Cricket Pitch

Swing Bowling Tips For Wicket Taking Success

2008-12-11T18:33:00.002+08:00

By Ian Canaway

A bowler who has the ability to bowl swing is an important asset in any cricket team as swing bowling is a great way to baffle a batman, add pressure and take wickets. The swing bowler has the ability to move the ball in the air either away from the batsman or in towards the batsmen. The swing is created by holding the cricket ball in a specific way so that when it is released from the hand the varying levels of air resistance combined with the position the seam is directed causes the ball to swing in the air.

The swing is accentuated by polishing and shining one side of the ball so that is smooth relative to the other side, which should get roughened up through the natural course of play. Select a side to shine at the start of the match and ensure all the bowlers and fielders know which side to polish. You can polish it by rubbing sweat into it and then rubbing it on your cricket trousers.

There are three generally recognised swing delivery types, in swing, out swing and reverse swing.

The out swing delivery is a ball which when bowled by a right handed bowler to a right handed batsman swings from the leg side towards the off side. The aim of the out swinger is to encourage the batsman into playing a drive and ideally the swing will increase the chance of getting an edge and getting the batsmen out caught behind, so make sure you've got some good catchers behind the stumps. You want to pitch the ball quite full, aiming at or just outside off stump so that the batsman is forced to play at the ball.

The grip for the out swing delivery is quite simple and provided the seam is up right at the point of release it should swing. You need to hold the ball as normal for a medium paced delivery with the seam vertical, however for the out swinger the seam needs to be vertical and pointing towards first or second slip at about a 15° angle, so that your fingers will be running slight across the seam. The shiny side should face the leg side of the batsmen, thus the rough side faces the off side and the direction of swing. The increased air resistance on the rough side and seam position will cause it to swing through the air towards the offside. The run up should be slightly angled and bowled from close to the stumps.

The in swing delivery is basically the reverse of the away swing in that when bowled from a right handed bowler it swings in towards a right handed batsmen from the off side towards the leg side. Have a straighter run up and deliver the ball slightly wider on the crease. In contrast to the away swing bowler, the in swing bowler aims to get the batsmen out LBW or bowled by pitching it up. Aim to bowl it so that it swings from outside off stump and pitches in line with middle and off stumps, be careful though because if you start it too straight it will swing down leg side and be easy for the batsman to hit away.

Tip - If you find yourself swinging the ball uncontrollably, hold the ball across the seam so that the seam runs horizontally, this will help negate and reduce the amount of swing.

You need to make sure that your bowlers and fielders are aware of which side of the ball in polished and that is constantly shined between deliveries. Most bowlers will shine the ball themselves but it is always useful to nominate one or two fielders to shine the ball as well while the bowler is walking back to his mark.

Changing weather conditions have an often noticeable affect on the amount that the cricket ball will swing. Dry hot sunny days don't favour swing bowling, whereas overcast, cloudy conditions are found to be most influential at generating more swing. So take this into consideration when deciding who to bowl if you are captain.

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Can India Pull it Off?

2008-11-05T21:35:00.002+08:00

The series is finely poised and the momentum is certainly with Australia. Will Australia be able to carry this momentum to the last and final test at Nagpur and be able to hold on to the Gavaskar-Border Trophy? India definitely have suffered a setback with Gambhir not available for the final test due to his reckless behavior at Delhi. I definitely feel that the decision to ban him for one test is justified but what confuses me is why Watson was let off so easily.

India certainly have had very good starts thanks to the Gambhir - Sehwag partnership. With Gambhir not available for the final test, it will be interesting to see who Dhoni will be using as Sehwag's partner. My bet is on Rahul Dravid. Even though Dravid is going through a lean patch it will be a great chance to show why he is considered one of the greatest batsman who have played test cricket for India.

It definitely looks like the Australian batsmen have finally hit form and come to terms with the Indian bowling attack. Although it is yet to be seen if they will be able to handle Harbhajan Singh who did not play in Delhi. With less than 24 hours to go for the last match of this wonderful series to start, I am tempted to say that India will walk away with the Gavaskar-Border Trophy!

Indians Manage a Draw at Bangalore

2008-10-14T10:27:00.003+08:00

The much anticipated first test between Australia and India has ended in a draw. It was a very good contest between bat and ball. The pitch was certainly a big factor in this match and the team batting first definitely had the advantage. I am pretty sure that the result would have been different if India had batted first on this wicket. The Aussies certainly did not have the spin ammunition in their team that could trouble the Indians.

But the thing that worried me the most was the failure of the top and middle order Indian batsmen in the first innings. I am sure they could take a cue from Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan and perform better in the following tests. Dravid should be out of the team as he is no longer the force in Test Cricket like before. Tendulkar is still hanging on to his legacy and it pains me to see him struggle so much in Test Cricket while performing consistently in One Day Cricket. Is his concentration on the wane? All said and done, it was heartening to see the Indians play well on the final day of the test when the pitch was crumbling apart.

Ishant and Zaheer bowled really well in this Test and they have been quite consistent in the past few matches. Ishant looks like he has got a bit fitter and stronger and is able to work up a good pace to trouble the likes of Ponting and Co who are used to facing Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson at the nets. Hayden cut a sorry figure and was not his usual "boom boom" self. It definitely looks like Australia is missing the services of Andrew Symonds who could have been quite a handful with the ball as well - especially in the last day.

All said and done, the first Test has lived up to the expectations that fans have for an India VS Australia duel. Let's hope that Kumble and Ponting play more attacking cricket in the next Test. It would be nice to see a result at Mohali.

How Will the Aussies Fare in India?

2008-10-03T18:21:00.003+08:00

Yes, finally the Aussies are in India! Now to watch the fun. The Indians did pretty well when they were in Australia earlier this year. But it could be argued that it was because the gladiators of Australian cricket (read Shane Warne) were missing in action. Recently the Indians have done very well against pace bowling but seem to be struggling just a bit against quality spin. What an irony but it could be due to the fact that there are no more quality spinners in the Indian team - I never considered Kumble to be a quality spin bowler.

Now the heat is on the Aussies. They have always struggled against spin. Now that they are playing against India and most likely on dustbowls, they should struggle even more. Just look at the game that is on going against the Board President's XI. They have not even been able to pick Piyush Chawla who isn't exactly the best spin bowler in India.

My bet is on the Indian team. They should win this series although it would be a closely fought one. Scoreline 2-1 (with one draw). Any other opinions?

How to play the cover drive - by Michael Vaughan

2008-09-08T22:45:00.005+08:00

The cover drive in cricket is probably the most elegant stroke if played well. It is a front foot shot and the batsman has to watch the ball and have perfect balance. The stride must just be right and the head has to be at the right position to control the length. The front leg has to be stretched just enough to get to the pitch of the ball. Watch one of the masters of this lovely stroke playing the cover drive. This is a stroke we could all learn and master.

This is definitely one of the most elegant but difficult shots to master. If the stroke is not played right, it could end up high in the air and the batsman can be caught out. Make sure that you have enough control and watch the ball. Have fun playing this stroke.

Is Ganguly's time up?

2008-09-08T22:03:00.004+08:00

There has been a lot of talk recently about phasing out the veterans of Indian cricket - or shall we say the "fab four". Except Tendulkar and Ganguly, the other two have not been able to feature in the ODI team. But after the recent success in Sri Lanka with a young and energetic team, it looks like Ganguly might not be a regular as well. Now, the Indian selectors seem to indicate that he might not make the cut for the test team as well.

Saurav Ganguly has been left out of the Rest of India squad for the Irani trophy. This could definitely be seen as a sign from the selectors that they are slowly phasing out the aging middle order veterans. Mohammad Kaif makes a return in Ganguly's place. Ganguly has not been in the best of form lately and he has been sloppy in his fielding as well. Kaif has not been the most consistent performer and has been in and out of the team. This might be a good chance to prove himself. After all, he is a great fielder and it would be a definite advantage to have him in the team.

Source: Cricinfo

Fast bowling tips

2008-09-08T19:12:00.003+08:00

How many of you have wanted to bowl fast with pace and accuracy? Nothing beats the excitement of bowling fast and intimidating any sort of batsman. The key to fast bowling is the run-up and follow-through. Enough said by me. Watch the video for some essential tips.

How were the tips? Try it out in your next game!

5 tips to read a cricket pitch

2008-09-08T17:10:00.001+08:00

One of the most important aspects to a cricket game is to read the cricket pitch that you are about to play on. Reading a cricket pitch is a fine art. If you don’t read the cricket pitch well, you as a captain will not have a good game plan to win the match. According to pitchvision there are a few questions that you can ask to read the pitch.

How wet is the pitch? The wetter the pitch, the slower it will play. Also, if it is drying out the ball will turn considerably, but will get easier the drier it gets.

How much grass is on the pitch? A green top pitch with a lot of grass will have a lot of seam movement, especially if the pitch is hard. It will be hard for spinners to turn the ball. Pitches with no grass tend to help spinners, especially if dry and dusty (although they tend to be easier to bat on first before they have deteriorated). Generally like the ones found in India.

How hard is the pitch? Hard pitches will have a higher bounce and the ball will come onto the bat a lot more quickly. Pitches like this are hard to prepare in the UK so they will rarely be seen. They tend to give an equal chance to bowlers and batsmen. It will feel firm to the touch

When is the pitch most likely to help my bowlers? Conditions change throughout a day. Green pitches tend to get easier to bat on. Wickets can get more dry or wet (if it rains). They can start to break up if they are soft (which will help the bowlers). If it is going to get easier to bat, bowl first. If it is going to get harder, bat first.

What roller will be needed between innings? If you have the option of a roller between innings you should usually take as heavy a roller as possible (the laws state you are allowed 7 minutes if you are batting 2nd). The exceptions are dusty wickets that can break up under rolling.

What are your experiences in reading a pitch - would you like to share?

Origins of Cricket

2008-09-08T17:06:00.001+08:00

Do you know how the wonderful game of cricket originated? You might know that the game originated in England and then made its way to other commonwealth countries during England’s occupation. The game of cricket has been known to be played from the 16th century. It has also been known that the first internationals were actually played somewhere around 1844 with the official history of international Test Cricket being played in 1877.

No one knows exactly when and where cricket originated. But it is thought that the game was created during the Saxon or Norman times by the children living in the Weald - in the south-east of England. It is also believed that cricket was mainly a children’s game for much of the initial period before adults actually started to play the game. That probably happened around the 17th century. It is quite different from many other sports we know which were first picked up by adults and then by children. Perhaps the initial form of the cricket game wasn’t complicated as well. Probably as simple as putting bat to ball and hitting it as far you can.

But then how did the name “cricket” originate? It has been thought that the name was derived from a Dutch word “krick(-e)” which literally meant “stick”. There are many other theories surrounding the origin of the word cricket but most of them point to Dutch origins. Before long, the game spread to all of England and by 1751 cricket was widely played across the country. We know the rest of the story! Do you have anything to share regarding the origins of cricket?

Source: Wikipedia

About

2008-09-08T17:05:00.001+08:00

Welcome to Cricket Pitch. This blog has been created keeping in mind the millions of cricket fans out there who are hungry for the latest news as well as any information that’s relevant to cricket. This could be news about your favorite teams, latest cricket games on game consoles, reviews about cricket gear and latest scores of cricket games around the world. We will also be offering tips for budding cricketers on batting, bowling and fielding to help improve your game. We at Cricket Pitch definitely think that this is going to be one heck of a fun journey and we invite you to join us. Be generous with your comments as we constantly try to improve the content here. So come join us and help us make this a great blog for all of us!