Are you proactive or reactive?

Saturday was another frustrating day for us. Once again we had to battle against the conditions to try to get a match in. I have never known a season quite as bad as this one, with the number of games and overs that have been lost to rain. It was only through the remarkable work of our groundstaff, led by the diligent and devoted Stewart Burrows, that we were able to get any play in at all on Saturday. Our frustration was then compounded by the fact that once Sam had managed to negotiate getting the game on, we then fought our way into a strong position only to be dashed by the weather again.

It was nice to get a good bowl, and I always relish bowling towards the end of an innings when batsman are trying to come hard at you. It gives you a real challenge, and puts the pressure on you as a bowler to hit your lengths and perform. It also places the emphasis on you to try and be proactive, and win the mind battle over the batsman. Too many times in the later stages of a game, you see the Captain move the fielder where the ball has just gone. This kind of reactive response, is not necessarily wrong, given that it is shrewd to avoid a player scoring in the same zone again, but as cricketers we need to be intelligent and look for the clues as to where the batsman will hit the ball before it goes there.

After being hit for a four on the third ball of the last over, I wanted to ‘react’ and come around the wicket after bowling the previous balls over the wicket. I was pleased that Sam intervened and reminded me that so far I had won the battle and that has been a one off. I carried on over the wicket, adjusted my line and length, and managed to get the stumping.

This ‘reactive’ situation crops up most for slow bowlers when it comes to where to position your mid off and mid on, and when to drop them back. I often here this phrase ‘lets see if he goes first’. But should we wait until he clears them before you drop them back? I would argue that more often than not, a lifted straight drive is an impulse shot based on length and flight of the ball. Most batsman have the confidence they will reach the boundary, so whether they are back or not they are happy to take the risk. It can be very frustrating as a batsman seeing a ball go over mid on or mid off for a one bounce four. Often the first can be a sighter, and mishit which is the best or only chance to take your wicket. Yes, we don’t want to give easy singles to mid off, but very few league cricketers have the patience of skill to continually milk this area.

Getting the man in deep right can be the difference between 6 runs or a wicket

As a bowler, to be proactive, you need to look for the clues. How are they holding the bat, which shots have they played so far? If they haven’t looked to sweep, why have a man on the sweep? Do they keep eyeing up a particular part of the pitch? Is one batsman looking to go hard, and one looking to work singles? All of these factors should be running through your mind to help you set your field and shape your approach.

The same can be said for batsmen too. One thing that players are now often coached is to try and look for a boundary off the first ball of the over. Why? Well this puts all the pressure onto the bowler. As a batsman, are you proactive in getting the opposition to set the field that you want, or are you reactive and thus constrained by the field they set? Calculated risk taking can open up your favourite shot to enable you to milk easy runs.

As the season progresses, and we move into a crunch phase of the year, it is important that we continue to be a proactive as possible with our cricket and try be smart with everything we do. If we can master that balance, we still have a good chance of being in the mix at the right end of the table.

STOP PRESS

It would be untoward not to express my sadness for the events of the last week. My thoughts are with the Maynard family and those of the children hit by the tree at the club in London.