These are ten things that a medium pacer can hold in his head before a game.
1. Visualise:
Before the game visualise yourself bowling in a good rhythm. Videos, pictures help.
2. Understand the conditions:
Take a ball or two to understand the conditions - climate, pitch behavior and bowl accordingly.
3. Work up a rhythm first:
Work on getting into a rhythm when you start bowling. Start at perhaps 80% of your fullest and focus on keeping the ball there in the right places.
4. Bowl up:
Pitch it up (does not mean overpitch) so the batsman is caught in an unsure place with his footwork. Needs controlled pitching of the ball in the right areas and not mindless overpitching which can backfire badly.
5. Make the batsman play:
The more you make the batsmen play the more the chances of getting him out. But here, don't bowl so much on the stumps directly which makes batsmen defend solidly as bowling a slightly on and outside the offstump line where the batsman is in two minds - whether to play or not. Make hi play in that uncertain area.
6. Line is mandatory:
Keep the line constant on and outside the off stump. Keep it tight.
7. Stay in control:
Always seek to stay in control - your body, your mind, your rhythm - even if it requires you to cut your pace. I have found that my best performances have come when I was in full control of the run up, action, and knew exactly where I was pitching the ball. Visualise it and implement it.
8. Keep some reserve in the tank:
Save your fullest bursts for periods when you can really go for the kill. Mostly keep some reserve and bowl within yourself, so you have both control and the gas to bowl longer.
9. Work up to peak gradually:
Work up to your peak speed and rhythm gradually.
10. Know exactly where you want to pitch the ball:
You must know exactly where you are pitching the ball. Focus on that spot and keep it there. It requires concentration, control and focus. This will fetch you more wickets than simply coming in and bowling fast or bowling without thinking.
Strategies for helpful and unhelpful wickets:
If the wicket is helpful do not get carried away and bowl short which is totally ineffective but rather, bowl a fuller length that makes the batsman play. When the pitch is doing something the batsmen must be put in unsure frame of mind and the best way is to bowl up and make him play so the ball can do something.
On unhelpful wickets, bowl up. Keep a steady line. Keep it tight. Think the batsman out by understanding his mind, his anxiety. All batsmen are susceptible to the fear of getting out early, to pressure on their mind, to tactics that distract, to lapses in concentration. It is for the team to work on these areas and put more pressure on the batsmen. But the basic idea is to build pressure by good, tight bowling and not wayward stuff.
Keep at it all through. Push for two wickets if you get one. Five if you get three. Seven if you get five. You may not get this opportunity so grab it now.
1. Visualise:
Before the game visualise yourself bowling in a good rhythm. Videos, pictures help.
2. Understand the conditions:
Take a ball or two to understand the conditions - climate, pitch behavior and bowl accordingly.
3. Work up a rhythm first:
Work on getting into a rhythm when you start bowling. Start at perhaps 80% of your fullest and focus on keeping the ball there in the right places.
4. Bowl up:
Pitch it up (does not mean overpitch) so the batsman is caught in an unsure place with his footwork. Needs controlled pitching of the ball in the right areas and not mindless overpitching which can backfire badly.
5. Make the batsman play:
The more you make the batsmen play the more the chances of getting him out. But here, don't bowl so much on the stumps directly which makes batsmen defend solidly as bowling a slightly on and outside the offstump line where the batsman is in two minds - whether to play or not. Make hi play in that uncertain area.
6. Line is mandatory:
Keep the line constant on and outside the off stump. Keep it tight.
7. Stay in control:
Always seek to stay in control - your body, your mind, your rhythm - even if it requires you to cut your pace. I have found that my best performances have come when I was in full control of the run up, action, and knew exactly where I was pitching the ball. Visualise it and implement it.
8. Keep some reserve in the tank:
Save your fullest bursts for periods when you can really go for the kill. Mostly keep some reserve and bowl within yourself, so you have both control and the gas to bowl longer.
9. Work up to peak gradually:
Work up to your peak speed and rhythm gradually.
10. Know exactly where you want to pitch the ball:
You must know exactly where you are pitching the ball. Focus on that spot and keep it there. It requires concentration, control and focus. This will fetch you more wickets than simply coming in and bowling fast or bowling without thinking.
Strategies for helpful and unhelpful wickets:
If the wicket is helpful do not get carried away and bowl short which is totally ineffective but rather, bowl a fuller length that makes the batsman play. When the pitch is doing something the batsmen must be put in unsure frame of mind and the best way is to bowl up and make him play so the ball can do something.
On unhelpful wickets, bowl up. Keep a steady line. Keep it tight. Think the batsman out by understanding his mind, his anxiety. All batsmen are susceptible to the fear of getting out early, to pressure on their mind, to tactics that distract, to lapses in concentration. It is for the team to work on these areas and put more pressure on the batsmen. But the basic idea is to build pressure by good, tight bowling and not wayward stuff.
Keep at it all through. Push for two wickets if you get one. Five if you get three. Seven if you get five. You may not get this opportunity so grab it now.
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