Batsman's Check List

1. Be prepared and give yourself plenty of time.  Don't place yourself in the position where you are required to rush and become flustered.  Ensure your clothing and equipment are well adjusted - boots well tied, pads buckled or strapped and tucked in correctly; thigh pad and box comfortable and well adjusted; shirt well tucked in; gloves and bat checked.  Now settle back and watch the play, preferably in the same light you are to bat in.
2. Don't get ready too early.  Don't be padded up four batsmen ahead waiting and waiting for a seemless eternity.  On occasions it will be difficult to avoid such a wait, however try and have only the next one or two batsmen padded up to prevent waiting for a long time and increasing nervousness.
3. Watch the play closely and ask yourself what you can learn about the state of the wicket, opposing bowlers, fieldsmen, weather conditions, etc.  Is there a fielder you can pick out that will allow you to make a quick two runs instead of a normal single?
4. If you become uncomfortably nervous then stand up and walk around.  Get your blood flowing.  This may help, however you can never expect to overcome the nerves totally.  Most of us have butterflies which if controlled correctly may even do some good.
5. Once a wicket has fallen and it is your turn to bat you should arrive out there before the out-going batsman has left the field of play.  Don't stand chatting to him.  Move out briskly while also taking time to accustom your eyes to the light and conditions.
6. Don't spend an eternity discussing conditions and tactics with the not-out batsman.  Once you are out there get on with the game as soon as possible.
7. Take guard!  Take the guard that is most suited to you and your batting style.  Don't take 'centre' just because 'everyone else does'.  Mark your guard carefully with spikes or bat and then recheck it.
8. Check the field placement.  Where are the gaps located to allow you some early singles to get you off the mark and bring your more settled partner to the batting end while relieving some nerves?
9. Prepare yourself to face the bowler and concentrate.  Remember that your first role is to play yourself in and build an innings.  This is best done by playing straight and settling down before attempting to play too many lavish shots.  'Playing straight' means preferring the shots played with a vertical bat rather than the horizontal.  On the other hand you should try not to get bogged down.  This will only allow the bowlers a psychological advantage.  Pick up the singles, playing a support role for your partner at first, but also hit any bad balls - short, full or wide - hard towards the gaps.  Memorise the major gaps that coincide with your strong shots.  As you build your innings try to assess the wicket, weather, bowling and fielding.  Begin to plan your innings.  Certain factors will affect your plan such as:
   
   The state of the wicket
   If it is hard, true and fast you will limit your erros if you play forward when in doubt.  This means to go back to the shortball and forward to the full ball.  If you are uncertain, a decision to play back on a fast wicket could be your final decision, therefore go forward when in doubt.  The only type of bowler who can force an adjustment to this plan in these conditions is the real speedster.
   If the wicket is slow so that the ball is not coming onto you, reverse the procedure and go back when in doubt.  A wicket of this type could be caused by dampness or by over-dryness; occasionally, too, the ball may dig in and kick.  On the back foot you are in a better position to deal with this.  Remember that most wet wickets are easy to bat on if you adjust your technique correctly.  Many bowlers bowl too short on wet wickets, and if you are looking for the back foot, you have all the time in the world to pull and cut.
   If the wicket is consistently keeping low, you must favour the front foot.  Only go back when you have to and try not to play across the ball.
   If the wicket is erratic in bounce and pace, there is not much advice I can give you.  You will have to play it by instinct and do the best you can.  If the bowlers are not using these conditions well, you may gain an advantage.  If they are bowling well, you will have to choose whether to try and sit it out or whether to hit your way out of trouble.  If the field is up around the bat, lofting may well be the safer alternative.
   
   Different types of bowlers
   When facing the real speedster or a seamer who is swinging abnormally, you may find an initial back-foot commitment advantageous.  The back foot begins to move back and towards off-stump as the ball is delivered.  If it is short of a length - which it will be with most speedsters - you continue into a back-foot position.  If the delivery proves to be well up, however, the front foot moves forward again and you play 'half-cocked'.  This technique gives you surprisingly more time to see the ball.  It may limit your scope for front-foot driving, but will help you settle down.  It may well be only used as a temporary tactic until you develop your attack.
   Against all other types on good wickets you are safer on the front foot whilst you settle down.  This certaintly does not mean chasing a spinner metres down the wicket at this stage.  Simply have a look at the bowler on the front foot from the crease as you build your innings.  Eventually, though, you must develop your attack.  As each bowler offers his wares, you begin to calculate his weaknesses and strengths.  Is there a greater chance to get at him by going down the wicket?  This may mean missing out on the occasional ball a little short of a length, but you cannot have it all ways.  Check the major field-placement gaps and go down after him.
   For some bowlers you may well decide the opportunities are greater on the back foot.  Now you look for the back-foot movement to utilise hook, pull, cut or back-foot drive.  But you are trying to develop a plan that will allow you to attack each bowler.  Perhaps you may need to readjust your plan as the game goes on.  Certaintly this is what the experienced bowler will be doing to try and counter your plan.
   Clearly you must have attacking shots off both front and back foot.  Preferably you want shots in both positions that you know you can hit for four with some regularity.  You don't need all the shots, but you must have your drilled boundary shots which you can control and place.
   
   The position of the game
   Nine times out of ten when a batsman comes to the crease, it is to the advantage of his team to play his natural game.  In other words, by playing for himself the batsman is playing for his team.  The more runs you can score, the better it is for your team as a whole.
   The very slow, shotless player can be an exception.  If he bats on and on, occupying the crease without scoring, the bowlers get on top, the batting team's morale falls and, later, wickets will probably have to be sacrificed to make up for his slowness.  Under normal circumstances, this player is better out than shutting the game up once he has settled down.
   There is an occasional game in which victory becomes impossible, and a team fights for a draw.  More often the situation occurs when a gamble, some fast running between the wickets and calculated hitting, can turn a potential draw into a thrilling victory.  Now all members of the team must respond and forget themselves.
10. So you build your innings and your plan of attack.  First you support your parter who has been in longer; when he gets out you become the senior partner who must take over the scoring responsibility and support your new partner as he settles down.
11. At times it may be necessary to pull your concentration together; perhaps you may tire.  Take block again and start again.  It may help to break your score into tens.  Score ten, tick it off and then begin another ten.
12. As we said, you may need to adjust your approach according to the position of the game.  You may increase or decrease run rates, protect or play a secondary role to a partner.  Try to do what is best for the team.
13. Eventually, inevitably, you are going to get out.  When it happens, take it well, take it sportingly.  If the finger is up, there's nothing you can do about it, so get off the field briskly without a temperamental performance.  You must make your decision about 'walking' - that is, leaving the wicket automatically if you know you are out.
14. When you get back to your team-mates, don't make them suffer your bad temper.  You may be disappointed, but be man enough to accept it and not sulk or grizzle.  Your team-mates are usually sympathetic.
15. Finally, think over your innings and dismissal carefully.  Where did you make errors?  What good things did you do?  What did you learn about wickets, conditions, bowlers, fieldsmen?  Was there anything that baffled you?  From every innings you should learn something.  From every mistake you should learn something.  What you learn is stored away and can be recalled when necessary.  You won't wish to repeat the same mistake.  Between matches learn what you can about the art of bowling.
    Batting is an art.  In few games do eleven players concentrate on defeating one player.  In few games are you allowed only one chance.  It is difficult, it can be frustrating, but success makes all the hard work worthwhile.
    
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