As much as anyone I love hitting the cricket ball, as hard and as often as possible, However it doesn't come quite as easily as many would think. .Cricket, is a lot of hard work.
The old axiom that boys and girls around the world from Mumbai to London to Sydney, should live and breathe is: "Practice makes perfect."
Natural skills make up only 50 per- cent of a batsman's game. The ability to swing the ball both ways is only good for a bowler if he can master . movement both ways consistently in a match, and not just at practice.
A player with ability who doesn't utilise it to the fullest extent is often not in the same bracket as the good old fashioned trier who uses his skills to the very fullest and makes up for the rest with sheer dedication and application.
The proven formula for successful cricket is 50 per cent skills, 40 per cent application and 10 per cent fitness.
Fitness and concentration are close aligned. lf you haven't got the stamina, it's easy to lose your concentration and in the blink of an eye is all it takes for a batsman to be walking back to the pavilion.
Other kids at 11 and 13 may have been better than me, but by working at it, and devoting myself to the game, l was able to outdo them by the time l was 16 or so. You don't go stale, you just increase your chances of improving. At practice whether its batting, bowling or fielding, throw yourself into it like it's an actual match.
Don't forget the fielding aspect either. Reflexes here aid both your batting and bowling.
Young kids shouldn't worry if they miss the team or can't make runs or take wickets. The results will come as long as you put in the effort. One big advantage for children is if you look like a cricketer, you often get a game in front of your mate. It doesn't require lots of money to be neat with clean white shoes and pressed pants and shirt. Look like a cricketer and you'll be part of your team, in no time. Even if you haven't got any cricket mad brothers and sisters, there are many at your club and • around your home. Practice every night and watch the rewardsl
How to Play Better Cricket
Increasing Popularity & Success of Twenty20 Cricket
The game of cricket always had two official versions, the five day test match and the one day 50 overs match. Since last 2-3 years, the hottest form of cricket is T20 or Twenty twenty or 20-20 cricket. This is a 20-over game per side. It takes around 3-3.5 hours to complete a single game. This shortening of the time period has helped to increase the popularity of the game. Now, people don't have to watch the game for an entire day or more. It is more like a game of football/soccer where the game starts in the evening and ends in 3 hours.
T20 cricket has also brought in a new generation of cricketers, namely T20 experts. Cricketers proficient in power hitting from ball one have become extremely important. The inaugural world t20 cup held in South Africa in 2007 was a very successful sporting event. Since then, the popularity of this version has skyrocketed. The highly successful Indian premier league was started by the BCCI in 2008. This is an annual event. The 2008 version brought over a billion dollars in revenues to everyone involved.
The popularity of the other forms of the game are waning. People like to enjoy the shortened games because of the glamor and fun involved. There are cheerleaders for every team who cheer every wicket, four or six. Popular songs are blasted on the stadium speakers. The shorter boundaries help more aerial shots and hence the fun. Even girls are watching this version of cricket which wasn't the case earlier. Popular celebrities are called in to give their views on TV and this has helped increase the mass appeal of the game. It is not just technique, but more of slam-bang. More new younger players are getting the chance to play for big teams. Thus twenty 20 cricket has proved to be very successful both in terms of money and public support. It is here to stay.
Rahul Dravid - Ten Key Facts About Dravid
For all Rahul Dravid fans out there, here are ten key facts about Dravid and his cricketing career:
1. Rahul Dravid was born on January 11. 1973 and is considered one of the most experienced player of the Indian national cricket team.
2. In October of 2005 he was appointed captain of the Indian cricket team and resigned in Sept 2007.
3. Known to everyone as the Wall he holds multiple cricket records, In Feb 2007 he became the 6th player in history to score 10,000 runs in ODI cricket.
4. He is also the first and only batsman to score a century against all cricket playing nations.
5. He currently holds the world record in the highest number of catches in test cricket. He also holds the world record for being involved with more then 75 century partnerships with 18 different partners.
6. Dravid started his cricket career at the age of 12 and represented the state at the under-15, under-17, and the under-19 level.
7. Dravid made his debut in the second test against England after Sanjay Manjrekar got injured after the first test match, Dravid scored 95 and held on to then position.
8. Dravid batted at number 3 in the third test in Johannesburg, scoring his maiden century with 148 and 81 the top score in each inning, he was awarded his first man of the match award.
9. IN 1996 Dravid made his first half century against Pakistan in the Sahara cup scoring 90 in his 10th ODI.
10. In 2001 Dravid joined VVS Laxman and played one of the greatest comeback victories in the history of the game, together they accumulated 376 runs for the 5th wicket in the second inning of the match.
3 Batsmen in Cricket Who Really Did Well!
There are many very good players in cricket no matter what position they play, but here are 3 of the best.
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is probably considered the best in he league there is, He holds the record for the most cumulative runs in an ODI and the most number of centuries scored in both ODI and Test Cricket. He made his International debut at the age of 16 against Pakistan, which allowed him to become the youngest player. Probably one of the highest achievements he has accomplished was receiving the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 1997-1998, this is considered India's highest sporting honor.
Viv Richards is considered another one of the greatest batsman there is in cricket. In December of 2002 Richards was said to have played the best ODI, and was chosen as the greatest batsman of 2002, as well as the third greatest batsman of al time. In his test career Richards scored 8,540 runs in 121 test matches with an average of 50.23 including 24 centuries. In 1976 perhaps considered Richards greatest year , Richards scored 1710 runs making it an astounding 90.00 with seven centuries in 11 Tests In 1990 Richards returned to country cricket after spending one season in the Lancashire Cricket League to play fro Glamorgan and helped them win the AXA Sunday League in 1993.
Another one of the greatest batsman in the league is Ricky Ponting, he is the current captain of the Australian cricket team. Recently he has been ranked in the top 10in both the ODI and test matches.. He is ranked 5th in ODI and 8th in Test Cricket. He is also the 3rd fastest batsman to ever reach 10,000 runs in Test matches, scoring over 10,00 at an average near 57.
Records Set by the 5 Best Bowlers in a One Day Internationals in Cricket
Many records have been set in cricket over the years. Here are just a few.
1. A record was set by Vivian Richards for Five wickets and 100 runs in the same match in a One Day International. Richards was the only player to take 5 wickets in a one day innings and score a hundred. This was accomplished against New Zealand in Dunedin in 1886/87. He took 5/41.
2. Another record for Hat-Trick on two occasions in a One day International was set by Wasim Akram and Saqlain Mushtaq of Pakistan, the only two bowlers to have taken a hat trick on two occasions.
3. A record for the ODIs played is held by Mohd Azharuddin he has played in 334 matches, and holds the record for the most number of catches. He has pouched 156 catches in his career; he is considered a brilliant fielder.
4. Another record not to be overlooked is the record set for the most centuries in an ODI which is held by Sachin Tendulkar registering an awesome number of 34 centuries.
5. The record held for the Most Economical Bowling Figures in an ODI belongs to the West Indies opening bat Phil Simmons. He holds the record for the most economical bowling figures against Pakistan at Sydney where he brought in figures of 10-8-3-4.
6. The record for the Highest Wickets Spinner in an ODI belongs to Indias' Anil Kumble who holds the record of 274 wickets.
Life is Like T20
Ever since its inception T20 has captured the attention of all cricket lovers world over. Explosive batting, outstanding fielding, well crafted bowling. It's a format of the game which gives immense amount of entertainment to the spectators. The just concluded IPL 2 has proved to the world that this format of the game has tones of pleasure to be presented to the audience. No wonder cricket fans are eagerly waiting for the T20 World Cup. This game has many parallels to our life as given below:
Game is very short and interesting
Life is very short and interesting like this game. Few years go in infancy, few for studies. These years can be compared to the restricted fielding called the power play. By the time you are employed and learn to be responsible almost half of the life is gone. Restricted or not restricted if one can stick to the discipline of the game runs can be scored at random. Life can be successful if discipline is maintained. Life span of man has reduced considerably like the overs being restricted to twenty overs. What one desires to do should be done within the limited time given by God.
Wasting balls will be regretted
The batsman cannot afford to waste balls. If he still does so he will have to regret because the asking run rate will go high and the pressure of bowling attack and fielding will restrict the batsman to arrive at the required target. Wasting time in will cause similar affect in our life. We will regret for not doing things in due time. And when we finally start working for the completion of pending tasks along with other scheduled tasks the pressures of life choke us down. It becomes almost insurmountable. Doing things in their due time is the key to win the match of life.
Misfortune strikes
Misfortune could strike an individual no matter how good a player is. Rain in this regard is the unprecedented element. It can cause imbalance. The required do or die match may sometimes be washed away and the hope of reaching the finals is snapped (for that series). The one straw of hope that we are hanging on might snap due to misfortune. All the hopes then will be washed away. Certain things in life are beyond our control.
Success depends on environment
Good teams topple because they are not used to the climatic conditions of a place where the matches are conducted. For example Asian cricket teams don't fare well in countries like New Zealand because it is very cold there compared to the tropical climate in Asia. Few players fall sick and others don't fell very comfortable. But those who adapt themselves come up good. The environment of our working places may not always be conducive for us to work well. It requires a quick switch over of attitude. The faster we get adapted the more chances of survival.
Strategic Time out
There is a strategic break in the game. Though it is considered to be drinks break the time is very judiciously used by the team management to plan for further course of action. They discuss the pitfalls of first half of the game and lay out a good strategy for the second half. There is a strategic break of realization given to every individual in the game of life. Even if the first half of the life is a failure, listening to God during the realization period can change the life completely.
Is Test Cricket in Danger?
There has been a lot of talk recently that suggests that there are real problems ahead for Test Match cricket. These dangers appear to be caused by a combination of the increased popularity of Twenty-20 cricket and falling crowds at Test Matches in some parts of the world.
So let's take a look at some of these issues and see what's going on. One point to note is that more and more money is being pumped into the game in India, increasing the importance of this country massively in cricketing terms. It's also the country that has the greatest number of cricket fans in the world.
This is having a big impact on the game as a whole. The great success of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has brought vibrant matches to a large, worldwide audience. It's also clear that crowd levels at Test Matches in India appear to be much lower than those for IPL and other limited overs forms of the game. But does this necessarily indicate problems ahead?
The situation here in England is somewhat different. There's no doubt that Twenty-20 has made a big impact on the domestic game. Crowds have been much larger for these matches than they have in the 4-day County Championship matches. So this might indicate that the longer form of the game is certainly at risk.
Yet nothing is as simple as it may seem. Although county sides may indeed be struggling to attract large attendances to their County Championship contests, it seems that the national team are having no such problems. Attendances at Test cricket here in the UK tend to be impressive and tickets are in high demand.
So what is going? It seems clear that there are different approaches to the game in different parts of the world. Limited overs cricket is really capturing the attention in some parts of the world but Test Match cricket remains the primary form of the game for some viewers, especially in England and Australia.
Is this to be the end for Test Match cricket? It seems hard to believe that it possibly could be, although different countries may place more emphasis on particular forms of the game. There could be associated risks with this, but it may be best that we all simply accept that the newest form of the game provides new opportunities and helps to bring more people into the game.
Anything that makes cricket more popular has to be a good thing. One important set of people in all of this will be the players themselves. As long as they still see Test cricket as being important, it seems certain that this form of the game will continue.