Before you can improve your game of cricket you need to assess your own strengths and weaknesses.

Once you know where you are you can set yourself some targets for the coming few months to improve in those areas. Without the initial overview you are not getting the best out of your nets, gym work and practice games.

A good time to do an assessment is in the preseason period to be repeated just before the season starts, although you can do it anytime. How do you go about this assessment?

1. Download the Player Skills Sheet

Start by downloading the free Player Skills Sheet from here (pdf). This sheet is a quick reference guide to areas in your discipline (batting, bowling, fielding or wicketkeeping). It is important to fill in the sheet for all skills that you will be considered to perform in the game and make sure you assess yourself on them all. This is so you know both your areas of development and your stronger areas.

You will notice the sheet is already filled in for speed, agility, core strength, endurance, concentration, stress, self-motivation and tactical awareness. This is because these skills are vital to all cricketers.

2. Outline Your Skills

Here is a list of skills (if you think of more please get in touch) that you may want to consider noting down. Remember you want to put as many down as reasonable:

• Batter: shot technique (cut, drive, etc.), shot selection, upper body strength.
• Seam Bowler: basic action, technique under fatigue, pace, accuracy, swing, cut.
• Spinner: basic action, degree of turn, variations (arm ball, googly, etc.), accuracy.
• Wicketkeeper: technique (standing up, standing back, etc.), leg power, reactions
• Fielder: throw length, throw accuracy, one/two hand pick up, catching.

3. Assess Your Skills

Once you have noted down all the skills you need to assess and record them. Find a way of testing each skill so you can measure improvement.