One of my previous Masterclass articles is entitled Don’t Make A Good Ball Into A Bad One where I discuss the importance of shot selection in the context of a great player who I was fortunate enough to play a lot of first-class cricket with David Boon.

Basically, this article talks about how Boony rarely, more so than any player I have played with, attempted to hit a good ball for runs. If you bowled him a good ball, he would respect it with a fortress like defensive stroke.   However, if you bowled to Boony in one of his key scoring areas, cut, drive and off his legs, he would pick off runs with machine like efficiency. This was part of the skill set that allowed him to play 106 tests in Australia’s top order against teams including the then formidable West Indies.

I was watching the 1st Ashes Test 2009 and noticed that at one stage Australia’s Mitchell Johnson bowled a 6 over spell where not one of the 36 balls bowled challenged the stumps, which allowed the batsmen to leave all of his deliveries.  Amazingly, Andrew Flintoff the England batsman decided to defend a ball that was missing the stumps by 70cm and nicked it straight to second slip!

Don’t make a Bad ball into a good one!  Flintoff made a bad ball into a good one in this case by defending a ball that could have been left alone.  In defending a ball he didn’t have to he was increasing his risk all for no reward!  Importantly, for a technical perspective when you defend ball wide of off-stump the bat face has to open up to reach the ball and you are playing away from your eye-line which further increase the risk associated with this already risky and pointless tactic!

As Marcus North demonstrated so well in his outstanding century in the same Test the only ball worthwhile hitting outside the line of off-stump is one you can score from.

Please find below an except from another article entitles The Art Of Leaving The Ball Outside Off-Stump and although leaving the ball may not sound like the most exciting part of cricket if you can master this skill it will make you harder to get out and give you more time at the crease which will make you more runs – which is exciting!

Here are the benefits of leaving balls outside off stump that you cannot score from:

• You are minimising the risk of caught behind the wicket by leaving ball wide of off stump and effectively making the slips fielders a wasted position.
• You can pressure the bowlers into changing their tactics and bowling straighter line, which will create leg side scoring opportunities.
• You are demonstrating to the bowlers that you will be selective in your choice of shots and therefore tough to get out.
• You are demonstrating that you value your wicket.
• You are giving yourself time to get comfortable at the crease.
• You can begin to develop a feel for what attacking opportunities will be available outside off-stump later in your innings by having a good look at the bowling while you adjust to the conditions.
• You can get your eye in and establish yourself at the crease at the most difficult part of your innings, the start.  If you bat for long enough you will make up the runs later as your confidence grows and the bowlers tire.

Cheers

Mark

Happy New Year from the team at Elite Cricket.

Congratulations to Graeme Smith’s South African team. Again they have played brilliantly, this time in Melbourne, to claim the Boxing Day Test match and the series. This historic series win, South Africa’s first ever in Australia – and the first time Australia have been beaten in a home series since our 2-1 loss to the West Indies 1992-3 – signifies a clear changing of cricket’s world order.

After setting such a high standard for so long Australia have inevitably been defeated by better teams – India and South Africa. Although I’m sure they won’t be looking for any sympathy, I do spare a thought for Australia’s players who are now being judged by the stellar standards for excellence they have set in dominating the game for the best part of twenty years.

Australia have been outplayed by both the South African and Indian teams who have been able, among other things, to beat Australia at their own game in terms of executing the basic skills under pressure and over time.

Australia’s bowling with the exception of Krejza in India and Johnson in Perth has lacked potency and belief. Contrast this to both the Indian and South African attacks that were able to create pressure on Australia’s batsmen through sustained periods of consistent line and length bowling, extracting moving (conventional and reverse swing and spin) from largely unresponsive pitches and developing simple yet effective strategies to Australia’s batsmen such as bowling around the wicket to left handers. High quality bowling has been backed up by great fielding and the South African slip cordon has caught brilliantly to take some superb catches which has no doubt buoyed both confidence within the bowling unit and the team as a whole.

Throughout it’s batting order, South Africa have managed to out play Australia with players including Smith, McKenzie, Alma, De Villiers, Kallis, Duminy, Harris and Steyn placing a high value on their wickets. The South African’s have been tougher than their Australian counterparts with the bat and have demonstrated the key abilities to absorb pressure and defend when necessary and to counter attack when opportunities have arisen. Australia’s batsmen have in general lacked discipline and a number of players have atypically thrown their wickets away when they have been set – a disturbing trend also noted against New Zealand.

Ultimately it is healthy for world cricket, although unpleasant for the Australian players and supporters to be defeated and it is no shame given the quality of the Indian and South African teams. In it’s period of dominance Australia has contributed significantly to the development of the game and has been wonderful to watch in terms of dominant and positive batting, superb pace bowling, the rebirth of spin, brilliant fielding and setting new standards for excellence and achievement. However all things must change and it is now Australia’s turn to rebuild and be the hunter not the hunted!

While we rebuild it is important to remember that we have recently lost a host of champion players such as Warne, McGrath, Gilchrist and Langer and players of this quality do not come along everyday. We need to accept that some young players such as Siddle, Krezja, Hauritz, Bollinger, McDonald and Hilfenhaus with a relative lack of first class experience will be learning from their mistakes at Test level and as such will need support and confidence shown in them by the selectors if they are to succeed.

However at the same time it is also necessary for Australia to get back to basics and embrace an attacking and positive style of play in contrast to the at times negative tactics of recent years. As my old captain David Boon used to say, you need to be prepared to lose a game of cricket in order to win it and while attacking cricket carries this risk, Australia are better served being defeated trying to win than aiming to merely defend and survive, which incidentally is the very strategy that has taken us to the top of the tree in the first place.

Bring on the Sydney Test!

Places for our School Holiday Programs are still available however the response to our first High Performance Academy program (January 8th and 9th) has been very strong. Places at this program are capped and we only have a few places remaining.

Program Schedule: January 2009

JANUARY HIGH PERFORMANCE ACADEMY

A program for cricketers playing representative or 1st XI cricket aged 13 years and above.

* St. Ignatius College, Riverview – 8th & 9th January 2009

JANUARY SCHOOL HOLIDAY PROGRAM

The program is suitable for ages 7 – 14 and will be conducted from 9am to 3pm in both 2 and 3 day formats across the range of venues listed below.

* Lindfield Oval, Tryon Road – 12th, 13th & 14th January 2009
* Morrison Bay Oval, Gladesville – 14th & 15th January 2009
* St. Ignatius College, Riverview – 19th & 20th January 2009
* Shore Sports Fields, Northbridge – 22nd & 23rd January 2009

JANUARY ‘ON THE BALL’ PROGRAM

‘On the Ball’ is for girls and boys from 5 -7 years, who have perhaps never played cricket or who have just begun their cricketing career.

* Lindfield Oval, Tryon Road – 12th, 13th & 14th January 2009
* Morrison Bay Oval, Gladesville – 14th & 15th January 2009
* St. Ignatius College, Riverview – 19th & 20th January 2009
* Shore Sports Fields, Northbridge – 22nd & 23rd January 2009

JANUARY HIGH PERFORMANCE – BOOT CAMP

* Five Dock Indoor Sports Centre – 21st January 2009

Cheers

Mark