Category: batting

Over the course of the winter indoor season, our Colts’ teams have twice been turned over by an opposition side fielding two or more spinners.  Not unlike England against Pakistan, in fact.

There was no suggestion that they were undone by “mystery” spinners, nor even by bowling that was exceptionally good.  They simply did not know how to deal with a problem they had not faced before.

In truth (and speaking as one of the coaching team), this is a failure of coaching, for not helping them to prepare for new challenges, or for not teaching the young players to think on their feet, most certainly not of the players.

So the latest edition of the ECB CA “Wings to Fly” could not have been more timely.  The focus is on “purposeful practice” – allowing the players to learn for themselves by making practice as much like the game as possible. (more…)

Pakistan out-played England in the recent Test series, in the United Arab Emirates.  The 3-0 “spinwash” marked the slump that the more pessimistic of England’s followers almost wished on the team.

“England can’t play on sub-continental pitches” (the soil for the Dubai strips was shipped in from Pakistan).

“England’s batsmen can’t play spin”

And all this, apparently, without Saeed Ajmal’s teesra – more often than not, England simply failed to hit the ball (Pakistan’s batting was only slightly better, at times) – 32 of the 60 wickets to fall were LBW or bowled.

So, come the ODI series, England fans expected more of the same – only for the team to confound those expectations with a 4-0 series win, and commanding batting, from skipper Alistair Cook and Kevin Pietersen, in particular. (more…)

As a young batsman, the absolute importance of standing still until the bowler released the ball was drummed into me. And more recently, as I have worked through various levels of the coach education process, the same mantra is still repeated – pick up the bat, yes, think about leading with the dipped front shoulder, but don’t move the feet too early.

It’s not easy. And when young players see the professionals twitching, shuffling their feet, and generally not standing still, it can be even harder to convince them to stick to the text-book and wait until the ball is released. So I was fascinated to read an article in the Summer issue of the ECB Coaches Association “Coaches Matter”, with Graham Thorpe, now England’s Lead Batting Coach.