How many runs could you save for your team if you have the reactions and technique of Suresh Raina?

Many people will write of an ambition like this as far-fetched. They will say he has a God-given talent that few can emulate. But in reality the truth is that Raina’s “talent” is the result of hard work and passion for the most selfless cricket skill; fielding.

So if you want to get the edge over your peers, use these tips to become the best fielder in your team. It will give you a clear advantage.

Cricket is a game of inches. Imagine playing in an Academy trial game when you push a ball to cover and set off on a risky single.

It’s on, but only if you can get up to top speed in a couple of strides.

You have worked on your power, speed and acceleration all winter and you fly out of the blocks, you are in by the smallest margin and go on to make a huge score, get that Academy place and on into the cricket stratosphere.

Had you been half a second slower - as the old pre-training you was - then you would have been run out and missed your chance.

This week’s winner of the Cricket Show podcast question competition is Paul. He wins a free coaching course from PitchVision Academy.

"I'm coaching an U12s team and have one boy who has an excellent technique, is well balanced and in the nets looks really very good indeed. However, he had a bad season last year when he got out early (and cheaply) several times and I'm unsure how to advise him other than to take more care at the start of his innings. Do you have any advice on how he should try to structure his innings? Should he set goals or targets e.g. see off the opening bowlers, 'x' runs in the next 5 overs.."

Listen to the panel’s answer to his question here.

To enter your own question for the chance to win your choice of online coaching course send your questions in here. 

Picture the scene; its cricket practice day and you pull back the curtains to see the rain tumbling down. It’s natural to shrug and call the session off.

But you don’t have to be so hasty. There is plenty you can do in the rain to practice your game. It’s tough to motivate players at the best of times. When rain makes practice irregular it gives people an excuse to “forget” to come. So tell players that practice is on every week come rain or shine and then use these four wet weather cricket tips for something to do.

The more you practice, the better you get. That idea is well established: but many bowlers with ambitions of bowling fast fail even when they do practice hard.

The problem is you are doing the wrong kind of practice. You turn up to nets and bowl. The coach offers useful advice while the batsmen go about their business at the other end. You finish with a vague sensation of having done well or badly, but you don’t know exactly why.

Scoring a hundred in Twenty20 is a rare skill. So how did Ajinkya Rahane -  the latest ton-up hero of the IPL - practice to make sure he could nail three figures in 60 balls in Bangalore?

The truth is that there is no magic to practice for any format.

 Using technology to improve your cricket isn’t always about spending a lot of money. Sometimes you can get excellent results without a large investment upfront.

But you have to be careful too. There are many products on the market making big claims. Not all of them are as good as they make out. So here are 5 of my top picks for technology that you can pick up cheaply and make a difference to your game.

 It shouldn’t come as a surprise that cricketers disrespect umpires.

The incident in the IPL where Harbhajan Singh argued with the umpire so hard he forced a review is just another example of the Spirit of Cricket being ignored. Dissent goes back as far as WG Grace (probably further). Cricket is not a gentleman’s game.

But the thing that got me about the Mumbai Indians vs. Deccan Chargers flare up was that Harbajan wasn’t playing the game to his advantage.

This week’s winner of the Cricket Show podcast question competition is Varun. He wins a free coaching course from PitchVision Academy.

"Sir can u pls give me some tips on improvising & scoring more runs of the good length balls? I'm not a very good runner between the wickets so i want to score more runs off them in order to maintain a good average. Also the skill level of the bowlers is also very good ."

Listen to the panel’s answer to his question here.

To enter your own question for the chance to win your choice of online coaching course send your questions in here. 

It seems a Test series can’t be played without a controversy around the Decision Review System (DRS) technology. The system has utilised computer modelling and even military grade heat cameras to help the top level come to the right decision.

And there is a knock on effect to the games played at grass-roots level, even when the highest-tech item on the oval is a cricket bat.

And as far as I’m concerned it’s good for the game.