Nobody can dispute the influence a captain has over the results of his or her team. By motivating players and deciding the right tactics, good captains win matches.

Click here to buy to Cricket Captaincy by Mike Brearley and start learning the captaincy techniques of one of the best.

But it's not easy to be the type of captain who has a positive influence on games.

Most captains are happy to set the batting order, change the bowling and make the odd adjustment to the field.

If you have a consistent, self-motivated, talented and experienced team at your fingertips that may work.

But it probably won't, and be honest; you don't have that type of team.

What if your star opening batsmen is prone to lapses in concentration when he feels the bowling is poor and not much of a challenge?

What if you need to be able to set the field to the inexperienced leg spinner who is bowling to a cross-batted slogger when the opposition only need 15 to win?

What if you are captaining a mixed ability side in a friendly game and you need to give everyone a go so they all have fun and come back next week?

Average captains let these situations control them.

Ideas like "motivating players" become short hand for clapping hands and shouting ineffectually. Tactics are based more on hope or tradition than logic.

You feel lost in a sea of advice from your team at one moment, and alone in total silence from the same players when the score is 150-0 and your spinner has just pulled a hamstring chasing a boundary.

It's easy to see why this happens in club and school cricket.

Player's are never taught how to be captains.

Junior players get little, if any, coaching on tactics and man-management. Senior players often fall into the job because they are the best in the team, or good at collecting tea money.

You could learn on the job but it's de-motivating while your team get beaten thanks to a tactical errors. Everybody expects you to know what to do but if nobody teaches you, how can you learn?

But just imagine how much better things could be if you did know the answers.

When you buy Cricket Captaincy by Mike Brearley you get a step-by-step guide to all aspects of captaincy at every level of the game.

With a sound tactical knowledge you can control the game. You can set fields and choose bowlers with a calm confidence, knowing that your choices are based on sound cricket knowledge and have been successful in the past.

With the ability to know how your players 'tick' you can decide whether to give them a public roasting about their lack of effort or put a quiet arm around the shoulder after the game.

These are skills that can be learned like any other cricket skill.

Players are happy to play for you and put in more consistent, better performances. Your tactics match the game situation.

So whether you are skipper of a Sunday friendly side just wanting to make a good game of your afternoon out, or you are playing serious league games where results matter, you need to be a good captain.

Don't wait to learn the hard way, pick up the methods of England's finest ever captain; Mike Brearley.

The online coaching course contains videos, worksheets, articles and interactive content designed by Mike Brearley to teach you to become a better captain. The course includes:

• How to assign the right roles to the right players
• How to develop players individually
• The 6 keys to gaining respect
• 5 Ways to be influential without manipulating
• Pacing a team innings
• The carrot and the whip methods of declarations
• Analysing the batsmen for weaknesses
• How to calmly set the field in any situation

When you enrol on the course you get instant lifetime access to all the resources and all future updates.

Simply click here to buy Cricket Captaincy by Mike Brearley now, and start becoming a better captain.

This is part two of a two part series by Laurie Ward from The Complete Cricketer Academy in Cape Town, South Africa. To go to part one click here.

The best opening bowlers work in tandem and to apply as much pressure up front on the new batsmen, even if conditions favour the batting side.

• Be ready to bowl from ball one: Bowlers must use the conditions and new ball. Be warmed up and focused so you can extract as much from the new ball as possible. Do not give the batsmen the momentum and confidence.
• Know your target areas: Recognise what the conditions require and your role within the game. If bowling on a belter of a track aim to frustrate the batsmen with consistency, stringing the dot balls together. Frustration may lead to mistakes, particularly if they feel the ball coming on to the bat but are not scoring.
• Don’t experiment: Your full armoury of deliveries should have been perfected in the nets. Do not try a big in-swinging yorker if you haven’t mastered it in practice. You should be looking to build pressure and this may be a release ball if you are fractionally off target.
• Don’t try too hard: This may sound a strange comment but not every ball can be a wicket-taking delivery. You need to work on building the pressure and creating a mistake, especially on a good track. There is no need to try all the tricks if conditions are in your favour. Stick to the game plan. Make it as hard for the batsman as possible.
• Bowl to your plan/field: Spraying the new ball both sides of the wicket only helps the batsman settle and adjust to the pace and bounce of the wicket. It also offers opportunities to score and hands over momentum. It is difficult for the captain to set a field and heads may drop from your team mates. 

Winning the first hour as a fielding unit

Let's not forget that if you are bowling, fielding is vital in the first hour.

• Set the tone: Back up your bowlers. If the batsman does play a shot make sure to stop it. Nothing gets past, and if it should, chase hard and commit to saving runs. Anticipate every ball coming to you. Back up throws and other fielders when they are fielding. As they say; "make every run a prisoner."
• Take your chances: When opportunities arise, you must be ready and able to take them. All fielders should be alive and concentrating from the start and specialist fielders should be in the right positions, having practiced the necessary skills in the warm-up.
• Work as a unit: Ring fielders should be co-ordinated and primed, walking in to make the batsman feel if he is being squeezed in. Chase the ball in pairs and get the ball in quickly to stop extra runs.
• Recognise conditions: If the ball is coming on and the outfield is fast ring fielders can give themselves a few extra metres but still should walk in, allowing a bigger ring to cut off angles for boundaries but still cutting off quick singles. Close fielders should take their lead from the keeper, setting themselves in the correct positions to take edged chances.
• Promote positive talk, vibe and teamwork: Keep on-field talk positive and directed to boost teamwork. Work hard on body language being strong. There is often no need to bring a batsman into it if you are squeezing the pressure on. This may have the counter-effect of making him more determined and will also detract from your positive words. Let your fielding do the talking and subconsciously undermine the batsman.

Whichever you are doing, taking first knock or in the field, use these tactics and skills to take advantage of the first hour and aim to dictate the game from there. 

For more bowling, batting and fielding tactics at club level look at the online cricket coaching course: The Game Plan: How to Build A Winning Cricket Team by former Glamorgan player and coach Adrian Shaw.

image credit: SarahCanterbury