6 Ways to Bowl Against Slogging Batting

The Slogging is the clichéd image of the burly guy in the village team who goes out to smash everything from beginning to end.

Mostly he fails and it’s a mess. He swipes across a straight ball and is sent packing.

Sometimes he succeeds, especially if he has a reasonable technique to go with the power. When that happens you have to outsmart and out-skill the batsman.

Here is how:

1. A do-or-die attitude

When you begin a spell with the Slogging at the crease you have to kill or be killed; bowl well or you will leak runs.

Throw everything you have. Bowl your heart out. Gear up and be on top of your game. Put more energy, effort and thought into you’re bowling. If you have the do-or-die attitude and you put everything you have, you will become a lethal weapon for your captain.

2. Observe the batsman

To outdo a Slogging you first have to know what he is doing.

• What are his techinical information
• Does he favour leg or off side?
• Does he calculate his hitting or he is slogging blindly?

When you know all these things, it becomes easy for you to script out your bowling strategy. You start bowling to the batsman in his least favourite area and get him out in no time.

3. Surprise and outplay the batsman

After the observing the batsman, when you get to know his strengths and weaknesses, it time for you to take your shots. Make life hard for him by bowling in the areas he doesn’t want you to bowl.

If a batsman favours hitting over long on and long off, drop in short and limit his shot making. Similarly if he is good in hooking, pulling or cutting, bowl fuller lengths to him.

4. Play the yorker/bouncer card

No matter how skilled a batsman is accurate yorkers and bouncers make them tremble. These two deliveries are ideal against slogging blacksmiths. They not only bog the batsman down but multiply the chances of him getting out.

5. Vary your speed

If you are bowling accurate lines according to batsman’s weaknesses, throwing in yorkers and bouncers, it’s not a bad idea to slip a slower ball every now and then to surprise the batsman. Also If he doesn’t know what’s coming next: a slower ball or at regular speed, he cannot pre-meditate a shot. 

All the great bowlers in the world like Dale Styen, Umar Gul and Shaun Tait etc, bowl exceedingly well against slogging. If you develop the skill of countering the slogs, you not only become a plus point for your team’s bowling attack you also sit in the heads of the opposition.

If they know that they won’t be able to score when they need to, they will obviously become very nervous and more likely to fail

6. Bowl with in the Stumps

When ever batsmen desiccated to hit on everything. 50% chance to miss the bowl. And the batsmen miss the make sure boll hit the stums. 

Run Out... hhuuuuuu

Being run out is probably one of the worst ways you can be dismissed - why? It's because the fielding team has just scored a free wicket by just doing what they're supposed to be doing... stopping the ball. Run outs can be easily avoided - that is why they're annoying, especially when you're on the receiving end of a shocking call, or a non-existent one.

With cricket being a team game, it's no surprise that teamwork is an essential facet in winning matches. Not only is team work fundamental in the field, it is also definitely a massive factor when you're out there with one other team member with the bat. If you've got a batsman at the other end who either: a) Doesn't call whether to run or not properly or b) Doesn't call at all (so you just see him/her ran at you in silence) you're definitely asking for it. And if you're one of those batsmen yourself, I'm not surprised if every one else hates batting with you.

So for all you mutes or confused callers out there, here are the essentials:
1) Call loudly - there's no point calling a run when you're saying it as if the guy at the other end has a sound gain device stuck to his/her head. Make sure they can hear it. The best way is to almost yell.

2) The three calls - There's also no point in going into a deep conversation when calling a run. It's either 'Yes', 'No' or 'Wait'. Nothing else. And when you say 'yes' you go, and when you say 'no' there's no use running down to the other end. That's why there's 'wait'. This is used to let the other batsman know that there might be a run possible and to be ready to go if for instance, the ball pierces a small hole in the field. Then either a 'yes' or 'no' decision can be made. The batsman who strikes the ball normally calls this one as he knows how well they have struck it as soon as the ball leaves the bat.

3) Who calls when? - Two basic rules. If the ball ends up behind the batsman facing, the non-striker calls the run. If the ball ends up in front of the striking batsman, then most likely they will make the better call. Simple.

4) Running between wickets - Always make sure that you're facing the ball, whilst you are turning, and that you're taking a sneak peek at the ball when you're running. Also, there's no use keeping this information on the whereabouts of the ball to yourself, let your partner know how many runs that could be possible from the shot, and go from there. Try not to leave at full pace after turning, always have a quick look and assess the risk of the next run. If you've smacked the ball close to the boundary, there's no point in pondering over the second run when you know there's an easy three runs in it... just use your common sense.

How to Choose a Bat You Are Proud Enough to Sleep With

The cricket bat is more than a lump of willow with a rubber handle. It is your only weapon in the quest for the runs you need to succeed.

No wonder so many batsmen love their blade so much they can’t even be parted with it at bedtime. It‘s like losing a beloved family pet when the time comes to replace it. Sometimes it has to be done. Sometimes tape and sandpaper and oil are no longer enough.

Take a deep breath and buy a new bat.

 

Selecting a cricket bat is tricky. Walk into any shop and look at the range of bats. They don’t seem too different. It’s easy to make a mistake. In my days I’ve been tricked into buying the wrong bats a few times. There are plenty of things to look out for.

Size

 

A bat either too big or small will not to your batting any favours. When you are buying a bat, stand into stance and play an imaginary straight drive. This will give you an idea if the bat is according to your size or not. If it is small you’ll notice when you take your stance. If it is big it will hinder the straight drive. You’ll know without much effort if the bat is the right size or not.

As a rule of thumb, if you are 5’9” or over (174cm) you can use a short handle/full size bat.

Shape of the handle

There are two shapes of bat’s handles. Some are round, others are oval. Both are fine as long as they are not misshaped. Before buying a bat, carefully examine the shape at the end of its handle. A misshaped handle will cause the bat to rotate in your hands after you play a shot.

The type of wood used

The cricket bat wood is categorised in grades (willow quality). Grade 1 plus is the highest quality of wood with all the necessarily oiling and polishing. It is normally used by professionals as it is expensive. In contrast Grade 4 is a rather roughly made willow without much lubricant treatment. The important thing to remember here is your budget. If you cannot buy G1 plus, do not sweat over it. Buy the quality you can afford. With the passage of time when the standard of your cricket goes up, you can go for higher quality.

Brand name

 

This is more of a personal liking thing than a technical one. All the quality brands have little difference in their products. If you buy a brand that you like, you will be extra proud of your stick. That is when brand name comes in.

Weight

 

The weight of the bat is the most important for you. Young players often buy too heavy bats. Your priority should be to buy the most light weight bat possible. Heavy bat won’t allow you to swing freely and you’ll shoulders will be stiff after a long stay at the crease.

By keeping these things in mind, you can buy a bat that can serve you for a long time to come. When you have a bat make sure you take good care of it. His cricket equipment is like a best friend to a cricketer. Just as teachers tell you to respect books to be knowledgeable, coaches tell you to respect your equipment to be a good cricketer.