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[GarrettJ]

a very good point raised by ajmw89

its easier if you have 2 openers with very different styles, one who is happy to be a little more aggresive and the other who is happy to rotate the strike.

Get 2 of the same and it usually ends up with either an early wicket or 30 for 0 off 20 overs which isnt really helpful.

[magicman84]

As an opener myself, the most important thing for me is having someone at the other end with a different style. I'm slow to get going and struggle with the full ball however pounce on anything short, I speed up after about 20 balls when I have my eye in and have confidence on how the pitch is playing.

I need to open with a guy who likes the full ball and does not take long to get going. My stats from last season back this up.

[Seniorplayer]

As an opening bat and having completed the Sports Psychology course to help me with my own mindset when batting whilst I agree, with Rowan affirmations can help at the crease but you can become to intense with concentration. I intend top lay each ball on its own merit leaving balls i do not not have to play and play no risky shots, I don,t worry about the score, think like an opening bat not a middle order player, have a tight technique, see off the opening bowlers, and the new ball. Get the feet moving from ball one. The key is not to give the opposition inroads into into your batting lineup. I then assess the match situation after every five overs e.g. Are the change bowlers easier to score off, have we lost a wicket etc.

[joeljonno]

There is not a lot of difference generally. Play your strong shots. Defend well. I think there is a bit more focus on not getting out early yet trying to not let the opening bowlers settle.

One thing with batting at 4 is you have time to relax and talk with others unlike openers who go straight out to bat. Maybe this is something to think about. Before you go out to bat, have a 2-3 minute switch off before going out to bat.


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[SOULMAN1012]

Having been an opener most of my playing days the key is to try and judge what is going to be a good score on the deck your playing on. You are setting the tone for the rest of your team.

Try and get yourself in but put the bad ball away and rotate the strike so you don't get bogged down. Always keep the score board ticking over 3-4 and over for the first 7 or so overs is solid foundation to build from. There are benefits of a harder ball, yes it does a bit more bit bowlers will still bowl bad balls and at the end of the day the key to being an opener is to be got out not give your wicket away.

Trust your ability, play the shots your confident with early and always look to rotate. Always worked well for me.

[Cys1]

Lots of good advice on here. Been opening for most of my career and here are some tips that help me, especially when I'm struggling for some runs.

You first have to accept a couple of things as a given when you open. The ball is going to move around more, you are sometimes going to get a good ball that you can't do anything about that and you will be facing the best bowlers from the opposition.
The flip side of this is that you now have more time to spend a the crease than anybody else and you get great value for your strokes upfront. Give and take.

To make things easier for yourself you need a rough batting plan. I play mostly 50 over matches so my plan is to stay in for 5 overs while I pick up the pace of the wicket and get my eye in. In this period I look to get as many singles as possible and put away long hops and half volleys. After 5 overs I can now play with a bit more freedom, play a few more strokes and start driving on the up etc. Now you can start to put some pressure back on the bowlers. Generally there will be a bowling change after 10-12 overs ( if you are not dominating ) and you will be up against either back up seamers or perhaps a spinner.
Have plans against these bowlers as well. Do you look to hit over the top early against the spinner or do you just want to rotate by sweeping etc.

The basic point is that the majority of your planning should be clear in your mind before the game. This uncluttered your mind and allows you to focus on the ball. You are now just reacting and back in that zone where you act on instinct.

My last point it is a fairly important one as well. You have to want to open the batting. If you are not keen to do it, forget about it. You must want to face the quick stuff and the best they have to throw at you.

[nudgemaster]

What a great topic and some great answers.

Totally agree it is in your mind and the majority of the game is play in the mind, indentifing strengths weaknesses etc.

I also believe the mindset and confidence of yourself in team comes into this........

Personally I open the batting and know I have attacking decent players at our standard behind me in the batting order, for this reason I dont like to get bogged down. Ideally scoring at a run ever 2 balls.

Any league points structure also comes into play I have played in poor teams where you could bat through for a losing draw and have batted for very long periods for hardly any runs, I dont like this format throuth I am aware this still happens in areas.

Your mindset needs to be correct but it also needs to be adaptable...... posting or chasing,,,,, chasing 130 or 280...........

[ProCricketer1982]

What a great topic and some great answers.

Totally agree it is in your mind and the majority of the game is play in the mind, indentifing strengths weaknesses etc.

I also believe the mindset and confidence of yourself in team comes into this........

Personally I open the batting and know I have attacking decent players at our standard behind me in the batting order, for this reason I dont like to get bogged down. Ideally scoring at a run ever 2 balls.

Any league points structure also comes into play I have played in poor teams where you could bat through for a losing draw and have batted for very long periods for hardly any runs, I dont like this format throuth I am aware this still happens in areas.

Your mindset needs to be correct but it also needs to be adaptable...... posting or chasing,,,,, chasing 130 or 280...........

draw cricket is much more fun! Brings in more tactics to the game!

[GarrettJ]

i remember the days of being 12 or 13 years old and having to block out 20 overs with 11 men around the bat .... every now and again i just couldnt resist a good old slog 

[ProCricketer1982]

a really good game can be one where a team is defending for it's life and the fielders are in all out attack. think ponting, think collywobbles etc etc.. hell, cardiff 2009 etc

[SaadIjaz]

So Last season, I went from batting at number 4 in the 2XI and having scores of 16, 10, 4,4,12 before our First XI opener got injured for the rest of the season. So the week after, confidence low.. I get the call up to the first team and being a left hander, my captain asks me to open.. in his words he said "Back yourself, and play on merit..." small pat on the back and out I went.. Scored an absolute fluent 25 before pulling one straight up and getting caught.. Yes 25 is not runs, and isn't anything special, but the important thing was I was driving everything clean, flicks off my leg to the boundary.. Best I batted so far that season..

Captain saw potential, and stuck with me till the end of the season..  How did I mentally prepare? I always told myself (whether or not true), My technique is excellent, my temprament is there all I now need is to execute that in the middle.. I would always take guard and face ball one, I would get my eye in by getting forward and smothering the first 5-10 balls straight down back to the bowler.. The ball hitting the middle of the bat even on a Front foot defence felt great and improved my confidence, settled the nerves. Without dragging on here, opening is all about responsibility and if you stick around for long enough, the old cliche never dies.. Time spent at the wicket does equal runs.

[GarrettJ]

i think that format produces better junior cricketers. There is no pressure on them to go out there and smash it if they are chasing 250 off 50 overs. They bat properly if the team gets near then well done if not, the team batting first should have declared on 200 and took the extra overs to bowl the other team out.

I have recently played in leagues where it is winner takes all and the some of the shots i see early on in peoples innings' are horrendous. Problem for them is they dont dont know any other way as they have been brought up to play that way.

[ProCricketer1982]

i think that format produces better junior cricketers. There is no pressure on them to go out there and smash it if they are chasing 250 off 50 overs. They bat properly if the team gets near then well done if not, the team batting first should have declared on 200 and took the extra overs to bowl the other team out.

I have recently played in leagues where it is winner takes all and the some of the shots i see early on in peoples innings' are horrendous. Problem for them is they dont dont know any other way as they have been brought up to play that way.

agreed bud. win/lose forces people to play shots they can't and don't want to, meaning they don't develop fully AND are sometimes written off as 'bad players', when in fact , if they got the chance to bat properly they'd be decent. Plus, win/lose means bowlers get easy wickets.

[Stuey]

I've opened for the past 16 years and found keeping things a simple as possible is key. Also know that you will accocassionally get out to a really good delivery, that's just how it is and you can't do anything about it (the new ball moves around!). So when you get in make it count.
Some days you'll score freely and some days you'll scratch around for 20 overs, this is when you have to remain mentally strong.

Know your scoring areas, for me I know my run scoring shots early are the staright drive and pull (I leave outside off and make the bowler come to me), once I'm in I'll expand my shots.
Also keep roatating the strike, my current opening partner and I seem to have telepathic undertsanding and we take really quick singles, which puts pressure on the oppo. 

Just keep a clear mind, know your best 2 shots to score early runs and keep your self relatively fit...those quick singles really take the pressure off scoring.

All the best for the season ahead

[Damo]

Everyone is different,we all have different mental strengths and weakneses, some improve some become weaker,

In my opinion from this you can only become better, when we constantly bat in the same position people can often become relaxed and improvement can slow, how ever when put out of are comfort zone it can cause rapid improvement but we are different,

I went from playing second team cricket to opening the bat for are 1sts because it was thought I have a good eye and can hang around, now at first I thought I was like a lamb to slaughter with teams overseas gunning for me ( i was used to 2nd team cricket ) but as humans I think when put out of are comfort zones we can excel and to my suprise I did ok, and was then trusted with the job on a more regular basis for which I made good progress

So I think sometimes you just gotta have a battle with your strengths and weaknesses and see how you come out on the other side you may suprise yourself, and if things don't go to plan be patient.