Batting

Cricket is a sport that can be picked up rather easily but to master the game it takes plenty of enthusiasm, effort and dedicated practice. Like all sports a solid technical foundation is essential to develop one's skills further. The basic skills necessary in cricket are for batting, bowling and fielding. A qualified coach with additional experience of playing the game at a high standard would be ideal to learn the basics of the game from. To hone in on batting and bowling skills, often specialist coaches are sought.

A batsman has to have good hand-eye coordination along with quick reflexes, strength, speed, stamina and a knack for seeing scoring opportunities.

Perhaps the most important skill for a batsman is to learn to never take his eye off the ball from the instance the bowler is ready to bowl till the ball is dead. By constantly keeping an eye on the ball the batsman can get a better idea of the flight of the ball, its speed, swing and the spin imparted on it by the bowler.

The next skill that plays a big role in one's batting is footwork. It is a common error to stand fixed to one spot and swing at the ball. Small and swift movements of the feet should be made to adjust for the line and length of the delivery and for the shot that one decides to play. A good batsman should have a solid forward and backward defensive that would form the backbone of his defence and hold out until a loose ball is delivered.

A wide selection of offensive shots in his arsenal will help to make use of these situations. Having a variety of shots at your disposal aids in correct shot selection and will keep the scoreboard ticking.

Good communication with the non-striker is very important to prevent mix ups in the middle which result in costly run outs. Which is also goes to show the need for quick running between the wickets. An extra single or two gained from good running very often makes the difference between winning and losing in many matches.

Patience is a defining quality of a great batsman. Too often you see batsmen frustrated by a sequence of dot balls and then slash wildly at the next delivery only to give away a cheap dismissal. One should discipline themselves to stick to the basics because the loose ball is bound to come along sooner or later.

For extra tips then check out some of these sub pages:

1. Block Shot
2. Cut Shot
3. Drive
4. Hook
5. Leg Glance
6. Paddle Sweep
7. Pull
8. Slog
9. Sweep