Batting Tip No.1.

Of all the tips, this is the most important and most ignored when a batter is out of form! The object of your attention is the ball, watch the cricket ball as if you have put a laser beam on it ... don't look for the ball ... watch it and remind yourself to watch it. As the bowler enters the crease put your laser beam focus on the ball in the bowlers hand, from there you will track it all the way. Batting Tip No.2. Set your head slightly forward in your stance and set your Positive Intent to score. Head forward and still. Batting is about Intent, the goal is to score runs off each ball. The only decision you have is to not score. You want your energy going to the ball. Cricket Batting Tip No.3. Look at space, not at the fielders. Look at space on the field and become aware of areas that you can score runs in. Batting Tip No.4. The journey to a hundred runs is taken one ball at a time. Set small goals. Manage your innings. Be fully present with each ball. Batting Tip No.5. Know how to get off-strike Know where your singles and rotation areas are so that you can get off strike easily and effectively. Practice this in the nets, over and over. Batting Tip No.6. Play to your strengths

If you are a ... Front foot player... play to it Back foot player ... play to it. Batting Tip No.7. Loss of form If you have a dip in form, stay calm, go back to basics. Write down your game plan, remind yourself of your strategy and the structure of your innings. In practice, get someone to throw to your favourite shot so that you can get the feel of playing your number one stroke. Practice hitting it till you are executing it really well. Then work through your next favourite, and your next favourite. Get positive chemistry and emotions flowing back into your game. Batting Tip No.8. KISS Keep It Simple Sid ! Remember that the goal is to score runs, the goal is not to get caught up in analyzing your batting technique. Go through your checkpoints in practice to make sure your set up in the crease is good and then get busy with the job of scoring runs. Batting Tip No.9. Small errors can creep into your game from poor body position in the crease. Check your Set Up: Grip, Stance and Batswing Check to make sure you are sideways on, you are balanced and that your head is forward. Check your grip and that you can swing easy through the line of the ball. Practice your bat swing, visualize your favourite shots, practice shadow batting with a smooth easy swing.

Batting Tip No.10. Manage your energy at the crease, have a 'relax - refocus' routine so that you conserve your mental energy for batting. The subconscious mind wants a routine to rest on. Step back between balls, breathe easy into your belly, let your focus go soft, clear your mind ... then come back, mark your guard and reset your focus and intent for the next ball. Batting is as much about managing the space between balls as it is about facing the next ball, practice quietening your mind - rest on your routine at the crease.

Wrist Spin Bowling

CRICKET: BOWLING

From the beginnig of cricket, bowling has since being the most skillful and difficult of cricket skills to acquire. It is a technique by which a person (bowler) runs up to the wickets and throws the ball to the batsman, with a full arm, trying to hit the wicket to get the batsman out. There are many types of bowlers, from fast to slow, spin to swing. Spinners are slow bowlers who manage to get the ball to change direction when hitting the ground. Swingers are those bowlers who manage to get the ball to move away or towards a batsman. Good bowlers can be terribly confusing because of the way they have perfected their bowling.

The Leg Spinner

The grip is two fingers up and two down, with the split between the second and third fingers, which are spread across the seam. The thumb rests on the ball and does not do anything. Shane says his grip is a little unusual because his first two fingers are closer than most leg-spinners. The delivery - The spin on the ball is roughly 30 degrees so that the ball both spins sideways and dips with the overspin. Closest variation is the top-spinner, where the seam points to the wicketkeeper and the ball over-spins straight down the pitch.

Wrist Spin Bowling

The Flipper
The grip - The fingers are brought further forward on the ball and the thumb plays a part. Shane says his grip is not too tight as this can stop the ball fizzing out of his hand. The delivery - The trick is to not bowl it too fast. When he stays relaxed and squeezes the ball out through fingers and thumb (an instant after the centre picture), the underspin makes the ball slice through the air more quickly.

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Wrist Spin Bowling

The Wrong 'Un
The grip - Same as the leg-spinner. The delivery - The front shoulder has to drop a little to allow the wrist to come right over the top and the ball to come out with the opposite spin on it - off-spin rather than leg-spin. At the last moment you have to flick the ball out of the off-spin way with your fingers.

Wrist Spin Bowling

The Zooter
The grip - The ball is held much further back in the palm of the hand, which holds the ball back as you let it go. The delivery - The ball is pushed out the front of the hand, from the palm, and either floats or skids through the air, maybe swinging in a little. The seam is straight up and down and the zooter does not spin. And a couple of illustrations of: