Cricket Drills

To be a good cricket player requires:

Good hand-eye coordination
The ability to throw and catch a ball
Good batting and bowling technique
The ability to concentrate for sometimes long periods of time
Below we’ll practice exercises that develop skills 1-2. Good concentration is a skill that can only be developed over time.

DRILL 1 BATTING: HAND EYE CO-ORDINATION AND BATTING TECHNIQUE.
The late great Don Bradman used to do this exercise every day as a kid (and it sure worked for him).

Stand about 4 meters back from a concrete wall and hit a tennis ball into the wall. When the ball rebounds hit it again.
When hitting face side on to the wall, feet shoulder width apart, bat lifted ready to hit the ball. As you hit the ball keep your front elbow up and hit straight through the ball so it bounces once before hitting the wall.
Try to hit the ball as many times as possible before you lose control and you can even compete against your friends to see who can get the highest number of hits.
As you improve try using a golf ball to increase the difficulty.


DRILL 2 FIELDING: HAND-EYE COORDINATION, THROWING, AND CATCHING
“Catches win matches” as the old saying goes so improving hand-eye coordination for catching is very important.

Place two balls on the ground 3 meters in front of a wall.
Pick up the first ball throw it at the wall, clap your hands and the catch the ball with two hands as it rebounds off the wall.
Then place the ball back on the ground, run to a marker behind you 10 meters away from the wall and run back to the second ball.
Pick up the second ball throw it at the wall, clap your hands and catch the ball with one hand.
Place the ball on the ground, run back to the 10-meter marker and return to the first ball, and repeat.
Aim to increase speed and go as many times as you can without dropping the ball.
You can also practice catching with your non-dominant hand at the second ball station.

DRILL  3: BOWLING TECHNIQUE
Learning a proper cricket bowling technique can be difficult for beginners so it’s important to start slowly, get the technique right and then worry about the accuracy of the bowl later. The “Rock and Bowl” is a great learners drill.

Stand side on to the batsmen/wickets with your dominant hand at the back.
Hold the ball with both hands under your chin and turn your head sideways to face the batsmen/target.
Rock back and forth transferring weight from the front foot to the back foot in a smooth consistent motion.
Now as you rock back to end your back arm and when you rock forward let to your front arm extend and pull down and your back arm comes over your head and releases the ball in the direction of the batsmen.
This will take patience and practice to feel comfortable and it’s important to watch your favorite bowlers to see their techniques for some extra tips.

Practicing these 3 drills regularly will give the basic skills of cricket

Basic Exercise

There is six major exercise it will do on a daily morning.

1. Jogging

     Slow jogging about 15 - 20 mins.

2. High Plank

• Start on your hands and knees on the ground. Your hands and knees should be shoulder-width apart, hands under shoulders and knees under hips.
• Lift your knees off the ground and step your feet back, bringing your body to full extension. You want to create one long line that connects your shoulders, hips, and ankles.
• Reach back through your heels and forward through the crown of your head. To keep your neck and spine in a neutral position, try aiming your chin about six inches in front of your body.
• Keeping a tight core is key here. Tighten your quads, engage your abdominals, and push through your palms. Keep those hips lifted and don't forget to breathe!
• Moving your feet closer together will make this exercise more challenging.

3. Bodyweight Squat

• Start standing with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, feet turned out about 5-15 degrees.
• Hinge your hips back toward a wall (real or imaginary) behind you, and bend your knees to lower into a squat.
• Keep the weight in your heels and your chest upright. Keep your knees in line with your feet (don't let them buckle in).
• Go as low as you can, then push through your heels to return to standing.

4. Push-Up

• Start in a high plank position and place your palms under your shoulders or slightly wider. Keep your fingers pointing directly forward.
• Keep your core tight and bend elbows to lower torso toward the floor. Don't let your hips drop down before your chest lowers.
• Go as low as you can, then push through your palms to straighten your arms.

5. Reverse Lunge

• Start in a standing position with your feet about shoulder-width apart.
• Inhale as you step backward with your right foot. Land on the ball of your right foot and keep your heel off the ground.
• Now bend your knees creating two 90-degree angles with your legs. Your left shin should be perpendicular to the floor and your left knee is stacked above your left ankle. Aim to have your back knee hovering about 3-6 inches off the ground. Get low!
• You want to have your shoulders directly above your hips and your chest is upright.
• Push off with your back foot and press through your front heel to return to standing.

6. Burpee

• Start standing with your feet hip-distance apart. Then bring your palms to the floor.
• Jump your feet back so that you are in high plank, keeping your core tight and your hips lifted.
• Bend your elbows and do a push-up, returning to high plank. (Some variations of the burpee skip this step or do it slightly differently. Do what works best for you!)
• Now jump your feet to the outsides of your hands and explode up. Reach your arms overhead as you jump as high as you can.

Cricket Basic Rules

• Cricket is played between two teams each made up of eleven players.
• Games comprise of at least one innings where each team will take turns in batting and fielding/bowling.
• The fielding team will have a bowler bowl the ball to the batsman who tries to hit the ball with their bat.
• The fielding team tries to get the batsmen out by…
• Hitting the wickets with the ball when bowling
• Catching a batsman’s shot on the full
• Hitting the batsman’s leg in front of the wicket (LBW)
• Or hitting the wickets before the batsmen can run to the other end of the pitch
• The batsmen try to score as many runs as possible before getting out by…
• Hitting the ball and running between the wickets and making it to the other end before the fielders can hit the wickets with the ball. Each time you run one full length of the pitch it equals 1 run.
• Hitting the ball to the boundary along the ground is 4 runs.
• Hitting the ball over the boundary on the full equals 6 runs.
• The fielding team must get 10 batsmen out before they can change over and start batting.
• The aim of the game is to score as many runs as possible before the fielding team takes 10 wickets. The team with the most runs wins.

Basic of Wicket Keeping

PRINCIPLES AND OBJECTIVES OF WICKET KEEPING

• The basic fielding responsibilities of a wicketkeeper are:
• Watch the ball at the time
• Stay low to receive the ball in soft hands and with a soft body
• practice with bowlers and fielders

In addition, the wicketkeeper is central to the performance and mood of the fielding team. While in the field, the wicketkeeper should:

• Support the bowlers and fielders, by his/her actions as well as encouraging words.
• Inspire the fielding team.
• Continually backup and support all members of the fielding team.

WICKETKEEPING EQUIPMENT

1. Gloves

2. Inner gloves

3. Pads

4. protector

5. Helmet (When keeping up to the stumps) or cap

POSITIONING FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF BOWLERS

The wicketkeeper's body should be positioned to give a clear, uninterrupted view of the bowler releasing the ball, and the full trajectory of the ball. This should be achieved from a balanced, crouched state.

CROUCHED, READY POSITION

The Wicketkeeper should begin crouched in a ready position, with the weight on the balls of the feet. The hands should be open and in front of the body, with the back of the hands on the ground, awaiting the delivery.

BASIC CATCHING TECHNIQUES

The same basic catching principle that applies to the field also apply to wicketkeeping. The hands and body should be soft, to cushion the catch, and the fingers should point down, up or to the side, depending on where the ball is in relation to the wicketkeeper.

The Wicketkeeper should stay low and rise after the ball bounces. The wicketkeeper should free their elbows- the elbows tend to be away from the body so that the hands can move freely and to cushion the catch.

KEEPING BACK

CORRECT POSITIONING FOR KEEPING BACK

A couch in a balanced position, from where there is a clear view of the release of the ball. This position should also allow the wicketkeeper to take the ball at waist level as the ball is on the way down.

CATCHING THE BALL

The wicketkeeper should position the body so that the ball is taken in line with the inside hip. This allows wicketkeeper to catch more outside edge and able to cover more ground to accept thicker, wider outside edges. When catching the ball, the fingers should not point at the ball - they should point up, down or to the side.

SIDESTEP / CROSSOVER FOOTWORK

For wider balls, it is important to move quickly in order to align the eyes and the gloves with the line of the ball. To do this, stay low with smooth and sharp footwork, which should be practiced regularly. The first sidestep should be a definite one, with the inside foot closing to the outside foot, which itself steps again to ensure the body is balanced.

For wider deliveries, the outside footsteps to the side, and the inside foot crosses behind the outside foot, which then steps again for balance and/or to make further ground. For very wide deliveries, the hips may be opened to the side so the wicketkeeper can run to cover more ground and dive if necessary.

CATCHING TECHNIQUE - SOFT HANDS

When catching the ball, the wicketkeeper should always use soft hands. The body should also and should 'give' an impact of the ball. When standing back, the aim is to take the ball in line with the inside hip. This hip should be withdrawn to enable the gloves and arms to float with the ball and smoothly take the ball.

POSITIONING SLIP FIELDERS IN RELATION TO WICKETKEEPER'S STANCE

One of the wicketkeeper's role is to give the slip fielders and other close catchers advice on their positioning. The first slip should stand behind the level of the wicketkeeper and wide enough that both can cover an edge that goes in their direction. The second, third and wider slips and gully fielders should be staggered gradually closer to the level of the batsman. This is because a thicker edge is likely to move slower through the air and is unlikely to carry as deep as a thin edge.

Basic of Fielding

Catching - Principle
Fielders should be aware of the following :
1. Track the ball with relaxed eyes and let the senses guide the movement
2. Use soft hands- the hands should be relaxed and soft that they accept the ball.
3. The ball can be taken on the body When it traveling at the trunk.
4. Be aware of the position of the sun and the direction of the wind, relative to the path of the ball.

1. Close catching ( 1 to 5 meters)
with the eyes behind the ball and soft hands acting as cups, the fingers should be pointing up, down or to the side, depending on the height and the angle at which the ball approaches. The fingers should never be pointing straight at the ball. The knees and body should be soft and spongy to absorb the impact and receive the ball. Experiment with the balls lobbed directly at the body. The catcher should let the ball hit the soft body so that hands can wrap around the ball on the body, to receive the catch.

2. Mid fielding catching ( 8 to 20 meters)

Stay low and remove smoothly so the eyes are behind the line of the ball. Receive the ball with soft hands, with the finger pointing in the appropriate direction: the fingers point up for the catch at chest height and above; they point down for catches at waist level and below, and they point to the side for catches wide of the body.

3. Outfield catching ( 20+ meters)

For high outfield catches it's important to be aware of the condition. The wind, sun and ground conditions could all affect the catch. Look, listen and feel to track the flight of the ball. Catch with soft hands at eye level, using orthodox or baseball style, with the fingers pointing up The body should be soft and knees 'give', to act like the shock absorbers in cars and bikes.

Ground Fielding 
Track the ball and stay low when approaching it. Move smoothly to behind the line of the ball, as if rounding it up. Use soft hands to receive the ball, With the hands in front of the eyes.

Attacking ground fielding

Staying low, move smoothly to position the body so the ball is received on the throwing arm side of the body. The hands- soft hands - should be out in front to receive the ball. For an overarm throw, funnel the ball to the waist and then to the shoulder level, before crow-hopping to fluently throw the ball using the power of the whole body. The crow hop involves the fielder hopping into the air on the front foot to the back foot steps forward in the direction of the target. The front foot then drives towards the target to allow the ball to be thrown fluently, using the whole body.

Batting - Footwork

FOOTWORK
Good footwork is a major part of successful batting techniques as it makes it easier for the batsman to play. By moving forward towards the ball with the front foot, or back and away from the pitch of the ball with the back foot, the batsman is able to adjust the length to suit the shots, for example, a front-foot drive or a backward defensive stroke. Good footwork can combat the bowler's attempt to make the batsman uncomfortable by pitching the ball where it is difficult to hit.
Training activities should include front-foot drives, where the batsman can easily reach the bounce of the ball, front-foot defensive strokes, where the cannot be easily reached with a forward step and a defensive stroke is played for safety.
Back-foot strokes can then be introduced and refined. The back-foot defensive stroke is played to a ball that is well pitched but too short to play comfortably on the front foot. By stepping back to cover the stumps, the batsman can wait for the ball to come to him/her and to play a defensive stroke.
If the ball is pitched a little shorter, there is more time for the batsman to judge the bounce and pace of the ball and it may be possible to drive this delivery more power than can be applied with the defensive stroke. This should be practiced using balls through to targets to enable the batsman to drive the ball off the back foot, as target areas. Once these batting activities have been practiced, the perception and judgment aspect of batting must be introduced and practiced.

JUDGMENT OF LENGTH DECISION- MAKING

For a ball landing over the line, step FORWARD with the front foot to play the ball

For the ball landing short of the line, step BACK with the back foot to play the ball

For the ball landing on a good length, the batsman should take quick decision to play forward or backward, if the ball comes off side the batsman step forward to play the ball. If the ball comes leg side or near body, the batsman step backward to play the ball. 

FRONT-FOOT STROKES

PRINCIPLE AND OBJECTIVES OF FRONT-FOOT STROKE

When playing a front-foot stroke, the batsman should:

Track the ball and rely on the senses to guide his/her movement

Make sure the head moves to the line of the ball, closer to the point of contact

Move the front-foot towards the pitch of the ball, in the direction of the stroke

Ensure the hands are in front of the ball at impact

Hit through the line of the ball, with the top hand guiding the direction

If not taking off for a run, finish with the weight on the front foot, with the back toe on the ground, to maintain balance through the stroke

ATTACKING STROKES

When playing a front-foot stroke, the batsman should:

Track the ball and rely on the senses to guide his/her movement

Make sure the head moves to the line of the ball, closer to the point of contact

Move the front-foot towards the pitch of the ball, in the direction of the stroke

Hit through the line of the ball, with the top hand guiding the direction

Ensure the hands are in front of the ball at impact

If not taking off for a run, finish with the weight on the front foot, with the back toe on the ground, to maintain balance through the stroke

FRONT-FOOT DEFENSIVE STROKE

Relying on your senses, if you judge the ball as a good length ball the head and hands should be over the ball at impact. Stop the shot at the point of impact- 'feel' the ball on the bat and let it come to you.

BACK-FOOT STROKES

PRINCIPLE AND OBJECTIVES OF BACK-FOOT STROKE

When playing a front-foot stroke, the batsman should:

Track the ball and rely on the senses to guide his/her movement

Use the back-foot move to provide a better platform from which to hit the ball and protect the wicket

Move in line with the ball back across to the line of the ball on the middle and off stump and just outside the off; back and across to move inside the line of the ball on or outside the leg stump

Wait for the ball to come to you, particularly in defensive stroke; 'feel' the ball on the bat and let it come to you; direct the ball to space for a single, if possible

Brace against a firm body for vertical- bat attacking strokes on the back foot

Open body for horizontal-bat strokes to short balls. The back foot turns to face down the pitch, to achieve this more open position.

BACK-FOOT ATTACKING STROKES - PULL SHOT

Relying on your senses, if you judge the ball as short of a length, move the back foot back and across to open up your body. Hit down on the ball, swinging from high to low, and watch the ball onto the bat.

BACK-FOOT DEFENSIVE STROKE

Relying on your senses, if you judge the ball as short of a good length, step back and across and let the ball come to you. The head and hands should be over the ball at impact. Stop the shot at the point of impact and let the ball drop in front of you.

Keeping practicing regularly.

Basic of Batting

PRINCIPLES AND OBJECTIVES OF BATTING
The primary aim of batting is to score runs and to do this, a batsman must be able to:
1. Protect their wicket
2. Rotate the strike and run singles
3. Build momentum and compile an innings
4. Expert pressure on the fielding team

To achieve these goals, a batsman needs to understand the following technical aspects of batting.

STANCE
The player should stand astride the batting crease, with feet comfortably apart (up to shoulder-width part) and weight evenly distributed on the front and back feet. In the 'ready position', the eyes should be level and the hands should hold the bat resting on top of the pads.

GRIP

The grip of the bat needs to be comfortable and relaxed so the player can respond to the fast-moving ball. Most successful players use a grip with the hands together in the middle of the grip, with the 'V' shapes formed by the thumb and forefinger of each hand pointing generally towards the forward edge of the splice of the bat.

BACKLIFT

The backlift should occur in preparation for the bowler's release or as the ball is released, to ensure fluency of movement. The backlift should be reasonably straight (between the wicketkeeper and second slip).

TRACKING THE BALL

The batsmen should be watching the ball in the bowler's hand during the run-up and begin to focus at the moment the ball is released. Former Australian captain, Bob Simpson, used to say to himself ' now', as the ball was released, in order to maximize his focus on the ball. When the batsman is concentrating well, these early visual cues enable quick-decision making so the feet can move either forward or back to play the ball. The batsman movie is feet to adjust the length of the ball, to be in the best position to hit the ball and protect the stumps. The movement of the feet should be coordinated with the downswing of the bat to produce smooth and continues motion to meet the ball.

BATTING EQUIPMENT

1. Bat

2. Pads

3. Gloves

4. Protector

5. Helmet

6. Thigh pad

7. Inner thigh pad

8. Chestguard

9. Armguard

TOP HAND DOMINANCE (Vertical bat strokes)

Vertical bat strokes are most important as they are used to play balls that well-pitched. These deliver that are pitched in the general direction of the stumps and or about a 'good length', where the batsman may be uncertain whether to play forward or back, are more likely to dismiss the batsman bowled or caught through missing or misjudging the ball.

The vertical bat is used against these threating deliveries because it provides more surface area of the bat, to help deal with the uncertainty of the pitch and bounce. By applying with a vertical bat, the batsman also ensures that his eyes are positioned more in line with the ball and can, therefore guide the bat to meet the fast-approaching ball.

The top hand plays a very important role in steering the backswing and the downswing to meet well-pitched balls. There are numerous top-hand drills to channel the swing of the bat through the line of the ball. It is important to ensure these activities don't become too mechanical and detract from the natural flow of the bat to meet the ball.

HITTING THE BALL

A good way of developing the swing of the bat through the line of the well-directed delivery is to practice the vertical-bat front-foot drive. Stationary-ball activities such as this, using low batting tees, also reinforce the guiding role of the top hand. This tee-ball drive can then be repeated with a cricket bat.

The next step is to repeat the stroke with a lobbed ball and then with balls that are thrown and bowled. Targets should be used to ensure the balls that are lobbed, thrown or bowled are appropriate for the stroke development.

It is worthwhile to introduce the check-drive follow-through, which is used for well-pitched deliveries on a good length. This allows the batsman to keep the hands in front of the ball through impact-  checking the drive- so the ball is played along the ground rather than being launched in the air, where it may be caught.