Story Cricket Apprentice

[Gilly Fan]

That shot is the wrong shot for those types of deliveries. On pitches with a lot of bounce, you will be getting out a lot. It looks like from this image that you are undecided on whether to Cut the ball over the top or defend.

I say try and get out of the way all together. On a bouncy pitch with a little juice in it, if you get a short ball and you play at it, you are a gonna.

Try leaving these balls alone. That way, you will not get out unless you keep the ball down. Do not try and hit the ball in the air, try and keep it along the ground. So roll your wrists over the ball. That eliminated one way of you getting out.

Only uppercut it over the slips if you are absolutely positive that you will get onto it right or if you are in need of runs at a crucial stage.

Just remember, eyes on the ball, if there is bounce and juice in the pitch, try and leave it at all times. You will not get into as much trouble on a fifth day, so just watch for the uneven bounce.

I hope this helps you in the future!

 

[Will_NA]

There are a number of things wrong with this stroke.

Firstly, we should look at the feet. They are both in the air so you do not have a solid base and cannot alter your stroke.
Secondly, your eyes are not on the ball thus; you are not concentrating on where you hit it.
You must take into consideration;
i) the bounce of the pitch, the reasons for this are, extra bounce in the pitch may get you in trouble and bounce out of your control, causing you to either sky your shot or glove/edge the ball. If the pitch has a low bounce, there is the risk of you inside edging the ball, as that shot requires high bounce
ii) the speed of the pitch. You could be deceived by the speed of the pitch as a quick pitch may catch you off guard and cause you to play your stroke too late and gift a fielder a catch and a slow pitch may cause you to play the shot too early and sky it
iii) the pace of the bowler. The pace of the bowler will cause you the same problems a the pace of the pitch as you could easily play the shot too early/late
iv) the field settings.The field settings are probably the most important factor. You should only play this shot when the element of risk is at its lowest and there are a minimum amount of filders to catch it. For example, if there is a slip cordon and/ or third man or backward point, the chances of you getting caught are much higher than if there are no or a little amount of fielders behind point.

 

[Skater]

The deadline has passed! No more entries will be accepted, and the results will be posted later.

 

[Skater]

THE VERDICT

Stuart Cullington - 9/10: this was the first entry, it was well written with some very good points raised. The conclusion was slightly watery though, as it did not apply to only the batsman in question.

Freddie Seccombe - 9/10: Freddie, you wrote a good passage. Advice worth taking in my opinion. Your points could have been expanded on though.

Willie Liebenberg - 10/10: one of the best pieces of advice I've read. It directly attacked the batsman and didn't give him any leeway. Well done.

Phil Deasey - 9/10: a decent passage Phil, but telling a batsman to "flash hard" will not work in America, as they have no technique to work with.

MC Donald - 2/10: are you joking? This isn't advice, it's a bloody joke!

Griffo - 7/10: you took a while to get to work, which just isn't right for a coach, especially in America. What you wrote was good though.

Jack Teague - 9/10: you obviously put a lot of thought into your passage. Very good.

JJ Simpson - 8/10: a decent passage, but go and tell the batsman that! It doesn't directly address the player you are trying to improve.

Sean B - 9/10: directly addressing the batsman, and some good points. Very good.

William Ako - 10/10: brilliant passage. Addressing the batsman, making suggestions and telling him where he's gone wrong in more than one aspect.

The following did not enter:

Ross Mathers
Bugsy Malone
Manee

You have until the announcement tomorrow morning to submit your passages or you're out!!

Now I've made my decision. Here's the people I want here tomorrow:

MC Donald: call yourself a coach in the mould of Allan Donald? You need to start taking this seriously.

Griffo: your passage was good but you're a little hard to motivate.

See you both tomorrow.​

 

[Deleted member 13648]

9/10

Thanks Sir Ian Botham!

 

[Jaztheman]

I didn't enter either?

 

[Skater]

I didn't enter either?

You quit, that's different.

 

[Leicester Fox]

I can't get fired ahead of people that didn't enter! They've not made the deadline whilst my passage broke no rules whatsoever!

 

[Jaztheman]

I didn't actually quit just said i couldn't compete, but as we have till tomorow morning i have a spare 10 mins max so i will whip something up anyway.

326 Words:

Shots like this one in the picture can easily be avoided through quite a lot of ways. It looks like you have wanted to play the shot but then changed your mind at the last minute causing hesitation and made your arms go too stiff, in which you couldn't get out of the way. The pitch looks like it could throw a few bouncers quite often, so if any ones which are bouncing and moving in the air and you have any uncertainty whatsoever you should either try and play it defensively knocking it down or you should try and just leave it considering how wide it is from your off stump. Looking at the position of the ball when you have chosen to hit it, you can see in your eyes that you know you are going to get caught. If your team need a partnership or to bat a day out with you still in it is best to leave these kind of balls to make sure no confusion will arise. Your footwork has been all wrong in the shot as you were not even at the ground in the present shot and if you were trying to Glance it over then it was just a poor shot to select. Your wrists and Hands as i said earlier are too tight and it makes you stiff. To counter that just go down to the nets and get some people or a bowl machine to bowl a few bouncers and swingers so you know when to leave and when not to leave, plus when to play this shot, if ever. In Conclusion you must make sure you aren't all stiff in the body and arms and you must be confident and if you aren't then back out before it is too late, but don't worry too much as a few training sessions and you will be able to tell them from hit or to miss.

 

[Skater]

James Edmonds - 8/10: behind the deadline, but a good piece, good points. Well done.

The first episode of cricket coaching talent show "Howzat for an Apprentice?" has been labelled a success after 9 million Americans tuned in to watch 11 of the 14 contestants hand in suggestions to a struggling batsman.

Sir Ian Botham has been warmly greeted by the US public, with 9 more episodes left to watch Beefy find his coach for LACC.

 

[Wildwil]

10/10 Thanks Beefy. I'm enjoying this story so far keep it up Lee.

 

[Deleted member 11215]

Griffo - 7/10: you took a while to get to work, which just isn't right for a coach, especially in America. What you wrote was good though.

what a joke ofcourse its hard to motivate yourself to write for an online game thats worth nothing when you have 2 exams and 1 essay or whatever it was. cut the guy some slack.

 

[Skater]

what a joke ofcourse its hard to motivate yourself to write for an online game thats worth nothing when you have 2 exams and 1 essay or whatever it was. cut the guy some slack.

Exactly. This is the sense I was writing it in....

 

[Gilly Fan]

Sean B - 9/10: directly addressing the batsman, and some good points. Very good.

Thanks Sir Ian "Beefy" Botham!

 

[Will_NA]

William Ako - 10/10: brilliant passage. Addressing the batsman, making suggestions and telling him where he's gone wrong in more than one aspect.

Thank you Mr. Botham. I am happy with that