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March 30, 2008
Posted by Conrad Chandler at
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As a bowler, you are there to take as many wickets for as few runs as possible. Simple stuff indeed, but what do you do when the wicket is as a flat as a pancake and the batsman is going at it like Gordon Greenidge at Lord’s in 1984?
It might not be the best idea to do an Andre Nel and snarl and grunt at the batsman; however it might tempt the batsman into losing his concentration. Do you continue your line and length and bore the batsman out? Well, that’s not going to work on a flat track, is it, as the batsman will know exactly where the next ball will be bowled. Could you be thinking of a slower ball perhaps? That indeed might be a good option as your Jonty Rhodes-type fielder might take up a sharp catch in the covers from a mistimed drive.
However, the best option is a combination of the above. By bowling line and length, you are creating a comfort zone for the batsman as he is eating into your line and length on the flat track. The batsman is fast creating blinkers to himself, and perhaps becoming too comfortable with your bowling. Now this is when you can strike with a very different type of ball … either a slower ball, yorker, or probably the best - the bouncer. Essentially, you should think of lulling the batsman into a false sense of security by bowling line and length, and then putting in a change-ball ... meaning a ball that is different in either pace of length.
The bouncer is probably the best option after the batsman has been, most likely, driving your line and length. His weight will be surging forward on each ball, and a short ball [aim for just around the heart to chin area] should do the trick and induce an error from our run-hungry friend. This is because the short ball should be played with the weight on the back foot, and things go haywire when it's played on the front foot. Hopefully that top edge will fly straight up in the air and down into the gloves of your keeper.
The key to all bowling is to have a plan. Don't just run in and bowl. Where will you bowl? What line, what length? Are you looking to swing or seam the ball, and if so, which way? Yes, it sounds complicated and that is why sticking to line and length keeps things simple ... and can help you trick the batsman. So get working on that change-ball!
March 18, 2008
Posted by Conrad Chandler at
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There weren't any looseners on offer when Dennis Lillee was bowling
© Getty Images
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Test cricket is the pinnacle of all cricket, and everytime the fortunate talented few set onto that field they know the world and all is watching them. They have a duty to perform for their country and for the sport as a whole. We are shown majestic and tantalising tricks and moments, and also stuff that belongs to the village green.
That is why we need to learn everything from them … Dennis Lillee used to say he wanted his first ball to be as fast as his last and boy was that guy prepared to win the second he stepped onto the field. Old D.K. never bowled any looseners. He knew it was Test cricket and the highest standard known to all, and everytime he had a point to prove. Every ball he was gunning for a wicket and he was not there as practice for the batsman. He had done his limbering-up well before stepping on to the pitch.
The key word is preparation, and whether you are playing your 1st Test or your 92nd… that first ball that you send down should be as fast and as energetic as the last ball you send down. That first ball should make the batsman play and put him under pressure from ball one. That first ball should set the tone that you as the bowler mean business - be it Test cricket or village cricket, you are there to get that batsman out. So use every single ball and don’t waste any when loosening up.
The best example of the wrong example is ‘that ball’ from Steve Harmison that went straight to his mate at second slip, Andrew Flintoff. The direction used was evidently not up to scratch and poor Harmison struggled to find his radar until late in the 2005 Ashes … by which point it was well over. Direction is not the only skill a fast bowler needs, pace being just as key too. England recently dropped Matthew Hoggard on their tour in New Zealand after the first Test as he was simply down on pace and therefore down on preparation. Some viewed it as a bit tough for the England veteran, but it certainly wasn’t tough for the New Zealand openers facing him as they proceeded to paste him and seal the match.
There are therefore lessons to be learned from our idols. Yes they will show how to do it, but they will also show you how not to do it. So before you get onto the field, make sure you are warmed up and ready to go from ball one. After all, this is not practice or a tea-party … this is cricket and you win, lose or draw on preparation. You aren’t playing for yourself, but for your team-mates too. So don’t be selfish, be ready to turn the pressure on and up!
March 3, 2008
Posted by Conrad Chandler at
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The non-bowling arm helps keep balance and generate pace
© ECB
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| So if you’re a right-handed bowler, you are evidently going to be using your right arm to release and propel the ball… pretty obvious there. However, let’s not forget about your non-bowling arm. This arm is almost as vital as your bowling-arm and should not be forgotten about.
Every bowler, whether you are the slowest of spinners or the quickest of launchers, will use the opposite arm (the non-bowling arm) through delivery. The non-bowling arm is used in the capacity of helping you rock-backwards/forwards and helping to pull you through the crease. I admit that sounds like Latin, but the point being that the non-bowling arm helps keep balance and generate pace.
On the image by this article, you’ll observe that the arm holding the ball will start around the chest/belly area when at the start of delivery, however the non-bowling arm will lift up in front of the body (between your head and the target) and move down in a ‘chopping motion’. This will help rotate your bowling-arm and bring momentum to your delivery and, in turn, increase both stability and pace.
Yes this is a pretty dull point to make, and it’s not very rock and roll: we aren’t talking about knocking stumps out and generating reverse-swing… but we are working on the basics of getting a consistent and easily-repeatable action so that you can become a Shoaib Akhtar or a Shaun Pollock.
There are varieties of using your non-bowling arm to generate pace: meaning, you can either concentrate on getting your non-bowling arm nice and high so that you have maximum strength in your ‘chopping motion’; or you can, almost, point your non-bowling arm at the target and pull it back towards you (like you were rowing). However, the ‘pulling motion’ can make things a little complicated and has been used mainly by bowlers trying to avoid stress of the back (notably England’s Darren Gough, who in later years wanted to extend his career).
Try and stick to the chopping motion and keep it simple, but above all, make sure you are comfortable with your action and, finally, keep practicing.
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