, the batsmen have become more popular than the bowlers. Largely, they have dominated the game. Only few bowlers have had the distinction of becoming more popular.
Typically, a batsman’s role is simpler. He has to defend his wicket (not get out) and score enough runs. The speed at which the batsman scores the runs generally depends on the format. In a 5-day test, the batsman scores runs at a very slow pace often termed as strike rate (‘x’ runs per 100 balls). A strike rate of approximately 40-60 is quite common. Sometimes, depending on the situation the strike rate could be even lower (especially when the team is playing for a draw). In normal cases, it purely depends on how the batsman counters the bowling attack and scores the runs at more than common strike rate. However, a similar strike rate in the shorter version is almost like a cardinal sin. The shorter format encourages the batsman to score atleast at run-a-ball pace or more (strike rate of 100 or more), thus ensuring maximum possible runs in the limited overs of the game & putting the chase beyond reach for the opposition (or winning sooner while chasing).
Generally, in a test match, the batsman gets to bat twice (in 2 separate innings) & once in limited overs format. Ofcourse, it depends on what position he bats. But often specialist batsmen get enough opportunities to bat in most of the situations. Broadly, there are 4 roles of a batsman, across both formats:
• Openers:
o 2 batsmen open the batting for the team in the batting innings
o Often batsmen who are able to tackle the swinging ball at the initial stage are assigned the job
o In tests, the basic idea is to tackle the swing & tire out the bowling team by not giving away wickets & then build a platform for attacking at a later stage (at times for next batsmen)
o In shorter format, there are restrictions on the field placement (power-play) for the initial few overs (10 for 50-over & 6 for 20-over game) & thus often batsmen who can tackle the swing & hit over the in-field are preferred for the job
• Middle-order:
o Generally 3 batsmen (no. 3-4-5)
o Typically specialist (or full-time batsmen) or batting all-rounders play at these positions; batting all-rounders are those who are primarily a batsman, but are decent bowlers as well
o The primary job is to build upon the platform given by the openers
o If one or both openers fall early, no. 3-4 have to fill up for them
o If the openers have done their job, usually the middle order comes into play when the ball is getting older & therefore they have to tackle slower bowlers or spinners; therefore requiring little different skills than the openers
o They also have to keep the scoreboard ticking by rotating the strike much frequently than the openers, especially in limited overs format, where the field restrictions are lesser and therefore field is spread-out thereby restricting the aerial shots
• Lower middle-order:
o Generally 2 batsman; sometimes 3 (depending on availability of bowlers who can bat decently)
o Batsman who are part-time bowlers or wicket-keepers usually bat at these positions
o Often their services are needed to either prolong the innings (in test format) or get some quick runs at the end of the innings (limited overs format); more of finisher role in the limited overs
• Tail-enders:
o Generally 4 or 3 (depending on how long the middle-order & lower-middle-order is)
o Typically all bowlers, mainly pacers, are part of tail-enders
o Not specialist batsmen, hence they are expected to hold up as long as they can or score some big hits if possible (in both formats)
o The length of the tail also plays a crucial role, especially in the shorter format; shorter the better
In normal case every batsman (under various roles) has a specific task, but ultimately, the main goal is to score as many runs as possible. When batting first, the batsman (batsmen) have to score as many runs as possible to have the chase beyond reach of the opposition. When batting second (chasing), the batsman has to score as quickly as possible, especially in limited overs format, to successfully chase down the target set. In limited overs format, it is important to rotate the strike, especially when there is a combination of left-hand - right-hand batsmen. Also it is important to place the ball in gaps rather than hitting it hard and rotate the strike. There are various ways a batsman can adapt to the above adversities & come up successful. Let’s see how the players go about their roles in detail.
Openers:
As mentioned earlier, in the test match, the basic task of an opening batsman (both ends) is to play out the initial 15-20 overs. If the team is batting first (first day of the test match, first innings), often openers end up playing responsibly, guarding their wickets & scoring with lesser strike rates. While batting second or in subsequent innings, often the first 15-20 overs are with slower strike rates, then batsmen start opening up with more shots being played. Mainly, in the 4th innings when the team is chasing a target, the approach of the openers will entirely depend on what the team has decided. If the team has decided to play for a draw, the openers will block every delivery. Typically, the openers are required to have a good technique against any type of bowlers & this comes under scrutiny in such situations. If the team decides to play to win the game, the openers may not wait for the aforementioned 15-20 overs, but start playing their shots from the word go. In 2008-09, India won the Chennai test match against England, by successfully chasing down 350+ in 4 sessions (across 2 days) only because India’s Virender Sehwag attacked the English bowlers from the first over. He scored a quickfire 80+ runs to give a solid platform for the middle order (Sachin & Yuvraj) to successfully chase the target on last day. Had he failed, India would have played for a draw or even lost the game.
In limited overs, however, the openers have to attack from the first ball. There are restrictions on field placements in the first few overs, wherein only limited number of fielders can be placed near boundary, thus giving more scoring options to the batsmen. Attacking batsmen play aerial shots & score quick runs through boundaries or sixes, thereby giving a solid platform for a 300+ total (in 50-over game) & 160+ total (in 20-over game). While batting first, if these scores are crossed, it is supposed to put pressure on the team batting second and there are higher chances of winning for the team batting first. Thus, it is apparent, that more than the batting technique, it is the ability to hit big shots that becomes the pre-requisite. Ofcourse, point to be noted is that, the white ball in limited overs format swings much lesser than the red ball in test matches. Moreover, because often the bowling team starts with 2 slips, that means lesser fielders in other positions, thereby giving more scoring options. In limited overs the batsmen do not mind playing horizontal bat shots which means there are lesser chances of the ball going behind the stumps (in the hands of slip fielders or wicket keeper).
Whatever the format is, one can summarize the role of opening batsman as building the foundation for the other batsmen, thus ensuring that the team scores as many runs as possible.
Middle-order:
In older times, there was a belief that the batsman that comes in at no. 3 is often the team’s best batsman. There is some truth in that. Often it would happen that team would lose its first wicket at the start of the innings. Thus, the no. 3 batsman would have to fill in early. Generally, his role is to bat in the middle overs when the ball has gotten older. But in such rare situations, he would be facing the swinging ball in a test match. Therefore, he needed to have best technique that could help him counter any type of bowling attack & prevent further fall of wickets. He might need to defend and see-off the first few overs like an opener and then change into his original role of rotating the strike or scoring off the slower bowlers (including the spinners). The same would apply to no. 4 batsman just in case the team loses both of its openers early.
The role of the middle-order is mainly to build up on the start given by the openers (unless they have fallen early). Often the team’s success depends on how the middle order (and the lower-middle-order at times) has performed. During the late 90s or previous century and first decade of the current century, India had the strongest middle-order amongst the cricket playing nations. Much of the success by the Indian team is attributed to this quartet (Rahul, Sachin, Saurav, Laxman) as often one or more of these have performed well & stabilized the innings & built upon the starts given by the openers (mainly Sehwag in the first decade of current century). That ensured that the bowlers had enough runs to defend and then the spinners could weave their magic. In Indian sub-continent this middle-order has always been successful, but also on foreign soil they have posed quite a threat to the oppositions.
Lower middle-order:
Often in test matches, the batting side is dependent on the openers & middle-order batsman. However, there are situations when these batsmen fail or the team is playing for a draw in fourth innings. This is a crucial stage of the game & hence requires substantial effort & contribution by the lower middle-order. Generally, these are decent batsmen & can hold up the innings good enough. Often you would see all-rounders (batsmen who are decent slow bowlers or vice versa) or wicket-keepers in this group. They may not be technically as sound as the openers or middle-order batsmen but they are able to tackle the situation. These batsmen would almost perfectly fit into the category of smart-bats. As they are not technically sound enough, they would often try different tricks or innovative shots to score runs. Instead of defensive shots, they rely more on rotating the strike or hitting some unorthodox shots to get runs.
The same usually applies to limited overs format as well & the main responsibility of these batsmen is to score as many runs as possible. Since they are always-on-toes batsmen, the opposition captain often finds it little difficult to keep them restricted. He may place defensive field and these batsmen would rotate the strike, scoring in quick singles-doubles. He may place attacking field and these batsmen would be smart enough to score over-the-top of the in-field (not necessarily a six or boundary) and get runs. They also are often the finishers of the limited overs format as often the responsibility of closing the game (while chasing) falls upon this group. Their average runs per game would be lower than the top orders, but their strike rates are usually higher than 100.
Tail-enders:
Often the length of tail of the team is discussed at length, especially in test matches. This tail usually consists of specialist bowlers, often those who are not good at batting skills. The length of the tail would depend on how the team composition is and how many bowlers can’t bat. These players are usually not expected to score runs, but just hold up one end if there is a specialist batsman at other end. This is useful, when the team is trying to prolong the innings, especially when either the entire set of batsmen have failed or when the team is batting for a draw.
However, when it comes to limited overs format, when these players come to bat, they are often expected to hit big blows. Being bowlers (especially pacers), these players are strong enough to hit some big sixes (if the bat and ball connects). Often they come into play in the last 5-10 overs of the game and thus hitting big blows is already need of the hour, to get as many quick runs as possible while batting first. While batting second, it often is a matter of luck if they happen to score the winning runs, but they can atleast bring the target closer.
As you can see, the role of the batsman, though looks simple to score runs, is quite complex. More than the above things, there are different situations, conditions, opposition players, that play an important role where the batsman has to adjust accordingly. Let us look at these:
• Climate: Often the climate is affected by the rains. In such situations the ball (especially red ball in test matches) becomes a little heavier, swings more and thus batsman has to adjust the shots accordingly. Also the outfield becomes slippery and little difficult to field. A smart batsman would not really need to hit the ball for boundary, he may place the ball in gaps & rotate the strike frequently. In humid conditions (especially summer in Indian sub-continent), it is difficult to grip the ball (while bowling under lights in limited overs game); therefore batting would become relatively easier.
• Pitch: Pitches play a very important role in test matches as the match is played for 5 long days & there are no extensive repairs to the wear-and-tear of the pitch during the game. A pitch usually is good for batting for first 3 days, gradually deteriorating and becoming favorable to spinners. Sometimes, pitches become favorable to spin from as early as 2nd day (especially some pitches in Indian sub-continent). So the batsman has to adjust his skills and temperament accordingly.
• Match situation: In normal cases, the batsman follows the role of his position as discussed above. However, not always things go by the same situation. There are times when the entire batting line fails with less runs on the board, especially in test matches. In such situation, when playing in second innings, often the batsman has to employ a different approach, usually defensive. Also, when the team has to play for a draw, the most important thing is to play out the entire remaining period and not lose wicket(s). So almost every batsman in the team is expected to play with similar approach, to avoid losing wickets & losing the match.
• Opposition players: Often a batsman (settled in the team) is able to play against the same opposition & same players more frequently. However, when a new player arrives in the opposition team, especially a bowler, the batsman may not necessarily know about his skills or what the bowler is capable of. In such case, the batsman cannot simply face the bowler & attack him. He has to play cautiously & try to judge the capability / restrictions of that bowler & plan accordingly. Also the batsman has to judge the fielders, who is capable of fielding / throwing the ball faster, when to take risk of running singles / doubles, etc. He also has to judge the field placements and remember them before playing his shots.
• Non-striker: Finally, the batsman also has to understand his own team-member who is involved in the batting partnership at any given point of time. He should have a good understanding of the capabilities of the non-striker, while judging about the running between the wickets, or to allow the non-striker strike on next ball or next over. There has to be mutual trust & confidence between the two for a good partnership.
Considering the above points, it is quite a complex job. The only help is your partner to fight out the situation & the team management who could send in messages to guide the expected progress of the game plan. A seasoned batsman, who has had good experience of most situations, would be able to decipher the situation & find a way out. However, any batsman has to be constantly on learning curve, to understand, decode & solve any issue that he faces in any game. Every game could be a different learning experience & the batsman needs to learn from his past experiences (even mistakes) & figure out ways for improving on his skills. As mentioned earlier, he needs to develop skills according to various roles / situations, as the team management could choose upon moving him across the batting order depending on the need. A seasoned opener could be asked to move down the batting order to accommodate a better opener or to help the team through difficult situations (if the middle-order or lower middle-order is weaker) or the reverse could also happen.
The Art of Smart Cricket (Introduction)
The Art of Smart Cricket
Cricket is a game of ball and bat. So typically, it involves a bowler & batsman. That’s what we generally know about cricket. However, there is more than what meets the eye. Cricket can be divided into 3 basic categories:
• Batting: Typically 2 batsmen (1 at each end of the pitch) whose job is to:
o Set a target
o Chase the opposition’s total
• Bowling: Typically group of 4-5 (or sometimes more) players whose job is to:
o Defend the total set up by its team
o Restrict the batting team to a lower total for chasing later on
• Fielding: The most important aspect of any team; this involves all 11 players of the fielding team whose job is to:
o Prevent the ball from reaching the boundary line (or preventing more runs ran by the batsmen)
o Catching the ball when it is hit in the air (within the boundary rope)
o Throwing the ball to the stumps (or the person guarding the stumps) to run-out the batsman
Every player in the playing eleven is usually assigned a particular role depending on his skills. There could be specialist batsmen who may not be able to bowl, but their job is to score as many runs as possible. There could be specialist bowlers who may not be able to bat, but their job is two-fold, restrict the runs, take as many wickets as possible. However, despite having the batting or bowling skills (or lacking them), every player is expected to be a good fielder. He may not be an exceptional fielder (benchmark set by Jonathan “Jonty” Rhodes of South Africa), but the least he can do is to restrict the ball coming in his direction and to be able to throw it at the right end of the pitch. Let us look into further details of each role.
Batting:
Typically, a batsman’s role is the simplest in the team. He has to score as many runs as possible. Things, however, are not as simple as they look. There are few things the batsman has to fight against:
• Bowler: who tries every possible trick to either restrict the flow of runs or to get the batsman out
• Fielders: who try their best to restrict the runs, or to get the batsman out (including the wicketkeeper)
• Umpire: who may commit mistake(s), thereby not allowing run(s) or declaring him out when he is not
• Pitch: at times the pitch is not favorable for batting (or atleast for the batsman’s style of play)
• Conditions: at times the conditions are such that the batsman cannot play his natural game
• Viewers: at times the batsman is not able to concentrate because of the noise created by the viewers
• Batsman at the other end: however silly it may sound, at times you have to change yourself to adapt to the style of the batsman at the other end to stitch a fruitful partnership
• Own skills: at times the batsman is not skilled enough to bat in certain situations (or against above mentioned factors); for example, some batsmen cannot play against the bouncing ball or some batsmen cannot play against the spinners as comfortably as they would against the pacers
• Need of the hour: at times the batsman needs to adjust his batting style to suit the need of the hour, for example, a batsman like Sehwag may need to curb his attacking instincts if wickets are falling at the other end and someone needs to stand and prevent the landslide
Bowling:
Typically, a bowler has two-fold role; restrict runs & take wickets. However, there are few things the bowler has to fight against:
• Batsman: who tries to score off every delivery, or blocks the ball to protect his wicket
• Fielders: when a fielder misfields the ball thereby giving away easy run(s) or drops catches, especially crucial ones
• Umpire: who may commit mistake(s), thereby not declaring the batsman out when he is out
• Pitch: not every bowler is master of any pitch condition, a spinner may not be able to make use of a green pitch or a pacer may not be able to make use of flat pitch
• Conditions: at times the conditions are not favorable for bowling, (especially bowling longer spells in too hot / humid climate or spinner not being able to grip the ball in dew or after the rain)
• Own skills: when the wickets are not falling or the runs flow is not stopping, the bowler has to employ different tactics to effect change in the match; if the bowler does not have enough variation or ability to counter the situation then the match can slip out of hands
• Need of the hour: at times need of hour is to restrict the runs (especially when wickets are not falling but the run chase is moving towards success); or at times the need of hour is to take wickets and not worry about the runs scored (especially defending large totals); the bowler has to adjust and employ his skill accordingly
Fielding:
Basically, a fielder also has a two-fold role; restrict runs and help in taking wickets (by taking catches or effecting run-outs). There are few things a fielder has to fight against:
• Batsman: while fielding, a fielder has to decide which end the ball should be thrown back so that it will help taking wicket by run-out; also he has to decide the situation of the game, like batsman approaching a milestone will be susceptible to misjudging a run or when runs are not coming easily a batsman could take risk to run and therefore higher chances of running him out
• Pitch: this applies especially to close-in fielders; the fielder has to understand the pitch, its bounce or surface so that he can field / catch the ball accordingly
• Format: a red ball (used in tests) swings much more than a white ball (used in limited overs), therefore the slip fielders and wicket keepers have to be extra cautious when playing tests while judging a catch, especially in case of new ball or in windy conditions
• Ground: the fielder has to judge the ground size, the surface and action accordingly while restricting the runs or simply fielding the ball
• Lights: in limited overs cricket when the game progresses under artificial lights, the fielder has to make relevant adjustments, especially against the windy nature of evenings or dew factor or while taking high catches with the lights (or sun) in the background)
• Conditions: a fielder also has to adjust to the climate; climate in England is generally cold for sub-continent players and extremely cold in winter, this can put limitations on the fielding abilities, especially catching; or grounds near sea have more windy conditions, therefore high catches have to be carefully taken as the ball may not directly fall in straight line, etc
• Position: fielding position also plays an important role; close-in fielders have much lesser time to react to the batsman’s shot & therefore they have to be alert at all times to judge the catch; distant fielders have to consider the change in ball’s direction after the first bounce and adjust the run accordingly; also at times fielding in a certain position for longer time could result in the fielder developing the relevant skills, but if the same fielder is put in a different position, he needs to make relevant adjustments or else he could fail in his task (a specialist slip fielder like VVS Laxman could commit mistakes when suddenly he is put in a different position)
Any team becomes successful when all the players in above roles do their respective jobs in the best possible manner. A player can move into different roles while the game is in progress. For example, a bowler becomes a fielder when he is not bowling, so he has to play that role to his best. Similarly, when the team bats, the bowler may not be a good batsman, but he is expected to hold up and try to score as many runs as possible. He is not expected to score a century or half-century, but atleast he could play a supporting role to the other batsman by not giving up his own wicket easily. Similarly, a batsman is expected to be a reliable fielder when the team is fielding. He may be a specialist batsman and his primary role maybe to score runs, but when fielding, he is expected to help in restricting the runs or take catches. He may not be a great fielder, but atleast whatever comes his way, he is expected to field it properly. By this one can safely assume that whatever role you have in the team, be it a bowler or batsman, when it comes to fielding you need to have that skill.
Cricket is played in two formats; limited overs cricket (T20 & 50-50) and longer version (5-day Test). The players playing the respective formats have to adjust their respective skills accordingly. What’s more, the two formats are played in different conditions, different type of balls, and different set of rules, different attire and more. Having the basic skills of playing the game, whichever role you are in, can help you adjust to the format. However, smart cricket goes beyond the skills. It involves understanding the rules & restrictions of the said format & using it to our own advantage.
Will elaborate on each role in upcoming blogs. (To be continued…)
Cricket is a game of ball and bat. So typically, it involves a bowler & batsman. That’s what we generally know about cricket. However, there is more than what meets the eye. Cricket can be divided into 3 basic categories:
• Batting: Typically 2 batsmen (1 at each end of the pitch) whose job is to:
o Set a target
o Chase the opposition’s total
• Bowling: Typically group of 4-5 (or sometimes more) players whose job is to:
o Defend the total set up by its team
o Restrict the batting team to a lower total for chasing later on
• Fielding: The most important aspect of any team; this involves all 11 players of the fielding team whose job is to:
o Prevent the ball from reaching the boundary line (or preventing more runs ran by the batsmen)
o Catching the ball when it is hit in the air (within the boundary rope)
o Throwing the ball to the stumps (or the person guarding the stumps) to run-out the batsman
Every player in the playing eleven is usually assigned a particular role depending on his skills. There could be specialist batsmen who may not be able to bowl, but their job is to score as many runs as possible. There could be specialist bowlers who may not be able to bat, but their job is two-fold, restrict the runs, take as many wickets as possible. However, despite having the batting or bowling skills (or lacking them), every player is expected to be a good fielder. He may not be an exceptional fielder (benchmark set by Jonathan “Jonty” Rhodes of South Africa), but the least he can do is to restrict the ball coming in his direction and to be able to throw it at the right end of the pitch. Let us look into further details of each role.
Batting:
Typically, a batsman’s role is the simplest in the team. He has to score as many runs as possible. Things, however, are not as simple as they look. There are few things the batsman has to fight against:
• Bowler: who tries every possible trick to either restrict the flow of runs or to get the batsman out
• Fielders: who try their best to restrict the runs, or to get the batsman out (including the wicketkeeper)
• Umpire: who may commit mistake(s), thereby not allowing run(s) or declaring him out when he is not
• Pitch: at times the pitch is not favorable for batting (or atleast for the batsman’s style of play)
• Conditions: at times the conditions are such that the batsman cannot play his natural game
• Viewers: at times the batsman is not able to concentrate because of the noise created by the viewers
• Batsman at the other end: however silly it may sound, at times you have to change yourself to adapt to the style of the batsman at the other end to stitch a fruitful partnership
• Own skills: at times the batsman is not skilled enough to bat in certain situations (or against above mentioned factors); for example, some batsmen cannot play against the bouncing ball or some batsmen cannot play against the spinners as comfortably as they would against the pacers
• Need of the hour: at times the batsman needs to adjust his batting style to suit the need of the hour, for example, a batsman like Sehwag may need to curb his attacking instincts if wickets are falling at the other end and someone needs to stand and prevent the landslide
Bowling:
Typically, a bowler has two-fold role; restrict runs & take wickets. However, there are few things the bowler has to fight against:
• Batsman: who tries to score off every delivery, or blocks the ball to protect his wicket
• Fielders: when a fielder misfields the ball thereby giving away easy run(s) or drops catches, especially crucial ones
• Umpire: who may commit mistake(s), thereby not declaring the batsman out when he is out
• Pitch: not every bowler is master of any pitch condition, a spinner may not be able to make use of a green pitch or a pacer may not be able to make use of flat pitch
• Conditions: at times the conditions are not favorable for bowling, (especially bowling longer spells in too hot / humid climate or spinner not being able to grip the ball in dew or after the rain)
• Own skills: when the wickets are not falling or the runs flow is not stopping, the bowler has to employ different tactics to effect change in the match; if the bowler does not have enough variation or ability to counter the situation then the match can slip out of hands
• Need of the hour: at times need of hour is to restrict the runs (especially when wickets are not falling but the run chase is moving towards success); or at times the need of hour is to take wickets and not worry about the runs scored (especially defending large totals); the bowler has to adjust and employ his skill accordingly
Fielding:
Basically, a fielder also has a two-fold role; restrict runs and help in taking wickets (by taking catches or effecting run-outs). There are few things a fielder has to fight against:
• Batsman: while fielding, a fielder has to decide which end the ball should be thrown back so that it will help taking wicket by run-out; also he has to decide the situation of the game, like batsman approaching a milestone will be susceptible to misjudging a run or when runs are not coming easily a batsman could take risk to run and therefore higher chances of running him out
• Pitch: this applies especially to close-in fielders; the fielder has to understand the pitch, its bounce or surface so that he can field / catch the ball accordingly
• Format: a red ball (used in tests) swings much more than a white ball (used in limited overs), therefore the slip fielders and wicket keepers have to be extra cautious when playing tests while judging a catch, especially in case of new ball or in windy conditions
• Ground: the fielder has to judge the ground size, the surface and action accordingly while restricting the runs or simply fielding the ball
• Lights: in limited overs cricket when the game progresses under artificial lights, the fielder has to make relevant adjustments, especially against the windy nature of evenings or dew factor or while taking high catches with the lights (or sun) in the background)
• Conditions: a fielder also has to adjust to the climate; climate in England is generally cold for sub-continent players and extremely cold in winter, this can put limitations on the fielding abilities, especially catching; or grounds near sea have more windy conditions, therefore high catches have to be carefully taken as the ball may not directly fall in straight line, etc
• Position: fielding position also plays an important role; close-in fielders have much lesser time to react to the batsman’s shot & therefore they have to be alert at all times to judge the catch; distant fielders have to consider the change in ball’s direction after the first bounce and adjust the run accordingly; also at times fielding in a certain position for longer time could result in the fielder developing the relevant skills, but if the same fielder is put in a different position, he needs to make relevant adjustments or else he could fail in his task (a specialist slip fielder like VVS Laxman could commit mistakes when suddenly he is put in a different position)
Any team becomes successful when all the players in above roles do their respective jobs in the best possible manner. A player can move into different roles while the game is in progress. For example, a bowler becomes a fielder when he is not bowling, so he has to play that role to his best. Similarly, when the team bats, the bowler may not be a good batsman, but he is expected to hold up and try to score as many runs as possible. He is not expected to score a century or half-century, but atleast he could play a supporting role to the other batsman by not giving up his own wicket easily. Similarly, a batsman is expected to be a reliable fielder when the team is fielding. He may be a specialist batsman and his primary role maybe to score runs, but when fielding, he is expected to help in restricting the runs or take catches. He may not be a great fielder, but atleast whatever comes his way, he is expected to field it properly. By this one can safely assume that whatever role you have in the team, be it a bowler or batsman, when it comes to fielding you need to have that skill.
Cricket is played in two formats; limited overs cricket (T20 & 50-50) and longer version (5-day Test). The players playing the respective formats have to adjust their respective skills accordingly. What’s more, the two formats are played in different conditions, different type of balls, and different set of rules, different attire and more. Having the basic skills of playing the game, whichever role you are in, can help you adjust to the format. However, smart cricket goes beyond the skills. It involves understanding the rules & restrictions of the said format & using it to our own advantage.
Will elaborate on each role in upcoming blogs. (To be continued…)
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