Tactics | Cricket coaching, fitness and tips

How to Chase Down Big Totals

The definition of a big total in 1-day cricket has changed hugely over the years. 5 an over used to be considered impossible when I started playing the game. Now 8 an over in the last 10 is a walk in the park with some teams and, in particular, some batters.

Here are some tips to chasing down huge totals.

Coaching the IPL: Despite the Hype, Traditional is Effective

If I was to ask you what you picture when you think of "swing bowling" what would you tell me?

Zaheer Khan and Chaminda Vaas bowling in World Cups?

Kapil Dev, Malcolm Marshall and Richard Hadlee bending the red ball round corners?

Perhaps you go back further to names like Barnes and Lindwall, where their length was as impeccable as the crease in their trousers.

But in Twenty20 a length ball is smashed over midwicket.

So swing bowling is dying.

Dhawan Demonstrates How to Reverse Sweep Effectively

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Of the many exciting things about Shikhar Dhawan's debut Test century against Australia, his reverse sweeping was a fascinating study of modern batting.

What can we learn from the Delhi Daredevil?

On the surface, it appears arrogant to reverse sweep in a Test. Coaches will tell you that cricket is supposed to be played with a straight bat. Youngsters playing it in nets are told to play "properly".

How to Practice Like a Finisher

Every batsman should have the skills of a finisher and be ready to chase a total down from any position in the batting order.

And who was better than that role than Australian International Michael Bevan?

In this exclusive video excerpt from Finisher - the streaming online batting coaching course - Bevan talks about practicing your finishing skills in nets.

Click here to view the video and interactive guide.

Finisher: How to Score at the Death

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In an exclusive excerpt from his batting coaching course, Michael Bevan talks us through the pressure of the last few overs.

In this match the situation we've 5-10 overs to go, chasing down a total.

You know the bowler's bowling full because fine leg's up, long on, long off's out. They are going to be trying to bowl yorkers.

What Pune Warriors Teach Us About Avoiding Failure

Pune Warriors had two awful IPL seasons, finishing second last in 2011 then topping it with the wooden spoon in 2012.

There has been much discussion in Pune around the reasons (and excuses), but whatever the details, there are a few principles you can pick up for your own team.

Here's how to make sure you don't emulate Pune Warriors double IPL failure.

Off Spin Hacks: A Cheat Sheet for When to Use A Slip

Menno Gazendam is author of Spin Bowling Project. Get your free 8 week spin bowling course here.

Chances are you don't need a slip.

When to Bowl a Backspinner

Menno Gazendam is author of Spin Bowling Project. Get your free 8 week spin bowling course here

When should you bowl your backspinner?

Nothing stops you bowling it at any time, but then you are just bowling without a plan. And good spinners always bowl with a plan.

Forced to be Brave: How Spinners Will Achieve the Holy Grail

I used to get annoyed watching the ODI game when a new batter would come to the wicket against a spinner and merrily knock 10 singles in 15 balls without any pressure.

The field setting and the tactics were so defensive.

The New ODI rules and regulations will change all that.

With 5 men as a minimum inside the inner ring, here's what will happen:

Can You Emulate MS Dhoni's Finishing Method?

In a recent article, MS Dhoni's method of finishing one day games was put under the microscope.

It's worth a read in itself, but I wanted to look at Dhoni's method from the viewpoint of a non-professional batsman.

Can a club or school player emulate this method in their games, or does the Indian's rare genuis and skill mean you would be foolish to try?