I can remember a player coming from the County game into the International ODI squad for the first time with the a real fielding problem.

His throw was completely ineffective.

It was as if he was throwing slower balls!

The ball was revolving like a spinner as it hit my catching mitt in practice. If the ball hit the ground it would react off the surface like an off cutter.

We all want to be a bit like our heroes. So, it's natural to want to emulate their methods and tactics.

The problem is that you are not Kevin Pietersen, or Brett Lee, or Shane Warne. Even if you become the greatest player ever, you will never be your hero. And that means you should never try to copy what they do. It's doomed to failure.

If you could choose any format for your cricket, what would it be? Leave a comment with your thoughts.

One of the great things, and one of the frustrating things, about our game is flexibility. The professionals play up to five days. Even at lower levels we can easily play two day, limited over and Twenty20.

We all have our preferences for playing, coaching and watching formats, but today I want to know something different. I want to know what structure is best for your level as a coach or player. So, leave a comment and reveal your thinking.

One of the biggest frustrations of cricket is missed opportunities. I'm sure you have felt it yourself.

I'm not talking about that half volley you smashed straight to a fielder, or the dropped catch on the boundary that cost the game. I mean missing the chance to make the best of your talents as a player. It happens all the time because of frustrating reasons.

Late developers are overlooked for squad selections and miss the their chance. Players from poor backgrounds can't afford good coaching or equipment and fall behind richer peers. It's awful because he may have as much skill as the next person, it's just they got a foot in the door, and now the door is firmly closed.

All is not lost.

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

The winning question was:

"How can we do legal spin bowling with 15 degree elbow flex?"

Listen to the panels 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.

Have you ever thought about the wider impact of cricket outside of the nitty gritty of techniques, tactics and results?

Makhaya Ntini has.

For Ntini, cricket is opportunity on a wider scale. He knows from personal experience. He was plucked from nothing as a boy in a Cape Province village, and went on to play a hundred Tests for South Africa. Recently, I spoke to the fast bowler about his new Academy, and it's clear that this passion continues.

Welcome to the PV/VIDEO Digest, your highlights summary of the weeks best videos from PitchVision Interactive

You can share these videos by email or onto facebook, and post your comments right here: From serious analysis to Friday fun. Here are the top videos uploaded from PitchVision systems around the world this week.

How do you know if your training is working?

You can argue that it's simple: Score runs, take wickets and you're doing it right. You can certainly take it to the next step with a little more context to that basic metric.

This is a guest post on batting skills from Laurie Ward of the Complete Cricketer Academy.

If you were offered the wisdom of Sunil Gavaskar, Ricky Ponting and Brian Lara, I am guessing that you might be interested?

These gems are extremely simple and have been the cornerstone of our batting coaching at The Complete Cricketer Academy, with unbelievable results and a better understanding and "feel" for the players.

Why do some people pick up cricket skills better and faster than others?

Talent? Maybe.

Grit? Possibly.

Knowing yourself? Absolutely.

Don't panic, I'm not suggesting you disappear for 7 years on a journey of discovery to confront your guilt and become a Ninjitsu master like Batman. Learning how you learn is simply a matter of trying things until you find the methods that click with you most quickly. Everyone is different, so keep trying; you'll find several that work.