Problem: Is there any point to Fast Bowling in Career mode?

[VampyreSquirrel]

That new batsman that just came in... don't try york him... he'll do one of three things.

1. Block it like he's been there for 100 balls.
2. Smack you for 4.
3. Smack you for 6.

Doesn't matter if he's batting at #1 or #11.

In career tests before the last PC patch, I could get edges, and limit a tailender to less than 10/20 runs. Now, I get 2 edges in 20 overs, which are so thick that they don't go to anyone. Every player can block like an opener, bowling on the stumps gets you smacked over 3rd man or the keeper's head, and most of your wickets come from C&B's or chips to point, mid-off or mid-on.

Limited over games, there's still less wickets falling to career players, and the tailenders are batting like maniacs.

 

[blockerdave]

Change thread title to "is there any point bowling to AI in the game?"

answer: no.

[/thread]

 

[nkarthikn78]

That new batsman that just came in... don't try york him... he'll do one of three things.

1. Block it like he's been there for 100 balls.
2. Smack you for 4.
3. Smack you for 6.

Doesn't matter if he's batting at #1 or #11.

In career tests before the last PC patch, I could get edges, and limit a tailender to less than 10/20 runs. Now, I get 2 edges in 20 overs, which are so thick that they don't go to anyone. Every player can block like an opener, bowling on the stumps gets you smacked over 3rd man or the keeper's head, and most of your wickets come from C&B's or chips to point, mid-off or mid-on.

Limited over games, there's still less wickets falling to career players, and the tailenders are batting like maniacs.

This!
Also they score a minimum of 100 runs between the last 3 wickets.

 

[convertorboy]

Sounds pretty much exactly like what Im doing. I bowl a very tight line just outside off a add just enough variety to keep them guessing. I mix it up with slower balls or bowl 4 similar type of deliveries and take it the other way on the 5th ball etc. etc....Lucky you, Im bowling the way one would bowl in real life to take wickets but all I end up getting is tons of maidens, tons of plays and misses and the AI hogging all the wickets when I simulate.

Strange thing is I find getting wickets much easier in limited over games / 40overs - not necessariy due to batsmen being more aggressive, but I get way more nicks to the keeper/slips...even more LBW and bowled dismissals. My biggest issue is First Class, to the point where Im thinking of putting the game away indefinitely. FC / Tests are my favorite form of cricket and it really infuriates me that Im doing everything the way I should but get stonewalled.

On another note....do the skill increases you get after each game actually do something? As your skills increase is it more likely to get more wickets or is this a gimmick?

Did you look at the other attributes when making a player? Because my player is a bowling all rounder I decreased Aerobic, anaerobic, running skills a bit and improved catching, anticipation and strength. I think that's why I get good C&B and when I do slog it goes far.

 

[Scrogs]

Bowling is quite random.

 

[Michael Gower]

Im in 2nd season as a fast bowler on pro and im doing well in all formats can swing the ball well so wickets are coming still cant break into test squad but itll happen.

 

[marcopolio1001]

The most frustrating thing is the batter is guaranteed to play and miss if it is whisker outside off stump but will block everything that could touch the stumps. Very, very few edges occur, even when playing across the line.

Additionally, everyone plays the same. No11 walks out and pulls a 97mph bouncer in front of square first ball - no signs of being hurried up, batters don't get squared up when playing the wrong line etc. I've not seen anyone caught a short leg yet or off the shoulder of the bat, so trying to Mitchell Johnson players is pointless

 

[marcopolio1001]

Anyone else had a nick to first slip appeal turned down? Cos that was frustrating, let me tell you

 

[Valaskjalf]

Anyone else had a nick to first slip appeal turned down? Cos that was frustrating, let me tell you

Damn that's infuriating...I would throw my controller lol I do tend to have fielders drop tons of catches off my bowling in career mode and that realllly pisses me off...especially when I've gone through 15 fruitless/chanceless overs. Really demoralising.

I suppose the short and sweet answer to the OPs questions is: NO. I can possibly count on one hand the amount of times where Ive felt sufficiently tricked by the game to believe I've outfoxed the AI. Generally it's just pretty blatant that bowling to a plan is pointless, bowling terrible deliveries has as good/if not better chance to get a dismissal, so that totally fudges the immersion.

Bowling a perfect length generally results in an effortless / solid defense or a stab over third-man for a boundary with zero hassle and footwork....seriously ridiculous. The only reason why my career guy has a bowling average of around 19, is because 60% of the wickets I take are caught at mid-off / mid-on. The AI batsmen, for some reason, are really terrible at playing in the "V" or doing the fundamentals properly - but dont you dare bowl a short ball, they can coverdrive the leather off those balls...off the FRONT foot.

 

[harishankar]

I've started career fast bowling all rounder on Pro mode and I've got 4 wickets in the first FC match - 2 in each innings. Three off edges - two caught behind by the keeper and one inside edge off an on-drive that went to square leg for a catch.

And lots of plays and misses.

Ironically bowling seam up deliveries on a good length seems to find more edges than swinging balls. The AI batsmen anticipate swing well, but bowling straight seam deliveries lead to edges/nicks.

And I did a lot of bowling around the wicket to right handers. Seems to get more across the body and increase the chance of edges this way?

Bowling short seems to be pointless as the AI batsmen don't seem to get unsettled by it. And yorkers get defended with persistence or cut away square of the wicket to third man

I'm with the PS3 version - 1.03.

 

[Mana]

I started my career as a no3 batsmen but discovered i was getting given the ball at the death in ODI and T20 both domestic and international. Not sure how that happened. I bowl at ~145kmh with my stock ball pitching on off and seaming away (left and right stick straight up). I have a few 5 fors and a couple of 6 fors. I find anything short either gets missed or back cut for 6, anything i try to swing in gets put over square leg for 6. Still haven't been able to control direction with right stick yet, seems any deviation from straight up gives me a wide.

 

[Mana]

You gotta laugh though when a tailender back cuts a 145k inswinging yorker for six.

 

[marcopolio1001]

You gotta laugh though when a tailender back cuts a 145k inswinging yorker for six.

This is one of the most annoying things - 94mph yorker is clipped over the slips....wait, what?!?

Crazy. Tailenders have the same technique as openers. Needs revision in the next version.

 

[Valaskjalf]

This is one of the most annoying things - 94mph yorker is clipped over the slips....wait, what?!?

Crazy. Tailenders have the same technique as openers. Needs revision in the next version.

I think this would be less of an issue if changing batting characteristics in the Academy made any difference whatsoever If this was a mere oversight from BA then it would be ok, it's understandable, but making every single batting attribute very low / practically 0 for a no.11 doesn't solve the problem and that's a big worry. What attributes influence how well you bat in-game? Does achieving skill-points in my own career mode mean anything whatsoever then if the difference between maxed-out skills and no skills deliver the same results?

We've been given all these tools to fiddle / adjust the game/players to what we think is best...and then it turns out to be a gimmick.

 

[blockerdave]

I think this would be less of an issue if changing batting characteristics in the Academy made any difference whatsoever If this was a mere oversight from BA then it would be ok, it's understandable, but making every single batting attribute very low / practically 0 for a no.11 doesn't solve the problem and that's a big worry. What attributes influence how well you bat in-game? Does achieving skill-points in my own career mode mean anything whatsoever then if the difference between maxed-out skills and no skills deliver the same results?

We've been given all these tools to fiddle / adjust the game/players to what we think is best...and then it turns out to be a gimmick.

@cooks1st100 and a few of us are experimenting with significantly reduced stats for all batsmen and bowlers... specifically seam bowlers with much lower swing and spinners much lower drift and flight, and batsmen with much lower front/back foot, and much much lower everything else.

Some interesting results. cookie has been getting significantly more edges as well as bowling through the gate with spinners... I can't say I've got this result but I have noticed much more "proper" plays and misses and also in the last game I noticed the sound off the AI's bat was variable - instead of that crisp sound of the perfectly middle shot (the only sound I've heard heretofore) there were some really "clunky" sounds indicating poor timing.

it seems that the stats do have an effect (I've always thought like you they were purely cosmetic/a gimmick) but it seems the calibration of what effect it has on gameplay is way way off.

edit: worth clarifying that you still get decent scores, you're not rolling the AI over. from my limited testing (on Pro level) the AI actually plays much more realistically (playing a 3 day match) with less hitting out. I also have tried batting on like this and again it still felt balanced and challenging... maybe a bit easier but you're not gonna rack up 500/1