How to do "Quick pick up and throw"

When fielding close to the wicket you need to be on your toes to prevent quick singles being taken by the batsmen.

On occasions you'll have the opportunity to run out the batsmen.

All top fielders practice their pick up and throwing techniques as much as their batting or bowling.

So it's important to get the basics right.

How to do "Over arm throw"

Throwing the ball in quickly and accurately from the outfield is an important skill for every fielder to master.

It is a useful tool in preventing runs and getting batsmen run out.

So it's important to get the basics right.

How to do "Catching"

Catches win matches and the majorities are taken in attacking field positions close to the bat such as the slips or in the gully.

In these areas your reactions will be tested to the maximum.

Like batting or bowling, close catching is a skill you'll develop the more you practice.

How to do "Long Barrier"

One important aspect of a close game is preventing runs with solid fielding.

On a bumpy outfield, or if the ball is traveling at speed it makes sense to get a good barrier in front of the ball.

So it's important to get the basics right.

How to do "Carom Ball"

This delivery confused the batsman and is an exclusive delivery in the history of cricket.

The ball spins surprisingly and can be turned in different ways. The ball can be spun from leg to off, off to leg or straightly. In a word, it’s one of the most deceitful deliveries. Recently it has been popularized by Ravichandran Ashwin of India and Ajantha Mendis of Srilanka.

How to do "Under Cutter"

This delivery drifts away from the right-handed batsman (like the off-spinner) and, on pitching, will either spin back towards the batsman and stumps, or carry on its path towards the off side.

This will depend on whether the ball pitches on the seam or not. If it pitches on the seam, it should ‘bite’ and spin back (not as sharp as an off-spinner though). If it lands on the shiny side of the ball, it will just skid on straight instead of turning.

How to do "Outswing ball"

The outswinger delivered at pace is also one of the most powerful deliveries. It swerves in the air from middle to off, begging for catches for the wicketkeeper or the slips.

How to do "Arm ball/ Floater"

Contrary to popular belief, the arm ball is not a faster ball. It is bowled at the same speed as the standard off-spinner delivery

The arm ball is so named because the delivery goes on straight ‘with the arm’.  In other words the ball does not deviate from the pitch; it just follows the trajectory of the arm.

The idea is that the batsman will play for the turning ball and will get deceived by the ball going straight on (i.e. not turning).

There are two main way to bowl the arm ball

Method 1: DO NOT SPIN THE BALL

This method involves you bowling the ball exactly as you would with your stock ball off-spinner delivery.

Only you deliberately do not turn the ball and just continue straight on with the arm.

Ø Grip

      In this method the ball is bowled with the off-spinner delivery grip.

Ø Release

      With release, the ball is intentionally not spun as hard with the fingers. It helps to hold the ball slightly loose between the fingers.

      Everything about the delivery should be the same as the off-spinner delivery, except do not try and rip the  ball.

      The point here is to fool the batsmen in thinking he is about to play a standard off-spin ball and have the ball go straight on.

      As a result he will play down the wrong line, and you can end up getting an LBW or a small nick.

Ø Palm it

      A tip is to almost try and push the ball with the palm of your hand (top part of your palm, just underneath the fingers) as it is actually difficult to try and not spin the ball.

      Your muscles are so trained to try and spin the ball, that not trying to do that become problematic.

      What works for plenty of flying is that you try and palm the ball. Push it out the front of the hand. Your muscles will still try and turn it a little. But, that is good as the batsman thinks you are still trying to spin it.

      With this version you still want some (but very low) revolutions to try and fool the batsman that it will spin.

Method 2: SWING IT

This method involves the ball held like close to a seam bowler’s grip and imparting some nice swing into the delivery.

Ø Grip

      The ball is held using a grip similar to that of a seam bowler (but without the thumb), and is bowled like a conventional out-swing delivery, (in-swing for SLA).

      In other words, the ball is held like an off-spinner delivery but with the ball rotated to have the seam run straight down the pitch and the shiny side pointing to leg-side.

      This will enable the ball to swing away from the right handed batsman and into the left handed batsman.

      The arm ball position from the front with the thumb on the seam.

      This is not as effective in hiding that you are about the bowl an arm ball. But, give it a try as it does provide more control when bowling.

Ø Hide Delivery

      Hide this delivery by changing the ball in your hand at the last possible moment.

      It is a very easy delivery to pick. But, so what? If you bowl your stock ball the batsman will know exactly what you are up to, yet the stock ball will still take your most wickets.

      It’s a deadly delivery against tail-enders. And swinging into lefties on turning pitches.

      But, we will cover more on this in the tactics for off-spin section.

How to do "Doosra"

It is after long periods of studying the actions of the bowlers who do deliver the doosra that I have grouped the way it can be bowled into two main methods.

There are of course hybrids and variations. And sometimes there is an overlapping of technique between the doosra and the carrom ball. Some flick it while turning the hand – so is that carrom ball or a doosra? Difficult to say. But these two are the main variations as far as I am concerned:

Two main methods

      Out of the side of the hand and angled wrist

      Out of the back of the hand

Method 1: Side of the hand

Here is Saqlain bowling the first method

The grip for the doosra is identical to the standard off-spinner’s grip.

     Ø Grip

      The seam of the ball runs across the fingers and most of the spin imparted on the ball using the index and middle fingers.

      The ball should not be held too tightly and the thumb should be bent back in order to ensure that it is out of the way. 
Ø Release

      At the time of the release, the back of your hand should face towards square leg and your fingers should spin the ball similar to an off-break.

      The changed wrist position causes the ball to behave like a leg-break. This finger spin along with the rotation from the wrist and shoulder imparts the spin to leg-break.

      You can vary the pace for the doosra just like you can with your normal off-spinner.

It’s unnatural

      The bowl like this is very difficult. It is really tough to get your  wrist into that position without bending your arm.

Ø Surprise variation

      This method is best if you want to use the doosra as a surprise variation as the wrist action resembles the standard off-spinner action, and therefore easier to hide from the batsman.

      Therefore, it is effective in deceiving batsmen when they expect the ball to turn the other way. This is the method used by Saqlain Mushtaq.

Method 2: Over the back of the hand

The second method is the more common one, as it is slightly easier to bowl. It is the method used by Ajmal and Murali. Watch the video to see Ajmal bowl one.

A little tip about Ajmal’s doosra is that he he lifts his thumb way off the ball when he bowls the doosra. He has to get it out the way to make space for the ball to go over the wrist.

But, even though you can probably pick it that way the batsmen still seems to struggle!

Ø Grip

      The grip for the doosra is identical to the standard off-spinner’s grip. The seam of the ball runs across the fingers.

      The ball should not be held too tightly and the thumb should be bent back in order to ensure that it is out of the way.

      The seam will obviously come out scrambled this way.

   Just before release, the wrist is rotated so that the back of the hand faces1st slip.

      Thought the previous method was difficult?

      If you struggled with the previous method you might tie yourself in a knot with this one.

      This  is the way Murali and Ajmall does it. And unless you have wrists made of rubber you will struggle.

      Then again, I do not know you, and you just very well be born with wrists made for this method. So, by all means, give it a go.

Ø Stock delivery

      This method is best if you want to use the doosra as your stock delivery as is more obvious and easier to pick.

      It is not as effective as a surprise delivery as the action (at release of the ball) is quite different from the standard off-spin action

Ø Release

      The ball is released out of the back of the hand over the fingers with the fingers pointing to 1st slip just after release. The ball should be released with a whipping action and therefore a flexible wrist is essential. The spin is created by a combination of finger and wrist spin, as opposed to mostly finger spin/wrist angle in Method #1.

Ø Open up a bit

      For all you wannabe doosra bowlers out there, I can suggest that you open up your action slightly for this one.

      That will help you in flexing your wrist the right way to ensure you can get the ball angling to the off-side.

      Dropping your bowling shoulder will also assist you in getting the necessary flexibility to get your doosra going.

How to do "Slider"

The Slider is the reverse of the top-spinner . Instead of bouncing and kicking as the top-spinner does, the back spinner delivery will skid onto the batsman. This delivery is great for trying to trap the batsman LBW.

How to do "Zooter"

Like Flipper, Zooter is also considered as a great weapon for the leg spinner. 
It can easily confuse a batsman all on a sudden. But practice and well-intention is needed to do zooter accurately.

How to do "Flipper"

Like the googly, the flipper is yet another weapon in the leg-spinner's armoury.

Rather than turn away from the bat like a normal leg-spinner or towards the batsman like a googly, the flipper skids on low and fast after pitching.

You could describe it as a back spinner - and like the "wrong'un", it takes plenty of time to perfect.

The ball is "squeezed" between the thumb and fingers in a way so it spins backwards and skids on low and fast with under-spin after hitting the pitch.

How to do "Wrong’un/ Googly"

The leg-spinner's prize weapon - bowled properly, a googly is almost undetectable.

A googly, or "wrong'un", is a delivery which looks like a normal leg-spinner but actually turns towards the batsmen, like an off-break, rather than away from the bat.

Unlike a normal leg-break, a googly is delivered out of the back of the hand, with the wrist 180 degrees to the ground.

How to do "Off spin - Top Spin"

The top spinner is a ball that will carry straight on. But, the top spin will make it 1) bounce higher (as it hits the pitch at a steeper angle) and 2) dip the most of all type deliveries.

How to do "Leg Spin - Top Spin"

If trying to pick the leg-spinner, googly and flipper was difficult enough for a batsman, they've also got the top-spinner to contend with.

Like a topspin shot in tennis, the ball will kick off the pitch with extra bounce, often striking the batsman high on the bat or the gloves.

It is delivered from the side of the hand, halfway between the release of a leg break and a googly.

How to do "Orthodox Leg spin"

It may be one of the most difficult skills to master in cricket, but a good leg spinner will almost certainly get plenty of wickets.

Leg spin involves turning a ball off the pitch from the leg-side of a right-handed batsman, to the off-side.

It is often described as wrist spin because, unlike off spinners, the revolutions of the ball are generated by the wrist rather than the fingers.

How to do "Orthodox off spin"

Off-spin is the most popular method of spin in cricket.

An off-break delivery turns from the off side to the leg side when bowled at a right-handed batsman.

The spin is generated by the first and second fingers of the right hand.

The more revolutions you can put on the ball, the better chance you have of getting more turn when the ball pitches. 

How to do " Inswing - fast ball"

The inswinger delivered at pace is one of the most powerful deliveries. It swerves in the air from off to middle, begging for LBW or bowled.

How to play "Hook shot"

There are a few differences between the pull and hook shot.

Where the pull is played to a ball around waist height, the hook is played to a short delivery between chest and head height.

A word of warning, the hook is the riskiest - and potentially the most dangerous - shot to play in cricket.

It's played to a short pitched delivery around your chest and head and so is the most difficult shot to control.

How to play "Pull shot"

Played at its best, the pull shot is one of cricket's finest sights.

It's an aggressive, cross-batted shot played off the back foot towards the leg side off a short pitched delivery.

It's different to a hook shot because it's played on or around waist high and is easier to control.

Since plenty of fast bowlers like to dish out the short stuff, it's the best way of telling them who's in charge on the pitch.

The pull is played with extended arms in front of the body and usually hit in front of square.

Like most shots in cricket, footwork and anticipation are very important. 

How to play "Square Cut"

If bowlers give most batsmen a short and wide delivery outside off stump, chances are they'll be hit for four square of the wicket.

The square cut allows batsmen to free their arms and hit the ball with a cross bat, enabling them to get plenty of power on the shot.

But be careful, although a square cut can bag you plenty of runs, it can also lead to your downfall if you get too confident.

How to play "Back foot drive"

This is one of the best looking cricket shots you can play.

It enables you to score runs in the area between mid-on and cover to a delivery just short of a length.

As with all other back foot shots, you’ll need good balance and quick feet movement.

But unlike the hook or square cut, the back foot drive relies more on timing and placement rather than power.

How to play "Back Foot Leg glance"

Most international players are very strong when the ball is pitched on or around leg stump.

If you can play this shot well, you'll definitely pick up runs square and behind the wicket on the leg side.

The timing and control of the shot comes from the wrists. A little flick at the moment of impact will close the face of the bat, helping the ball to the boundary.

You'll need good balance when playing the shot, with your head over the ball. It's a great shot to play against opening bowlers because it relies on the ball coming onto the bat.

How to play "Back Foot Defence"

It’s not the most glamorous shot, but it's a hugely important one, especially when facing fast bowling on a bouncy wicket.

If the ball is pitched on the stumps - but short of a good length - it needs to be played safely.

Going forward to a delivery like this is dangerous and you'll also increase the chance of getting out.

Going back on your crease and meeting the ball at the top of its bounce will help you to be in full control of the shot.

Also, try to meet the ball with soft hands.

This means relaxing your hands on the bat handle, which helps to take the pace off the ball and reduces the chances of getting caught near the wicket.

How to play "Shovel Shot"

One-day cricket is constantly evolving with teams looking for new ways to pick up that extra boundary or take that extra wicket.

Brendon McCullum of New Zealand and Pakistan's Rashid Latif are among the exponents of a new innovation - the scoop sweep, or shovel shot. 

How to play "Leg Glance"

The front foot glance is more a deflection rather than a stroke because it relies on pace already on the ball.

The placement comes from a flick  of the wrists at the moment of impact, so the bat face is angled rather than straight.

How to play "Sweep Shot"

The sweep has become the favoured shot against spinners.

It is a cross-batted shot played to a delivery on or around leg stump behind square on the leg side.

There's an element of risk when you play the shot, so read on to make sure you don't give your wicket away needlessly.

How to play "Cover Drive"

'One of the most elegant shots in the game, but one you don't see that often in Test cricket because fast bowlers don't pitch full enough that often.' 

How to Play "Straight drive"

The straight drive is one of the most classical shots in a batsman's repertoire (‡Kv‡bv `j).

It is usually played to a full length delivery on or outside off stump.

Most of the work is done by the top hand, with the bottom hand lending support, to keep the ball along the ground.

How to play "Forward Defence"

A straight ball on a good length has to be treated with respect.

The principle of a forward defensive stroke is to block the ball rather than to score runs.

Every batsman needs a solid defense to build big scores.

Choosing the Appropriate Shots

● Choosing the shots

The batsman's job is to score as many runs as possible.

But to build an innings, a batsman needs sound judgement to work out which deliveries to defend, leave or score off.

Even top class batsmen give their wicket away because of poor shot selection, so it's not an easy science.

The batsman has approximately 12 shots to choose from either side of the wicket.

So stroke selection depends on the line, length and speed of a delivery.

There are three main lines:

How to do 'Lifting'

Most batsmen will raise their bat as the bowler approaches.

Taking the bat back and stepping to the ball sets the batsman up for playing the correct shot properly. 

Top ten Bating Tips

1. Watch the ball: - Watch the ball the whole way from the hand of the bowler to wherever it ends up in the field. 

2. Keep your top hand in control: - To practice this simple take the bottom hand off the bat and player a variety of shots to a ball in a stocking hanging off a fixed structure (such as a tree or clothesline).  Make sure you try all shots, including the pull and the cut shots.

3. Play your own game: - if you score runs quickly that you still need to play your shots and if you traditionally score runs by nudging the ball around for an hour – do so. Someone who is a nudger of the ball and is coming out needing over 8 runs an over needs to adapt – but instead of slogging  the bowler you make a huge effort to ensure you score at least one off each delivery by pushing the singles. Knowing your role and your strengths and weaknesses is a strong key to becoming the best cricketer you can be.

How to Grip the Bat

● Grip

The grip principles are the same for right and left-handers.

Eight Bating keypoints

1. First thought is to score: Keep up positive mind and intend to score every ball (risk free).
2. Leave well with intent/Purpose: Try to score off as many balls as you can. If bowler hits a good line and length outside off stump, you can leave it with good footwork, watching it go through. By doing it you can learn the pace and bounce and how far it swinging.
3. Pounce (jy‡d †bqv, MÖnb Kiv) of Width, leg side and Half Volleys: When bowlers offer you a free scoring opportunity, you should “CASH IN”. It only can be achieved being positive and decisive (my¯úó, wbðvqK, PyovšÍ) with your footwork.

How to Take Stance

 ● Stance

The stance is the "ready" position when the batsman is about to face a delivery.

It is the base to play all your shots, so remember to be comfortable and relaxed.

Secrets of Being a Dangerous Spin Bowler

Do you want to be a dangerous spin bowler?

What do you need to be a great spin bowler?

What are the skills you have to follow?

You can be a good spin bowler. But if you want to be a very dangerous one, you must have to follow some rules. You can practice and make yourself efficient enough. Let’s describe about how you can be a great spin bowler or what the secrets are.