Cricket Fielding Tips

When fielding during cricket there are many things to think about and consider depending on where you are fielding. This brief article will look at a few essential cricket fielding tips which you can incorporate into your game to improve your fielding.

Where ever you are fielding you should always be on the balls of your feet so you can react and change direction quickly. If you are caught flat footed you'll be slower off the mark and potentially give away more runs.

Try to anticipate where ball will go; you can do this by carefully watching the batters shape and movements. This may be a little difficult at first but after a bit of practise will become second nature and you'll react much quicker to any shots coming your way and field better as a result.

When you are fielding close to the boundary and have to throw from the deep, try to aim your throw just above the keepers head and the ball should drop nicely in to his gloves, provided you have a relatively strong throwing arm.

When catching close to the wicket, such as in the slips, gulley or short leg, make sure you stance is correct with your feet shoulder width apart or slightly wider. Spread your weight evenly across both feet, resting lightly on the balls of your feet, with your knees flexed. Keep your hands together, close to the ground with your fingers pointing down. Keep your head up with your eyes level and stay alert.

When catching the ball in close, watch the ball all the way into your hands, allowing the ball to come to you; don't try to snatch at it. 'Give' with the ball as you catch, cushioning the impact. When catching in the deep, try and catch the ball at eye level and cushion the ball into your chest.

The ball can come to you at any time so it is really important you stay alert and awake so you can stop that vital run or take a match winning catch.

These are just a few cricket fielding tips that you can incorporate into you game; there are many more cricket fielding tips for specific aspects of fielding. However these are the general cricket fielding tips I've found to be the most useful.

Cricket Batting Tips-Foot Work

When batting in cricket it is essential to have excellent footwork. As good foot work is the basis for achieving excellence in cricket and is the foundation for good batting technique.

Foot work is absolutely necessary as all successful strokes start with effective batting footwork.

If you watch great cricketers like Brian Lara, Michael Vaughn, Ricky Ponting, Sachin Tendulkar, all of these amazing batsmen have outstanding footwork, often when these types of cricket players don't perform it is simply due to lack of footwork.

Good footwork allows you to time the ball well and place the ball in gaps. It gets you in the optimum position to hit the ball, so you can hit it where you want and with ease.

If you have been struggling to play a particular shot for some reason it could be due to poor footwork causing bad timing and body positioning.

With faster bowlers it is even more essential to have excellent fast and precise footwork, so that you can get into a balanced position, in-line with the ball, so you can play the ball with control.

Getting quickly into position through footwork therefore is very important.

The more you practice your footwork against both fast and slow bowlers the easier you will gradually find it. Many players do what we call trigger movements just before the bowler releases the ball, this helps get the feet moving into position and into line much quicker and easier, especially against faster bowlers.

Next time you watch a game of cricket on TV watch the batsmen's feet really closely as the bowler is about to deliver you'll see these small 'trigger movements'; small foot movements, which help the batsmen get in position and inline early.

As a batsman it is absolutely necessary to develop your foot work and foot movement, as all excellent strokes start with effective and efficient footwork.

Pakistan’s 10 lowest Test Cricket Totals

Pakistan’s 10 lowest Test Cricket Totals

Total Opposition Year

53 Runs against Australia in 2002

59 Runs against Australia in 2002

62 Runs against Australia in 1981

72 Runs against Australia in 2004

77 Runs against West Indies in 1986

80 Runs against England in 2010

87 Runs against England in 1954

90 Runs against England in 1954

90 Runs against Sri Lanka in 2009

92 Runs against South Africa in 1997