Saturday 31 August 2013

BOWLING : 4 Ways to become a high class death bowler

Bowling the last few overs of an innings is like being a Hollywood star. When everything goes well you are adored. Put one foot wrong and your embarrassment could not be more exposed.

Master the four balls of death
The secret to good death bowling comes in two parts:
  • Be able to bowl the four death deliveries better than anyone else
  • Know which of the four balls is the one to use
Both skills are tough. Learning to bowl a ball at will takes a lot of practice at creating a repeatable action. Knowing when to use it takes experience.

Let's take a look at each of the four balls and how best to use them.

1. Slower ball
The slower ball's job is to upset the rhythm of the batsman. It can be bowled in a number of ways (and to get the technique for them you should pick up copy of The Fast Bowler's Bible) but the trick is to do it without changing action.
This means the batsman is fooled into thinking the ball is arriving at normal speed and mis-times his shot.
Bowl it just short of a length to keep the pretence up, but avoid bowling it on a length he can play forward to as this gives him greater margin for error.
The danger with this ball is that the batsman spots it early and it just becomes a slow, shorter ball he can pull into the stands. Avoid this by making sure it's well disguised and use it sparingly, even at the death.

2. Length ball
We are taught that the best ball in cricket is the one that is hitting the top of off stump after pitching on a length that has the batsman undecided whether to play forward or back.
At the death this is risky, because the batsman is no longer playing 'properly' and is looking to hit the ball in unorthodox ways. The good length ball is easier to hit with premeditated shots over extra cover or midwicket.

However, it's still a good ball to have available in certain situations:
  • If there is still some movement in the air or off the pitch.
  • If the batsman is struggling to put bat on ball.
  • If the batsman is premeditating to hit everything to leg, bowling it wide outside off stump.
Don't be too quick to write off the good length ball at the death, it has a use if you are clever.

3. Bouncer
If you bowl a good pace on decent wickets, you can use the shorter ball to restrict the batsman's scoring area and with a well set field you will keep the runs down. There are two ways to use the short ball:
1.  Stock ball. Batters who don't play the ball at the ribs well will struggle to score against the ball bowled accurately at chest height. If the pitch is hard and bouncy enough you can set your length so the ball reaches chest height with the yorker or slower ball as variation.
2.  Shock ball. For those batsmen who are better at hooking and pulling (or are sitting on the back foot), the bouncer becomes a variation: Something to stop the batsman premeditating a front foot shot. It's especially good against the player who prefers to go off side in the death as the bouncer forces them to think twice about playing inside-out (i.e. stepping to the leg side to hit the ball through the covers).

With both these tactics, it's important to set a good field. Variations are many, but a deep midwicket, deep square leg and fine leg cut off the boundaries and take catches. Third man is up assuming there are field restrictions:

4. Yorker
The yorker, as we know, is a fast ball pitching at the toes of the batsman, usually around the popping crease, ideally with swing. This is the classic ball for death bowling: Full and straight. 

The mantra is: If you miss, I hit.

It's hard to bowl as the margin for error is small. Bowl it too full and it becomes a low full toss and a free hit. Bowl it too short and it becomes a half volley and you will be fetching it from the crowd.

If you can get it right it becomes an excellent stock ball to use at the death. Unless the batsman is very good it can only be hit straight down the ground, so you can set your mid on, mid off, fine leg and third man back and straight to cut off the boundaries.

If you are using it as a stock ball you will need to practice it in the nets a lot both with and without batsmen. It's worth the effort if you know you are likely to be bowling at the end and might suffer 5 overs of the long handle.

It can also be used as a variation if you are using length or short bowling as the stock delivery.
Either way, the mark of a really good death bowler is one who can use the yorker to restrict scoring and take wickets because it is so difficult to master.

With all death bowling the key is not to be average at all four types of bowling, but to become really good at one or two. If you can master all four deliveries you will be unstoppable.

SDCA LEAGUE SCORES - WEEK #3 : 25.08.2013



Ground : Steels – Division : III
Cityboys CC 250 allout in 45 Overs (A.Narayanan 76, N.Madan 40, Sakthivel 4 for 41)
Beat
Achievers CC 88 allout in 45 Overs (M.Deepan Chakravarthy 3 for 21)

Ground : Periyar University “A” – Division : II “B”
Pioneer CC 166 allout in 45 Overs (Mani 32, S.Pandian 3 for 32)
Beat
Raj Friends CC 150 allout in 45 Overs (S.Karthi 49, Shanmugam 6 for 32, Pradeep 3 for 23)

Ground : Periyar University “B” – Division : II “B”
Sivanthi Adityan CC w/o Muthusamy Memorial CC

Ground : Monforts School – Division : III
Chemplast RC w/o Monforts School

Monday 19 August 2013

SDCA LEAGUE SCORES - WEEK #2 : 18.08.2013



Ground : Steels – Division : II “A”
Power CC 129 allout in 40 Overs (S.Shankar 46, Udhay 4 for 14, M.Girivasan 3 for 26)
Lost to
Prime CC 131 for 7 in 26 Overs (S.Shankar 3 for 20)

Ground : Periyar University “A” – Division : III
Luckystar CC 113 allout in 41 Overs (Venkatesan 3 for 23, Murugesan 3 for 37)
Lost to
Universal CC 114 for 5 in 23 Overs (D.Naresh 5 for 42)

Ground : Periyar University “B” – Division : III
Chemplast RC 85 allout in 42 Overs (G.K.Shanmugam 5 for 4 runs)
Lost to
JSW RC 87 for 5 in 20 Overs

Friday 16 August 2013

TNCA UNDER 19 : SEMI FINALS

SEMI FINALS : 13th, 14th & 15th August 2013
Nagapattinam 144 (S. Siddharth 33, R. Kalidoss 30, R. Mithun four for 33) & 34 in 17 overs (R. Mithun six for 21, S. Dinesh Kumar four for nine)
lost to
Coimbatore 310 in 88.3 overs (C. Hari Nishanth 39, J. Koushik 53, N. Jagadeesan 105, S. Sujay 34, M. Abinav 32, R. Arun Nivas four for 48).

Coimbatore Qualified for Finals

SEMI FINALS : 02nd, 03rd & 04thAugust 2013
Kancheepuram 242 for nine in 90 overs (G. Vikram 69, B. Roop Prasad 67, S. Swaminathan 32, C. Venkatesh three for 36, K. Aravinth three for 50) & 208 for three in 40 overs (U. Vishal 86, B. Roop Prasad 54, S. Santhosh Shiv 38, K. Aravind three for 100)
drew with
Tirunelveli 170 in 83.3 overs (M. Gowtham 66, R. Sibi 29, S. Swaminathan seven for 54) and 130 for seven in 40 overs (V. Harishankar 28, J. Joshua Samraj 26, K.B. Dixit four for 49).

Kancheepuram Qualified for Finals

Tuesday 13 August 2013

CRICKET LAW with Q & A - Law #2 : SUBSTITUTES AND RUNNERS - Part 1

1. Substitutes and runners
(a) If the umpires are satisfied that a nominated player has been injured or become ill since
the nomination of the players, they shall allow that player to have
(i) a substitute acting for him in the field.
(ii) a runner when batting.
Any injury or illness that occurs at any time after the nomination of the players until the
conclusion of the match shall be allowable, irrespective of whether play is in progress or
not.
(b) The umpires shall have discretion to allow, for other wholly acceptable reasons, a
substitute fielder or a runner to act for a nominated player, at the start of the match, or at
any subsequent time.
(c) A player wishing to change his shirt, boots, etc. shall leave the field to do so. No
substitute shall be allowed for him.


2. Objection to substitutes
The opposing captain shall have no right of objection to any player acting as a substitute on
the field, nor as to where the substitute shall field. However, no substitute shall act as wicketkeeper.


3. Restrictions on role of substitutes
A substitute shall not be allowed to bat, bowl or act as wicket-keeper. Note also Law 1.3(b)
(Captain). [1.3b : (b) At any time after the nomination of the players, only a nominated player can act as deputy in discharging the duties and responsibilities of the captain as stated in these Laws.]

 
4. A player for whom a substitute has acted
A nominated player is allowed to bat, bowl or field even though a substitute has previously
acted for him.


QUESTIONS

If, during the match, a player aggravates an injury sustained before the match, should the umpires regard this as ‘injury during the current match’, qualifying him for a runner and/or a substitute?

Since umpires have no special medical expertise, the must assume that if a player is nominated he is fit to play. Accordingly, when his condition worsens a substitute/runner can be allowed. If there is any evidence of sharp practice, at that time or later, this would be a matter for action under Law 42.





2.1 At the time the list of players is exchanged, one of the players in indisposed, but is expected to be fit later.  Can the captain of the opposite side refuse to allow a substitute to field?

NO. Only the Umpires has the right to decide on Allowance of a Substitute.


2.2 After the first day’s play, in the rest house a player has a fall and breaks his toes.  Is the opposing captain’s permission necessary to use a substitute for him on the next day?

NO. Only the Umpires has the right to decide on Allowance of a Substitute.


2.3 Can you allow a substitute for a fielder who has left the field of play for any other reason other than illness or injury?  It so, when?

The umpires shall have discretion to allow, for other wholly acceptable reasons, a substitute fielder or a runner to act for a nominated player, at the start of the match, or at any subsequent time.

Sunday 11 August 2013

SDCA LEAGUE SCORES - WEEK #1 : 11.08.2013

Ground : Neelambal – Division : III
JSW RC 181 allout in 30 Overs (N.Naveen Kumar 70, Mohammed Abbas 5 for 30)
Beat
Achievers CC 93 Allout in 21.5 Overs (V.Dhanapal 3 for 20, S.Krishnan 3 for 20)
Ground : Steels – Division : III
Kannan Memorial CC 143 allout in 28.5 Overs (P.T.Gopinath 3 for 48)
Lost to
Luckystar CC 146 for 6 in 33.2 Overs (J.Kathiravan 36, S.Santhosh Kumar 35, S.Swapnil 33 notout, V.Murugesh 3 for 27
Ground : Periyar University “B” – Division : III
S.K.Murugan CC 59 allout in 25.4 Overs (P.Ganesh Kumar 4 for 8, S.Murugesan 3 for 16)
Lost to
Universal CC 60 for 1 in 10.1 Overs