Captaincy | Cricket coaching, fitness and tips

Great spin bowlers need good captains

Spin bowlers need understanding captains to bring the best out of them. Too many spin bowlers are lost due to poor captaincy decisions. This is especially true at junior level cricket during a player's formative years.

In modern cricket, the emphasis is all about scoring runs and big hits. Just look at the massive following of the Twenty20 form of the game. To satisfy this insatiable thirst for runs all the pitches are prepared flat and the boundaries are brought in.

Plans vs. hunches: What works best?

As the old saying goes, "Fail to plan and you plan to fail". What happens when plans don't pan out the way you want, and where does that leave the instinctive captain who works on hunches?

Take South Africa as an example. The one day side were criticised during the 2009 Champions Trophy for being too rigid in their plans. Critics pointed out that when Plan A failed, Plan B was... to keep trying plan A.

How a step up in intensity can win you the league

Cricket is a game of the mind as much as the body. Emotions have a direct effect on your game. If you know how to tap into the right intensity you could end up winning the league with your team like mine did this season.

It was the last game of the season. We were top of the table by the smallest margin. We needed a win to be sure of gaining the league title. The team in second were unbeaten and unlikely to cave in at this late stage.

How to play under a bad captain

Filed in:

I don't know his name, but a reader who recently emailed was frustrated that his captain was not doing the best job possible.

He felt he could do a far better job. He wanted to know how to go about taking over as captain and emailed me for advice.

Cricket Show 44: Captaincy

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Although the focus this week is on cricket captaincy, we have some great guests for you this week too. Ian Pont answers a question about Jimmy Anderson's bowling action and we chat on the phone with Senyo Nyakutse, the Founder of Cricket Montreal.

Do you trust your hunches?

You have never seen him before, but there is something not quite right about the batsman as he takes his guard.

You can't put your finger on quite what it is, but it's clear something doesn't add up.

He plays a couple of balls out and still something nags at you about him. You glance at the 'keeper and he nods his head towards the new man at the crease. Whatever it is, he has seen it too.

How to force the batsman into a mistake against inswing

Picture the scene. You are in the field after posting a big score. The opposition look in little danger of being bowled out on a good batting track.

You need wickets to prevent the draw but all the usual ploys are failing.

It's time to get creative; It's time to force the batsman into an error.

Control momentum by changing the pace of the game

'Momentum' is hard to define in cricket, but you know when you have it: That feeling of being on top of the game.

Smart players and coaches know how to control momentum: to be in charge of the flow and pace of the game. They understand when to ride this wave of success. They also know when to take action to get it back if it starts to slip away.

Cricket Show 35: Mike Brearley

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As part of the brand new captaincy course on PitchVision Academy we have a free sample section of our conversation with Mike Brearley.

The full audio includes tactical and man management tips for captains. There is also exclusive video of Mike available once you have enrolled. If you order before June 1st you can get the course at a discount rate.

Also in the show Kevin sorts out his hang time, David wins a match with no satisfaction and also:

Should the worst batsman be at number 11?

The worst batsman in the team is placed last in the order. Why would anyone do anything different?

I think there are circumstances where you would consider putting a better batsman at 11, and the chance to do so happens more often than you might think.