Looking for some advice here, I am looking to improve few aspects of batting, fielding and bowling but don't know if it will be too much pre season. The key points I need to work on are:
1:Legside shots between midwicket and mid on, tend to hit these riskly between fine leg and square, been out many times LBW.
2: Bowling: very loose and only bowl occasionally but has prospect for improvement.
3: Fielding: all of my fielding needs working.
Current fitness level has the best it has been in many years and have been weight training.
Firstly is it feasible or ambitious, secondly is it drills mainly to improve or any other tips please, I will post a batting video for critique next time I net. Many thanks.
Mate, couple of pieces here for you.
1. BattingI have the same problem. One of the errors that most people make with hitting the ball to leg side, is trying to hit it to square. One piece of advice i received very early in my career, was trying to hit the ball as straight as possible early in your innings. This allows you to give the ball the full face of the bat and helps remove small errors in timing.
So essentially, trying to hit the ball to mid on or mid off early in your innings.
You still have to play the ball on it's merits, but this should help.
The other thing to consider, is that you could be playing across the line of the ball. Should it really be hit to mid-wicket in the first place?
This means you hit across the path the ball is travelling. Try keeping a high front elbow, as it is very difficult to play across the line of the ball this way.
2. BowlingPractice makes perfect.
The mistake a lot of bowlers make, is trying too much variation.
To get your accuracy better, try bowling one, an only one type of delivery. For me, my stock ball is an out swinger. I bowl this delivery, pretty well 5 out of 6 balls every over.
You need to find your stock delivery and perfect this. Get to the nets (if you can) and bowl the same delivery over and over until you are happy with how you're landing it. Then work on changing the spot you're trying to land it. This accuracy makes you invaluable to a captain as he/she can rely on you every over to be able to bowl to the field they set.
After you have your accuracy, then start working on variations from your stock delivery.
3. FieldingAgain, practice makes perfect.
The more balls you field, the more catches you take, the better you will get.
I agree with the earlier comment about looking at professional drills online, but make sure you don't start too advanced.
Couple of things i still (after 23 years of organised cricket) remind myself of:
- when fielding the ball along the ground, chin to chest as the ball is coming in. This means you watch the ball right into your hands and you don't look up too early, causing a miss field
- Body behind the ball. I did my knee a few years ago so don't slide any more, but it means that i use the one leg down as a back like this:

You can see in the last picture that he has all of his body 'behind the ball' if he doesn't take it with his hands, or the ground is uneven and the ball kicks over his hands, it will hit his leg/body. Yes cricket balls can hurt if you miss with your hands, but not as much as being the fielder in the team the captain moves all the time as they don't trust your fielding. - Let the ball come to you. A lot of people snatch at the ball. You need to allow the ball to come to you and use it's natural momentum.
- While there is text book in how to catch, i've found a lot of cricketers need to find their way. Look at some videos on techniques for catching. Then try them all until you find what's most comfortable
- Keep - your - head - still! Keeping your head as still as possible, for any part of the game, gives you the best opportunity to see the ball. Our brain is a very powerful processing machine, but your head swaying, moving, bouncing, angled means it has to work harder and forces it to make assumptions. Keep your head still to take this out.
Mate, hope this helps and good luck with your improvement.
The day you stop trying to improve is the day you should give the game away!