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How to avoid "Putting" the ball there when bowling fast?

bond21

Banned
Im sure a lot of fast bowlers have gone through this from time to time.

When you are low on confidence, you are sometimes scared of bowling a bad ball, so you almost bowl slower unintentionally and try and put the ball on the spot rather than bowling the ball and hitting it.

Anyone got any tricks they know of to sort of get out of this negative mindset and actually bowl the ball with conviction?

Like consciously increasing your follow through or something?
 

Josh

International Regular
To be blunt, I always know what I've done wrong when I've started bowling bad balls. So I either rectify it without sacrifice or I ask the captain to take me out of the attack if it keeps happening. Pure and simple.

Most my "stock" balls are bowled with the same conviction, run in, pace, follow through, etc. It's just maybe not landing correctly or splaying the bowling arm out or releasing too late... whatever it is I quickly correct it. I'm not the fastest bowler going around so I can't afford to drop my pace on stock deliveries.
 

Josh

International Regular
I guess what I'm saying is get to know your own bowling action. Get to know why you might ball that odd one down leg or that rank longhop. If you know what you're doing right, then there's a much better chance you're going to know what you're doing wrong.
 

bond21

Banned
I have a slight tendancy to bowl the odd one down leg, once every maybe 2 overs.

I have been angling in to the stumps trying to get outswing, but I have realised all my momentum is going towards fine leg and I have to readjust at the last second to get it on target.

Im now trying to run up dead straight so the ball will be landing on the 4th stump channel. To lefties you have to angle slightly to compensate for the angle, but for a right hander, straight run up.

I know what you're saying about the action and repetition, but this is a confidence thing.

Its like when I am confident, I bowl at 100% accuracy and pace.

If i bowl a wide, then my next ball I sort of try too hard for accuracy and ive been told it looks like im trying to put the ball on off stump instead of hitting the deck.

I know people say put the last ball out of your mind if it was bad, but it is easier said than done.

If I find myself doing it, I have been told to increase my follow through, so I will focus on completing the action, full shoulder rotation and a full follow through with conviction.
 

Engle

State Vice-Captain
Boycott says :

http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/talk/content/multimedia/330009.html?view=transcript

AR: Geoffrey, the next question that we have comes in from Bhavik from India. Now he says if a fast bowler cannot hit a good line or length, would it make sense for him to cut down his pace? He also wants to know: does too much pace affect the line and length of a bowler? Someone like Brett Lee had this problem early in his career but now has a lot of control over his bowling. How can this be achieved?

GB: Simple. One word: practice.
Look, if you are a fast-medium bowler, then yes. If you have to cut the ball and swing it, cut down your pace, for you need line and length, because you are not relying on pace. But if you are a genuine fast bowler, you have a God-given gift, to take the wind out of the batsmen, and you are the ace in the pack for the bowling side. So you've got to bowl fast.
For instance, when the great Fredrick Sewards Truman came to the Yorkshire nets, he bowled very fast but all over the place. He was raw. He couldn't get the ball in the right place, only one-odd occasionally. But over a period of time, he learned that with practice he could bowl straight, and he became one of the world's greats. That's the same with Brett Lee. He shouldn't cut down his pace. He should just practise getting it on line, and when he gets [the ball] on line at that pace, he will get wickets.
 

Perm

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Anybody think it's not just a coincidence that Lee has been good in recent years, but has also bowled slower than he used to?
 

Captain Cricket

State Vice-Captain
If you're low on confidence there's always one trick that works - try bowling no variation whatsoever until your confidence gets up. If you're confident you can do it then try new things.

Also: practise makes perfect. Make sure you use cricket training to get the most out of your bowling and even batting because that's what counts on gameday.
 

shortpitched713

International Captain
Problem is often times you lose your confidence because your stock ball isn't working. Its often hard to know if you need to tweak something or maybe if you're just trying too hard.
 

Josh

International Regular
80% of the time it will probably be a problem with the height of the front arm if it is pitching short. If you're going down leg, I'd suggest studying your follow through very closely. Try and get it as straight down the wicket as you can.

I know bowlers have to get off the wicket before being in the 'danger zone' but concentrate on taking maybe the first 2 or 3 steps in your follow through relatively straight from where you delivered the ball.
 

Barney Rubble

International Coach
I reckon Lee's average pace wouldn't have dropped significantly. Just his maximum pace.
I'd say the same. From what I've seen of him in recent years, he still averages between 90 and 92mph once he's warmed up, he just doesn't hit 98-100mph these days 'cause his body can't go to the lengths it used to after all his injuries. Fastest I can remember him bowling recently was 97.6mph to Pietersen in the 2005 Ashes. And that one went for six, ironically.
 

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