Custom Bats Cricket Forum
General Cricket => Your Cricket => Topic started by: shentser on August 04, 2022, 02:35:34 PM
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I have been lucky enough recently to watch some junior cricket for the first time since lockdown but have witnessed some uncomfortable moments in the last couple of weeks.
I have now seen 3 instances of young legspinners who are still learning the game totally losing their composure and bowling multiple ball expensive overs. It all revolves around the Free Hit.
As most of you will know the legspinner is a very hard delivery to control and sometimes the ball can bounce twice or float towards the batmnan over waist height .
Both these deliveries are obviously no balls that the batsman has plenty time to dispatch to the boundary but is then offered a free hit which often is dispatched in the same way.
All the times I have witnessed this you can see the pressure building on the individual and it invariably goes from bad to worse.
One instance was a 17 year old girl who when she got it right was unplayable but had such a bad experience in her last over she doesnt want to bowl any more.
I can see the logic in a free hit for seamers overstepping the front line but I do worry that this law is a huge disincentive to continue as a spinner for the next generation.
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Cricket's in a real mess.
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We don't play the free hit rule in our leagues, other than the Premier. I can understand it at elite level but at clubbie level it's pretty brutal.
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We don't play the free hit rule in our leagues, other than the Premier. I can understand it at elite level but at clubbie level it's pretty brutal.
Exactly this! A totally irrelevant rule for non elite cricket.
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I'm not sure I agree.
My son has played pairs for most of his cricket career as a wicketkeeper/batsman. He has had plenty of games ruined (for him) with his precious 12 balls being slung all over the place and being unhittable. However the bowlers are protected by a rule that limits the number of additional balls that the bowler can deliver (1 from memory). So he stands there as his 14 balls roll along the floor or are 8 feet wide as his opportunity to contribute and have fun goes up in smoke. Your spinner has been hurt by her own lack of skill- the batsman gets punished for the bowlers lack of skill.
A couple of further points specific to your example-
Is 17 really classed as that young to need extra protection? I'm not convinced.
Aren't all spinners at risk of being expensive when things don't work properly? I would think the mental resilience needed to cope with that was an important skill for all spinners to learn, and captains to manage.
Tonight I watched a 12 year old walk off the pitch in tears having got out 4 times in his 4 over partnership. He's not very good. The rule designed to protect him (loss of runs, keep batting) actually led to repeated failures rather than a single low score. In truth, no rule is going to protect him here- he failed and was going to feel bad. If he can't learn to accept that, I can't see him continuing to play the game for long irrespective of any accommodations made for him.
The point I'm trying to make (whilst probably sounding completely heartless :D is you cannot legislate a poor player against a good one. If this spinner is being hit to the boundary repeatedly then it sounds like she's up against a batsman that is better than her (at least on the day) - in the same way my son's team mate was against bowlers better than him. My son has played games in all sports where he has been heavily beaten- and dished out heavy defeats. It's part of playing sport.
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My son has played pairs for most of his cricket career as a wicketkeeper/batsman. He has had plenty of games ruined (for him) with his precious 12 balls being slung all over the place and being unhittable. However the bowlers are protected by a rule that limits the number of additional balls that the bowler can deliver (1 from memory). So he stands there as his 14 balls roll along the floor or are 8 feet wide as his opportunity to contribute and have fun goes up in smoke. Your spinner has been hurt by her own lack of skill- the batsman gets punished for the bowlers lack of skill.
Yes, we see a bit of that in our cricket, particularly at the end when the younger members of the team (our team has 8-16 y.o.) come on to bowl. A partial solution is to have umpires who are on the ball, and if they see a bowler struggling, then have them deliver the ball three or so steps closer to the batter (assuming they are not quick). This isn't perfect but will get more balls on the pitch.
Umpires have to be a bit flexible, if a young kid bowls a ball that lands on the pitch but bounces a few times, we're happy to let it go unless the player happens to get out. 7 ball max overs here as well. With some teams it would be a long day if all wides had to be re-bowled!
There is a T20 junior competition my kids have played in where no-balls and wides both incur a 2 run penalty, but thankfully the 'free hit' has never been part of the rules. While the 2 run penalty does more to compensate for a ball you can't hit, ideally you still want something the batter can play.
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Your either good at sport or you’re not. Simple as. If the ‘enjoyment’ if there as you aren’t good enough to adhere to the laws of the game - take up something else.
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Your either good at sport or you’re not. Simple as. If the ‘enjoyment’ if there as you aren’t good enough to adhere to the laws of the game - take up something else.
Could this be more Aussie if you tried 😂
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I like 2 runs for a wide/no ball, it's what we do at the level I play at and feels fair. The batter doesn't feel forced to try and hit it, bowler still gets punished for bowling poorly.
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Could this be more Aussie if you tried 😂
Yes. Shane Warne would have totally disagreed with developing cricketers being treated like this.
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I like 2 runs for a wide/no ball, it's what we do at the level I play at and feels fair. The batter doesn't feel forced to try and hit it, bowler still gets punished for bowling poorly.
works until oppo needs 8 off 3 to win so the bowler slings 3 massive wides, unfortunately have played in a game where this happened. both sides agreed no extra balls because of the weather forecast later in the day.
I like the rule at a kids level with maybe the tweak that extra balls are bowled in the last 2 overs of each innings. nobody should feel bullied out of the game because they are not very good at it, but there has to be a balance for those that are also a lot better so they are also enjoying it. we dont live in a culture of medals just for participating just yet and sport is supposed to be competitive, i bet these kids dont throw s##t fits when they lose a game of fifa
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I'm not sure I agree.
My son has played pairs for most of his cricket career as a wicketkeeper/batsman. He has had plenty of games ruined (for him) with his precious 12 balls being slung all over the place and being unhittable. However the bowlers are protected by a rule that limits the number of additional balls that the bowler can deliver (1 from memory). So he stands there as his 14 balls roll along the floor or are 8 feet wide as his opportunity to contribute and have fun goes up in smoke. Your spinner has been hurt by her own lack of skill- the batsman gets punished for the bowlers lack of skill.
A couple of further points specific to your example-
Is 17 really classed as that young to need extra protection? I'm not convinced.
Aren't all spinners at risk of being expensive when things don't work properly? I would think the mental resilience needed to cope with that was an important skill for all spinners to learn, and captains to manage.
Tonight I watched a 12 year old walk off the pitch in tears having got out 4 times in his 4 over partnership. He's not very good. The rule designed to protect him (loss of runs, keep batting) actually led to repeated failures rather than a single low score. In truth, no rule is going to protect him here- he failed and was going to feel bad. If he can't learn to accept that, I can't see him continuing to play the game for long irrespective of any accommodations made for him.
The point I'm trying to make (whilst probably sounding completely heartless :D is you cannot legislate a poor player against a good one. If this spinner is being hit to the boundary repeatedly then it sounds like she's up against a batsman that is better than her (at least on the day) - in the same way my son's team mate was against bowlers better than him. My son has played games in all sports where he has been heavily beaten- and dished out heavy defeats. It's part of playing sport.
That's a great post and some very good points raised, hard to disagree
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How a young child deals with a bad outing depends on his/her coach and parents. If the coach/parent drones on about the need for line and length and the standard unhelpful nonsense of “no full tosses” or “pitch the ball” then of course the child will be traumatized. On the other hand, if the child is receiving helpful advice like “remember to finish your action” and being encouraged (runs don’t matter, keep spinning the ball), then being hit around the park will be a learning experience. He/she will build character, learn how to handle pressure AND learn more about his/her game.
Young spinners need protection from terrible coaches/parents, not from the laws of the game.
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works until oppo needs 8 off 3 to win so the bowler slings 3 massive wides, unfortunately have played in a game where this happened. both sides agreed no extra balls because of the weather forecast later in the day.
And for that exact reason our junior comp has a by-law that during finals, the last over must be six legal deliveries. It's never been a problem during minor round games, but removes any temptation for teams to do the wrong thing when winning counts more than ever.
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I’ve often wondered about the specific point of this post and why no balls are punished with a free hit when they can already be scored off (and treated as a free hit if called early enough) in comparison to wides? This has also been the case in county cricket where 2 runs have been awarded for a no ball in various competitions. Why is a no ball considered to be worse than a wide?!
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I'm not sure I agree.
My son has played pairs for most of his cricket career as a wicketkeeper/batsman. He has had plenty of games ruined (for him) with his precious 12 balls being slung all over the place and being unhittable. However the bowlers are protected by a rule that limits the number of additional balls that the bowler can deliver (1 from memory). So he stands there as his 14 balls roll along the floor or are 8 feet wide as his opportunity to contribute and have fun goes up in smoke.
Totally get this point. my son stopped playing pairs and moved up to regular rules a few years early to avoid this scenario.
Your spinner has been hurt by her own lack of skill- the batsman gets punished for the bowlers lack of skill.
She is being punished for her perserverence in trying to turn the ball. The batsman has already had their free hit from the double bouncer so why get another ?. The answer is surely to simply rebowl the no ball
A couple of further points specific to your example-
Is 17 really classed as that young to need extra protection? I'm not convinced.
Aren't all spinners at risk of being expensive when things don't work properly? I would think the mental resilience needed to cope with that was an important skill for all spinners to learn, and captains to manage.
Age wise I guess it depends on how long they have been playing and how new they are to spin bowling.
Tonight I watched a 12 year old walk off the pitch in tears having got out 4 times in his 4 over partnership. He's not very good. The rule designed to protect him (loss of runs, keep batting) actually led to repeated failures rather than a single low score. In truth, no rule is going to protect him here- he failed and was going to feel bad. If he can't learn to accept that, I can't see him continuing to play the game for long irrespective of any accommodations made for him.
I have often thought instead of the batsman having a minus 5 penalty the penalty runs should be added to rthe bowling teams score so it remains a win for the bowler but the kid doesnt have the embarrasment of a minus score when they come off.
The point I'm trying to make (whilst probably sounding completely heartless :D is you cannot legislate a poor player against a good one. If this spinner is being hit to the boundary repeatedly then it sounds like she's up against a batsman that is better than her (at least on the day) - in the same way my son's team mate was against bowlers better than him. My son has played games in all sports where he has been heavily beaten- and dished out heavy defeats. It's part of playing sport.
I just think in my particular example it was an excellent battle until this free hit debacle. The ball was turning and beating the bat when pitched in the right areas. The double bouncer gets smashed to the boundary so why not simply rebowl rather than give the free hit ?
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Young spinners need protection from terrible coaches/parents, not from the laws of the game.
Free hits aren't actually in the laws of the game. They are a competition-specific ammendment.
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Your either good at sport or you’re not. Simple as. If the ‘enjoyment’ if there as you aren’t good enough to adhere to the laws of the game - take up something else.
This is absolute garbage. With cricket especially you can work really hard and become decent. It just takes dedication and some good core coaching.
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I have spent the last 4 summers coaching kids from reception age to u12.
In the last two games my u8 team have played they have bowled a maximum of 3 wides and 2 no balls in each game. One of the wides was my son trying to bowl a back of the hand slower ball... Argh.
We have spent a lot of time working with the kids on bowling actions and really running in to bowl and completing their actions. At the beginning of the summer I only had 2 kids who could bowl the rest chucked it.
Batting is a very different thing because you get unplayable balls, especially on the crap wickets kids play on.
But repetition of hitting balls helps.
The other important thing I have learned is don't make a big deal out of people getting out. They need to explore the boundaries of when they can run or which balls to hit. This is why pairs cricket is really beneficial.
As for the topic... Bowling is part confidence part bluff. The kids will need to learn the bluff and also need to have the self awareness that it won't be your day every day.
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This is absolute garbage. With cricket especially you can work really hard and become decent. It just takes dedication and some good core coaching.
Also, if youngsters are scared to try different things, only the 'safe' skills get learnt. (Everyone become a medium-pacer or an off-spinner.)