How many good players of spin are there in club cricket?
I would hazard a guess there are very few.
Playing spin is difficult and takes practice, but good spinners are rare in the non-professional game and so batsmen don't get to face them much in the nets or in matches.
The result is batsman who can defend or slog, with not much in-between.
So how do you improve your play against spin with limited time to practice and play?
I think the easiest way to develop a game-plan is to treat playing spin techniques as a hierarchy of risk vs. reward.
1. Play straight with the spin
The underlying principle of playing spin is always the same: first play with the spin using the full face of the bat.
That means driving with a high elbow on the front and back foot. The exact target area will vary depending on the way the ball is turning.
Ball turning in: Look to drive/flick the ball in an area between midwicket and mid off.
Ball turning away: Look to drive the ball in an area between cover and straight mid on.
At this level simply wait for the over pitched or slightly short ball then get in position and swing the bat through the line towards the target area.
Simply playing like this will get you plenty of runs without having to do anything else.
2. Use your feet
Now imagine the spinner is tying you down enough so you are behind the rate you would like to be scoring at.
The first tactic is to use your feet to move down the wicket and turn a good length ball into a half volley that you can drive straight.
This is slightly riskier than staying in your crease because if you miss it you can be stumped, but because you are still playing straight you can pick up runs in your chosen scoring area (which hasn't changed).
Pick the right line to move and do it with confidence. You can find out more about how to move down the pitch to spinners here.
3. Sweep
Sweeping is a riskier way to score against tight bowling because you are playing across the line, which is why it's third in your list of options.
If the mid on and mid off are back and the ring fielders are tying you down then the sweep is a handy option to manipulate the field.
It's best played against a bowler pitching the ball on or outside leg stump with the ball turning away (for example left arm over to a right hander) because LBW is out of the picture.
You can also sweep to the ball turning in if you hit it square.
If you are right handed the riskiest sweep is the off spinner bowling around the wicket (for left handers the risk is the left arm round bowler). This is because if the ball straightens and hits you in line you are likely to be out LBW.
If you want more tips on playing the sweep, look at this article.
4. Improvise
If you are looking to score quickly and off almost every ball (say at the death of a one day innings) you must take risks, however you can still look to score in safer areas, even when you are hitting sixes.
One way of doing this is the modern "forward press" of taking a small step onto your front foot just before the delivery. This means you have the option to move down the wicket and hit straight, or to go really deep in the crease on the back foot and drive or pull.
To the ball moving away you also have the option of cutting and late cutting safely if you are deep in the crease.
Other improvising options are:
Ball turning in: Move the front leg out to the leg side, opening yourself up to hit the ball over mid on or midwicket if it's full or square leg if it's on a length with a slog sweep.
Ball turning away: If the line is leg side you can sweep or slog sweep the ball over midwicket. A straighter line means you can move down the wicket and hit with the spin over extra cover, going 'inside out'.
The trick to playing spin well is to not try and move up the hierarchy unless you have to. If you can score at the required rate by sticking with number 1 then why take additional risks?
This is especially true if you have little practice time against decent spin. Focus on the basics of 1 and 2 then, if you have more time, start practicing 3 and 4.
This article was only possible thanks to the expertise of former First-class leg spinner Mohammed Haroon, who provided the insights into becoming a professional cricketer from Pakistan.
It's difficult to become a professional cricketer in Pakistan.
With such a deep love for the game, everyone in the country seems to want to play at the highest level.
Competition is hot.
So how do you go about making it as a professional if you live in Pakistan?
The structure of cricket in Pakistan
To make it as a professional, you need to play First-class cricket.
Most professional teams in Pakistan represent Pakistan companies (such as Habib Bank and Pakistan International Airlines) are known as 'departmental teams'. They play in a first class competition called Patrons Trophy. These are split into two grades.
There are also several regional professional sides taking part in the Quaid-E-Azam Trophy, this is also split into two grades.
The teams play between September and April every year.
In order to gain selection for one of these sides you will need to show potential at a lower level. Mostly this is at regional and national Under 19, although older players can break through.
As school and University cricket is on the decline in the country, this means scoring runs or taking wickets in club cricket is the key for a youngster to get selected in regional side.
Club games are played with passion. The 'season' lasts 12 month a year, with teams playing several limited over matches a week. It's common to net every day.
Clubs are run by volunteers, often former players, who put in huge amounts of effort, time and sometimes money to keep the sides going with no financial support from the PCB. These men are the unsung heroes of Pakistan cricket, unearthing and nurturing talent through to the highest level on nothing but love for the game.
However, despite these heroic efforts, club cricket is not formally structured to lead in into the top level like it is in Australia. This means getting the attention you need to make it is difficult. Talent is often overlooked because players perform in local competitions but their success is not noticed outside the local club matches.
To avoid this, talented players need to make sure they are playing for the right clubs with the best connections to departmental or regional sides. One such club is Ludhiana Gymkhana in Lahore, who has a history of producing International players like Wasim Akram, Atta ur Rehman and Ijaz Ahmed.
Another club; Sheikhupura Gymkhana has produced players like Mohammad Asif, Rana Naveed, and Aqib Javed. In Karachi club like Malir Gymkhana has produced players like Rashid Latif and Younus Khan.
As there is little in the way of formal coaching, you may also want to consider the online coaching options at PitchVision Academy, giving you access to top level coaches and a better chance of making it.
An alternative to this method is to enrol in a private cricket academy such as Pakistan Custom’s Cricket Academy in Karachi. There are very few of these and are expensive to attend. However, the standard is high so if you can afford it, this is an excellent route to the top.
Players who are spotted at club level can move on to professional cricket.
Becoming an overseas professional
In England there are more professional opportunities, so many Pakistani cricketers want to come to the country during the English summer (May-September).
Getting a work permit is very difficult and at the very least you will need to have played five First-class matches in the recent past (18 months). If you do qualify there are many non-professional clubs in England looking for good overseas players. To find out who these clubs are and what they are offering, contact an agency. We recommend CricX.
Of course, you can't make it without a certain amount of talent and a lot of dedication to improving. Something you can read more about in the last section of this article.
Finally, you need a thick skin to deal with setbacks.
However, with the right attitude, enough practice, a slice of luck and a subscription to PitchVision Academy's newsletter you have a shot.
Good luck.
