Cricket coaching, fitness and tips - Field Settings

Bowling Tactics: How to "Bowl Dry"

David Hinchliffe — Tue, 13 Feb 2018 05:44:00 +0000

Frustration: An underrated way to get wickets, and enormously effective at any level. In recent years, this has been called “squeezing” or “bowling dry”.

How do you bowl dry this way?

The key is simplicity. You bowl outside off stump and set a strong off side field. This prevents batsmen from scoring, increases frustration and forces an error.

But as with all simple plans, it’s difficult to put into action. Here’s how to avoid the problems and make the plan a success.

When to use dry bowling

In all forms of cricket, one of the best tactics is to bowl at the top of off stump and hope for some lateral movement off the pitch or in the air. It’s time tested. It works.

Bowling dry is a flexible alternative.

It might be that you are up against strong batting who are playing your “top of off” plan well. You want to change it up.

A few years back, England used it in Test cricket in Australia more actively. They knew the ball would do little after the initial shine went off. The plan was to change line as soon as the ball stopped swinging, regardless of what the score looked like.

This approach is similarly useful in the middle overs of limited over games. The batsman are more aggressive than Test cricket but are forced to only use half the outfield to score.

In fact, it can also be used to slow down the start of a limited over innings or at the death, to manage where the ball is going.

How to bowl dry

There are two aspects to the tactic: areas to hit, and field placings.

The line and length has to be good because straying is costly. Straight balls have little defence and can be hit into large gaps. So, for seamers, aim the ball:

pitching 5–7m from the stumps (good length for most)
passing the stumps outside the line off off stump (between OO1 and OO3)

Your margin of error is bigger on length, as you can over or under pitch and get away with the ball struck hard into a well defended off side. However, if you stray your line onto the stumps you open up the undefended on side. Despite this, it’s no more difficult to bowl dry than to hit the top of off; it requires precision either way.

The field is all about packing the off side.

Most balls will be hit into the off side, so you need to defend it strongly. Clearly the game situation will define exact placings, but the general rule is six or seven on the “posh side”.

Here’s a sample field for a seamer in the middle overs of a 50 over game:

In this case, three boundary runners back up a ring field in the covers. Three leg side fielders offer some protection for errors. Equally, if you are attacking you can have three slips and a gully with no one on the rope. The options are varied but the first principle is to defend the off side.

Some argue seven is better on the off side. I think this encourages bowling too wide and leave almost no margin for error. It changes the tactic from a squeeze to pure negativity. So, be cautious. If you have a bowler capable of it and you are searching for a way to change tactics it may work, but only as a last resort.

How will you know it’s worth pursuing?

The ultimate test of the tactic is wickets. If they are falling you are winning. That said, if the ball being struck well into the off side for little value, you can also see the batsman get frustrated. That’s a more subtle sign you should keep at it.

Eventually you see the batman trying to work the ball into the leg side. They may even succeed with some unusual shots. However, you are forcing this and eventually a mistake will come. Stay patient and stick with it as long as it’s feeling right.

Summary

Bowling dry is a viable tactic at club and school level.
It requires similar skill levels to other tactics.
It works by patience and perseverance, bowling to a packed off side field and drying up run scoring.

Kohli's Wonderful Field Settings

Millfield — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 07:13:53 +0000

I watched some Test cricket in Mumbai this week, it was enthralling viewing. All 28 minutes of it!

I decided to keep the faith with England’s middle to lower order (Jos Buttler was batting after all) and take the three touring Millfield cricket squads to watch the final days play.

Michael Vaughan had warned me the night before that it could be over quickly. He thought that England would take a very aggressive route to try and bash themselves ahead of India and then have a dart at the top order.

But the English batters had all the life squeezed out of them by both good spin bowling and wonderful field settings.

As we watched the game from our elevated perch in the North Stand of the Wankhede Stadium, the boys and girls started to talk about the different field settings that they were seeing in front of them. They commented that in English conditions, you either attacked with your field or defended with your field and never the two should mix.

It’s a very standard, traditional and very English way of going about setting a field.

The contrast being played out in front of these young cricketers was that Virat Kohli deployed his fielders in either an attacking fashion (slip, leg slip, short leg, bat pad offside) or they would be posted out on the boundary.

The dismissals of Chris Woakes was a classic example of how a clever field can build pressure and can make a batsman play a high risk or inappropriate shot.

Let’s break that down and look into the dismissal in more detail.

Chris Woakes: Bowled through the gate attempting to drive the ball against the spin.

The field: slip, leg slip, short leg, mid off, mid on, deep square, deep mid on, cover point, man on the drive leg side.

Gaps are as important as fielders: The massive gap between mid off and cover point was a an attraction to Chris Woakes. You could see that he was looking to hit that gap against the spin as he was eyeing it up from the moment he faced Ashwin. Kohli uses his gaps so cleverly.

Kohli didn’t employ a man on the drive for the England batters throughout most of the innings but did for Woakes in the 2nd innings. He set the “tempting” gap at cover to lure Woakes in and also deployed a leg side drive man for the miscued cover drive that hits the inside half of the bat and spoons into the leg side.

Whilst Ashwin got Woakes with the ultimate off spinners dismissal (through the gate), he also had the the contingency of the catcher as well.

It was great for the children to see the tactics unfold and how the combination of an in/out field and strategic gaps can build pressure and effect dismissals.

The challenge now is to use these tactics in the next 10 days of our tour and then to adapt them to English conditions when we get back to cold and damp England.

How can you learn from Kohli and Ashwin approach to field setting?

Can you adapt these tactics into your cricketing conditions?

Give it a go!

How to Captain: Placing the Fielders

David Hinchliffe — Wed, 16 Sep 2015 09:31:00 +0000

This is part three of a series on how to captain in the field. To go to part one click here. To go back to the introduction click here.

Along with bowling changes, field placing is the other obvious part of captaincy in the field.

The simple way to look at it is to put the fielders where you think the ball is most likely to go (not always just where it has gone).

How do you do that without resorting to the stock fields that everyone uses?

Before we get into that, a word about orthodox fields: They are orthodox because they have been proven to work over the test of time. Slips remain in place because batsmen through the ages continue to edge the ball wide of the wicketkeeper. Mid on and mid off exist because even the most extreme Twenty20 specialists play shots with a straight bat sometimes.

That said it's important not to mindlessly follow what you consider the norm. Just because every captain in your club starts the game with a couple of slips, a gulley and a saving one field it does not mean you should.

For the basic theory of field placing take a look at my article here.

Once you have that in your mind, let's go back to the basic aim of field placing: Putting your players where you think the ball will go.

Where is the ball likely to go?

This starts with the batter. Each player is different. Variations in grip, stance, backswing and technique lead to the ball going in different places. It even happens at international level where sides employ full time analysts to pour over every glitch in a player's technique.

It's unlikely you will have an analyst to turn to, but you can still work players out from the moment you first see them. Here are some examples of tactics that have worked for me:

Tempting an aggressive batsmen to hit a spinner over the top by keep mid on and mid off up.
Two gulley fielders, a square point and a square third man to a player who plays shots with an open face
A shorter mid off or midwicket for players who play too square for the leading edge
Short extra cover and midwicket instead of slips on slow pitches where edges are not carrying. This puts extra pressure on the batsman too, especially if the keeper is standing up.
A deeper gulley in Twenty20 cricket for the off side 'slash', almost saving one.
A very straight mid on and mid off, and a straight deep mid off for the straight driver.

I'm sure you can come up with a few you have seen yourself. Each individual tactic has one of two methods: To cut off a scoring shot or be there when a mistake is made.

These two aims often work in harmony.

A batsman who has had their favourite couple of shots shut off from them will have to play shots they are not as comfortable with and make a mistake. This combination will lead to wickets.

This is where sometimes defence can be a form of attack. The modern term in limited over cricket is 'putting the squeeze on'. Where a fielding side aim to block off every run with tight fielding in the ring and few gaps where players can pick up one's and two's. Climbing run rates almost always lead to errors

As captain your aim should be to work out how to do this quickly.

You may already know a batsman's technique and can change the field right away, or they may be new to you and you might spend a few overs chasing the ball a little bit until you work them out.

If you are trying to take wickets, it's better to attack a little too much with your field than play too safe. This is not just for the sake of taking wickets, if you trust your bowlers by setting more attacking fields you are building their confidence.

For example, one commonly underused position is short leg. It's rare to see one and when you do they come out quickly (certainly in England). A good short leg can do more than take catches though. It puts the batsman under pressure and creates doubt, which can also lead to mistakes.

Beware of fielders who we call 'Wycombes': players who wander away from where you put them (in homage to the Wycombe Wanderers football club). Young players and those who daydream are notorious for this, so always do a quick check of every player before every ball.

Also beware of bowlers hang ups. For example, some will not feel right without a mid off, even if you want another slip (or third man). They may end up subconsciously bowling shorter to prevent the drive, which would defeat the object anyway. Bear these things in mind if a bowler expresses a concern about a field placing.

That said it's important not to set a field to bad bowling. Don't put a man out at deep square leg just because your star seam bowler has a series of rank long hops. Change the bowling instead.

Understanding angles

After understanding where the batsman wants to hit the ball, you also need to know about the angles the bowler uses and how that effects where the ball might end up.

Your field placing should reflect where the ball is more likely to go based on the angles in play:

Right arm in swing and off spin move the ball into the body of the right hander so the ball can be hit on the leg side more easily (and vice versa for left arm to left hand).
Out swing, leg breaks and left arm spin all move away from the right hander. This means the ball is more likely to be hit on the off side (and vice versa for off spin to left handers).
With a right arm bowler over the wicket slanting the ball across a left handed batsman, the hit will be more likely to go square off the face of the bat.
With left arm bowlers over the wicket to right hand batsman, the hit will also be likely to go square. Good left arm seam bowlers (and left arm spinners with good arm balls) can also swing the ball back into the right hander to make the hit go straighter.
Leg spinners variations need to be taken into account. Good leg spinners may have a googly (that turns in to the right hander) or several other variations. Each one changes the angle the ball might be hit.
Line is also a factor. A left armer bowling a defensive leg stump line will be very difficult to hit on the off side. A bowler aiming at a second or third off stump will not get much hit square or behind square on the leg side.

The basic rule is that the shot usually follows the angle of the ball and your field should reflect that.

In all honesty, an orthodox field will mostly do the job you need. However if you understand why you are putting a player somewhere you are bound to be more confident if you move that player. Your plan may not come off but at least you did it because of a plan and not because you didn't know what else to do.

This is the true art of placing your field, knowing in your own mind why you are doing things.

Want to be a better captain? Learn from the best with the interactive online course Cricket Captaincy by Mike Brearley.

Tactics You Should Be Using: Funky Field Settings

David Hinchliffe — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 05:15:04 +0000

In the first Ashes Test of 2015, England brought in another weird fielding position: the silly slip.

Joe Root, helmet-clad, took a position at third slip that was far too close for comfort. It was reasonable considering the slow pitch and the low chance of an edge carrying to orthodox third slip. Successful or not, it is another in the long line of "funky" fielding positions that span back to the 1970s (at least).

Yet, club and school cricket remains staunchly formulaic. Is there something we can learn from the pros here?

When done with care, setting a funky fielder or two has a powerful effect. There need to be a solid grounding in common sense, but even when the idea is crazy, the fact you have had such audacity is enough to but the batsman off his rhythm.

So next time you are setting a ring field, take a moment to think if you can apply anything a little more funky. Here are a few ideas.

Catchers in front of the wicket instead of in the slips. this works well on slow pitches.
A short leg, even when it's not a fast and bouncy pitch. It's a pressure position for the batsman.
a deep leg side field and short bowling.
Right arm round, bowling at the off side wide line and packing the off side.
A boundary runner lurking 5-10 yards in. This is against traditional coaching but works well on long boundaries, especially to batsmen who have just come in and have not found their range.
Short mid on or mid off close to the cut strip in the batsman's eyeline. In fact, any slightly too close ring fielder looks sort of odd but can be an effective catcher. Put another ring fielder slightly deeper to provide cover.
Close catchers combined with boundary runners - the in to out field - is a great play for batsmen who like to score boundaries.
If the ball goes to the same place twice from the same bowler to the same batsman, put a fielder there, no matter how weird the position.

Of course, there is a time to be orthodox. This is most of the time. Yet a carefully planned and unusual position or two has a place too. Imagine the conversation after the game if it actually works!

What can you do to break the shackles rather than pounding at a plan that isn't working?

Cricket Show S6 Episode 5: Fielding In The Box

David Hinchliffe — Fri, 06 Feb 2015 06:50:03 +0000

David Hinchliffe chats to coaches Mark Garaway and Sam Lavery. The cricket topics start with a discussion about the difference between skill, and skill under pressure. Listen in for the team's solutions.

Then the show moves on to field settings for Twenty20 leg spin bowlers. Both Garas and Lavers came up with the same field.

You can view it here.

Plus, we talk about trigger moves for 12 year old batsmen alongside all the usual banter. Don't miss it, listen now!

How to Send in Your Questions

If you want to win a cricket coaching prize, you need to send in your burning questions to the show. If your question is the best one we give you a free online cricket coaching course!

Send in your questions via:

Or you can call and leave your question on the Academy voice mail:

+44 (0)203 239 7543
+61 (02) 8005 7925

How to Listen to the Show

Just click the "play" button at the top of the article.

Or, the show comes out every Friday and you can listen to it on your computer, smart phone or tablet every week automatically. Simply choose your favourite podcast player and do a search for the show:

iTunes (Mac and PC)
Overcast (iOS)
Apple Podcasts (iOS)
Pocket Casts (Android, iOS)
Dogg Catcher (Android)
Podcasts (Windows Phone)

Or subscribe manually with the RSS feed. Right click here, copy the link and paste it into the appropriate place for adding new feeds in your podcast subscription software or RSS reader.

You can also download this show onto your computer by clicking the play button at the top of the article, or clicking on the mp3 to download.

This is show number 296.

Set Up: Knock Down: A Leg Spin Field Tactic

David Hinchliffe — Mon, 02 Feb 2015 08:27:12 +0000

Max Andrews is a freelance coach on PitchVision Academy, in this article he talks us through the mysteries of spin bowling tactics.

There is a lot of information on the the correct action to be able to bowl well. But it is very difficult to find information on how to bowl in match scenarios, and what fields to set.

So I thought I'd write this article to give you an insight into the tactical side of spin bowling.

There are a lot of key points when considering your tactics. They range from the match format and situation, through pitch and field size to batter's technique, and your strengths. They come together when you consider where you want the batsman to hit the ball.

For example, I play two day cricket. So can I find myself in a situation like this: We are bowling on the second day of the game and the pitch starting to turn. We are about 200 runs in front and need to take wickets.

The short boundary is on the off side of a left hand batter. The batter is left handed, strong though leg side. The batter has a closed grip, which will cause him too hit more ball to the leg side, and will struggle to hit through the off side.

I have a good leg break and control the ball very well. I want the batter hitting the ball through the off side (against the spin).

Position the fielders

It’s time to start setting the field.

The batter has a closed grip, so he will also have a closed face on the bat. He will hit a lot more deliveries through the leg side rather than the off side. We need more fielders on the leg side.

That said, I want to invite the batter to drive through the off side. If he tries I am likely to get him bowled through the gate. As he's left handed I need to bowl outside off stump. This allows us to have catchers on both sides of the wicket.

When we first come on, we want some boundary riders to help us settle in without going for too many runs and to keep the batter under pressure.

So, here is a sample field:

Catchers: Slip, short extra cover, short leg
Ring: Mid off, backward point, mid on, midwicket, short fine leg
Boundary sweeper: Deep backward square leg

There are many variations to this field. But the obvious one is to bring in sweeper to another catcher around the bat. You can even move short extra cover into a bat-pad catcher on the off side and either leave a gap through cover, or move short fine leg into extra cover or short extra cover.

If you don't have a lot of control, you could move point back to an off side sweeper where you think he would be best placed. You could also move short leg to a sweeper and leave point alone.

If you want more comprehensive details about the tactical side to bowling, spin bowling and a whole lot more, click this link for instant access to Max Andrews online coaching.

Setting the Field: Theory and Practice

David Hinchliffe — Tue, 13 Jan 2015 08:11:00 +0000

From orthodox to funky; being a better captain and bowler means mastering the art of setting the field in your cricket matches.

Chances are you know fields that suit certain bowlers and match situations. There is much more to it that that though. There are some underlying principles of field setting that allow you to become more flexible while basing everything in solid logic.

The result of understanding the core of field setting is that you can have the right players in the right places at the right time. And that's going to get you more wickets.

1. Core cricket fielding positions

There are two reasons to set a cricket field: To take wickets and to stop runs being scored.

To do either of these things, most bowlers bowl with the aim of hitting "the top of off". This is to say; straight at the stumps with the ideal ball striking the off stump. In reply, most batsmen will try and hit the ball straight with drives. This is hitting through the famous 'V' using cover, straight and on drives.

In this situation the fielders need to be in position to stop these shots (and edges). In other words, the V can be inverted to create a line of defence on each side of the wicket. So, this is the basic framework, or core positions from which to build:

Mid on and mid off stop the straight drives.
Third man and fine leg are there to stop the edged ball.
Extra cover and Midwicket stop the wider drives.

One important factor to note is that the fielders always form a straight line from one end of the pitch to another. If this does not happen (someone too close or deep) then the gap the batsman can see is bigger and more runs can be scored. So set fielders in the right place and don't let them wander.

If the bowler bowls perfectly and the batsman responds with a straight bat, these core six fielders are enough for a bowler to defend effectively. This leaves you three spare fielders that you can set anywhere you like. See below.

Of course, this theory ignores the many variations that makes cricket so interesting and setting the field so challenging. It's your starting point.

2. Refining the field

Once you understand the core positions, you can start to work out the variations. With every variation, different positions are brought in or taken out of play. These are:

Match situation. Are you attacking or defending?
Type of bowling. Spinners, medium pace or fast bowlers?
Pitch conditions.
Accuracy of bowling.
Swing and seam movement.
Batter's style and limitations. All batsmen favour certain shots and ignore others.

The simple way to look at it is to put the fielders where you think the ball is most likely to go.

The basic principles still apply, and each change must be considered carefully with justification and not just chasing the ball by putting fielders where the batter hits it.

For example, perhaps you are all out attacking with a fast bowler on a fast pitch with plenty of bounce. Your three spare would all be attacking (say, two slips and a gulley). Your aim is to get wickets you could forget about fine leg and third man and move them to close catching, an extra slip and a leg slip or short leg.

If the batter plays with an open face you might consider cutting off his square shots with 2 gulleys or a square third man, especially if your bowler bowls outswing as a stock ball.

Each player is different. Variations in technique lead to the ball going in different places. So, work players out from the moment you first see them. Remember the basics still apply: You are trying to cut off a scoring shot or be there when a mistake is made.

These two aims often work in harmony. A batsman who has had their favourite couple of shots shut off will make mistakes. This combination will lead to wickets. This is where sometimes defence can be a form of attack. The modern term in limited over cricket is 'putting the squeeze on'. This is where a fielding side aim to block off every run with tight fielding. Climbing run rates always lead to errors As captain your aim is to work out how to do this quickly.

On the other side, if you are trying to take wickets, it's better to attack a little too much with your field than play too safe. This is not just for the sake of taking wickets, if you trust your bowlers by setting more attacking fields you are building their confidence.

Each situation demands your full attention because the variations are never-ending. That is not to say you set a strange field for the sake of it. Your ideas always must have solid grounding in the basics. Be aware that you have a framework to work from and flexibility to be creative depending on the situation.

3. Get funky fields to work

The final principle of setting a field is the ability to bluff. There will often be times where setting the best field may not be the best way of reaching your aims and this is where a poker face and a funky field comes in handy.

Bluffing does not mean you should forget the first two principles, but once you have laid your plans you can double cross with a clever field placing that looks sinister.A classic example is an off spinner who does not turn the ball much setting two short legs and a wide slip. This could make the batter think it is turning and the slip getting lots of catches. The short legs are just the bluff.

Perhaps you have a weak fielder who you need to hide. Instead of just plonking him at mid on or fine leg, you could put him at silly point to an off spinner to crowd the batter. He may never catch a cold, but nothing will come to him anyway and at least he is putting the batsman off.

Again, there are many bluff strategies for many situations. However the same rules apply: Don't forget the basics and keep thinking. Also, never try your bluffs for too long. Most are rumbled quickly, especially if they get a wicket.

In all honesty, an orthodox field will mostly do the job you need. However if you understand why you are putting a player somewhere you are bound to be more confident. Your plan may not come off but at least you did it because of a plan and not because you didn't know what else to do.

This is the true art of placing your field; knowing in your own mind why you are doing things.

Field Settings: Hook, Line and Sinker

David Hinchliffe — Tue, 22 Jul 2014 08:23:47 +0000

Hook, line and sinker: literally.

Using a "leg theory" approach, and the English desire to win by hooking, Dhoni won the 2nd Test against England.

Could it work for you too?

I'm going to say yes.

In certain situations, you can use a similar tactic. It's risky, but Dhoni and Sharma proved that it can win you games when orthodox tactics are seeing you cruise to defeat.

Lets look at the details.

Match situation: not looking good for India

The ball was old and not swinging. England batsmen Root and Ali had cruised to a hundred stand and needed another 150 or so to win. It was looking shaky for India.

Most captains would have sat back, told everyone to stay patient and hoped for the best.

I'm sure you have seen that happen many times in your games.

But Dhoni had other ideas.

Leg theory field

He brought on Sharma - his fastest bowler - and set a field with a short leg, leg gully and men catching on the boundary.

He told Sharma to bowl short and at the batsmen.

It worked perfectly.

Over the course of the next 13 overs England hit a lot of fours. They also lost Prior, Stokes and Root to mis-hit hooks and pulls, while Broad and Ali went fending off short ones.

Can leg theory work for you?

Of course, bowling like this at lower levels is not quite the same, but you can still make it work.

Imagine that you are up against two set batsmen, who need 150 to win in plenty of time. You need to bowl them out to win.You don't have a really nasty fast bowler like Sharma.

You could keep pitching it up on off stump and hoping.

Or, you could find a bowler who can bowl a bouncer (it's not as tough as you think, you only need enough pace and bounce in the pitch to get the ball above chest height, it doesn't need to be going at 90mph) and dig everything in short.

It's a risk, especially as there are plenty of other tactics you can try. That said, knowing you have another tool in the box at your disposal is always a good thing.

Boundaries will be hit. Catches will go up. It's impossible to hit down on balls at shoulder height, whatever pace they are. So get some safe hands out on the leg side boundary and have some fun.

You might just be hailed as a tactical genius.

For more field settings, click here.

Good Enough for Dhoni: 4 More Village Tactics to Try

David Hinchliffe — Mon, 21 Jul 2014 08:59:39 +0000

In the 2nd Test against England, Dhoni stood back to the spinner.

It's a tactic regularly employed in lower standard games where the keeper doesn't have the confidence to stand up. In short, it's village cricket.

But there was a method in the madness.

Jadeja was firing his left arm spin into the rough to try and catch an edge. No one was going to run down the track so stumpings were out of the question. Dhoni knew that he had a better chance of catching the edge standing a few yards back.

So, in memorial of seeing village tactics at test level, here are some more counter-intuitive moves that are just so crazy, they might work.

Follow the ball

As captain you are taught early to set a field and make your bowler bowl to it. If you move fielders after the ball has been hit there, you are just "following the ball".

That's true, but it's also true that batsmen have shots. If you can cut them off early, they are reduced to a single off their best hit and have to try and score boundaries elsewhere. Frustration breeds wickets.

So when that over smashes a ball over mid off in the 2nd over, think about putting him back on the boundary and get extra cover in tight on the single, or even catching. Suddenly his best shot is one and he is getting less strike. He might even pop it down the fielder's throat.

Remember, good field placing is about putting your men where the ball is likely to go. Sometimes that does mean following the ball for an over or two.

Declare early

Sporting declarations have all but gone from Test cricket. In club cricket, if you have the option to declare, use it.

Hitting as many as you can is a very "professional" thing to do, in that it is trying to ensure zero chance of defeat before trying to win. That's fine if your mortgage is on the line, but not if you are trying to have a good game of cricket as well as win.

It's every club captain's job to do everything in his power to prevent the snore draw.

Read the tea leaves, do some maths and work out how early you can declare when batting first and still win the gam, ideally in the last over. It's much more often than you think.

Play for your average

There is a breed of club player who is vilified for selfish batting. He scores too slowly because he has one gear. He his hard to get out but also has no way to rotate the strike. The middle order want to punch him in the face in frustration.

This guy is also a gem.

He will get you out of a hole when the team collapse. He will see off the best bowlers and - like the slogger who comes in at 7 - he will have days where it works and days where it doesn't work. Either way, it's a role that suits him so accept it.

Work on small ways to help him - like strike rotation - and let him get on with it. The middle order know he will sometimes mess it up but also will be grateful when the opposition best fast bowler is knackered from his blocking.

Bowl both sides of the wicket

"If you bowl one side of the wicket you can bowl to a field" we all say.

That's sort of true, but length is far more important than line. A wide long hop or long half volley - even with a 7-2 field - can still be put away. A good length ball on leg stump remains as hard to hit as a good length ball outside off.

So, if you are not a brilliant bowler, focus on hitting the right length and let line look after itself.

It does mean you needs more of a split field, but so what? If you bowl a length ball on leg stump, and the batsman spoons it to midwicket you have a wicket just as much as if he snicks it to third slip.

Yes, some of these tactics take confidence, and will sometimes fail, but not often. Besides, it's better than sleepwalking through a game stuck to orthodox plans that are just not working.

Let me know how you go!

The Tabletop Cricket Approach to Field Settings

David Hinchliffe — Tue, 17 Jun 2014 07:15:16 +0000

Was this brilliance or madness?

As the first Test against Sri Lanka meandered to a draw, England needed wickets. So, Alastair Cook took a leaf from the old tabletop cricket game, and set a ring of fielders in front of the batsman.

The field looked like this:

(with thanks to @Aggerscricket)

It was hailed as innovative captaincy, or a desperate ploy to take wickets. Or both. Either way, it certainly had an effect on the game with Kumar Sangakarra chopping onto his stumps such was his discombobulation.

So, what was the thinking, and can you emulate it in your games?

I think so. Here is why.

Need wickets: get creative

It's common advice that when nothing is happening in a match where you need to take wickets to win, you need to make something happen by doing funky things.

This is a perfect example.

In an ideal world, your plan will have a firm basis in some weakness you have spotted in the batsman. Imagine a slow pitch where the ball is both not carrying and stopping. Now imagine the batsman has driven a couple of balls on the up.

Why wouldn't you move the slip cordon from three slips and a gulley to one slip, silly mid on, silly mid off and short extra cover?

But the reality is often simpler: you just have a hunch.

You may feel it's time to do something different, even though you are unsure what that might be. rather than just throw another gulley in the mix you put someone at short leg. You look like a tactical genius when the next ball pops up there.

The basis of this hunch might be some kind of leak from your subconscious from all your years of playing. Or it might be nothing more than you are bored. Either way, the batsman might just get thrown by your nonsense and chop the ball onto his stumps.

If Sangakarra can, anyone can.

That's why, in England's case, I don't think you can come up with a tactical genius ploy to explain why there was a short point, short cover, short extra cover, silly mid off and a wide mid off just loitering about. Cook and Anderson just wanted to mix it up, so they threw the dice.

I'm all for this.

Far too often in club, school and academy cricket you see a ring field set with a slip or two. Perhaps if you have played against this chap before and know he is strong on the cut you put third man wider and go with a gulley.

Everyone at every level can be a lot more creative than that in wicket-taking situations. Cook just proved it.

But wait... restriction works too

On the other hand, it's also possible to get a bit too funky.

The basics of cricket are the basics because they work. They are built on best practices that have been developed over hundreds of years in millions of games. In other words: slips exist because the ball goes there in the air a lot.

That means - even if you want to get clever - that your default position will always be a standard field.

With a ring field and 2-3 close catchers you can still take wickets against a side bent on the draw. Batsmen still want to score runs and are not satisfied to defend everything. If you respond by pitching the ball up and cutting off scoring areas frustration begins and mistakes come.

Frankly, you will win most games with disciplined bowling, timely changes in the attack and good fielding without much variation from the template.

The time to get funky

That doesn't mean Cook was wrong.

In this situation, and on many occasions in the club game, there is a time when the orthodox clearly isn't working and you need to do something. You need to do anything other than say "come on lad, big effort" and change the bowling again.

If you have ever "gone quiet" after a long period you also know that sometimes the team just need something else to do rather than loaf at cover.

Then is the time to get creative.

How often will this lead to a wicket?

Probably less often than staying with the orthodox, but even if it works once in a season and you get one more win you are up on the deal.

And let's be honest for a moment, what's the alternative?

Boring fields, lots of predictably dull draws and no fun for anyone.

Save the cricket world from that awful fate and get a little bit more funky.