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Fielding positions and motivating players

Amobokobokoboko

U19 12th Man
Hi lads,

It has been a while since my last post here, but now I do need to ask for some good advice.
In 2010 I stared my own cricket club with a friend. As at our previous club he wasn't picked often and to make sure he could have a bat on a weekly base he appointed himself captain. And left me with all the administration.

Yesterday however, people were fed up with his captaincy (as he doesn't communicate) they were looking at me to step up.
So most likely next weekend I will have my first go as (vice) captain:)

Now there are two major issues I want to solve asap: first of all get my team members motivated again. We lost some of our better players but with a healthy team spirit everything is possible.

Two: I would like to have some advice on what would be the best fielding line up ( where to put everybody) to become more efficient. All tips and tricks are welcome.

Cheers.
 

J_asonR

School Boy/Girl Cricketer
Motivation can be found from anywhere within a game.. An early wicket, a good piece of fielding, a good shot if batting etc etc.. I'm sure the motivation in your teams case is only really lost in the field.. To combat this I would say keep it loud.. Constantly be talking in the field, generally and to individuals. If the batsman plays a shadow shot whilst the bowler is going back to his mark, pick out the player who that shot would go to and just shout "Hands ready *****, it's coming your way!" This will get your players ready to go and also get in the batsmans head slightly.

In terms of fielding positions, always start with an eye on attacking.. One or two slips, a gully, someone catching on the cover drive are all good fielding positions.. Even if you know the batsman isn't going to pop one up to silly mid-on, it's someone in his face which I know, from experience, puts the batsman off slightly.

I'd always start with a 6-3 offside field for your opening bowlers (unless they specialise in something which would change this) and tell them to bowl off stump or just outside.. Leg side would be a wide fine leg, someone in at midwicket and a mid-on.. Off side, you'vll have enough players there to cover the large majority of the off side and still be attacking..

Specialist bowlers (spinner etc) should know where they're likely to get hit or where they're likely to get wickets.. They should ideally be setting the fielding positions.

I hope this helps.
 

MCC111

Cricket Spectator
I'm not going to pretend to say I can tell you about fielding positions (my cricket experience is minimal), but I do have some experience in captaincy and management from elsewhere.

There are so many theories on motivation and leadership - and it doesn't matter whether you are applying them in sport, business or wherever. An interesting one to start with is Tuckman's team development - that can give you an idea of where your team is. Is it forming, storming, norming or performing? That will then show you how best to lead it. It's certainly not all about on the pitch leadership either. From the sounds of things, you're already well respected in the team, so I imagine you've got the off-pitch stuff right.

One of the most important things I found was a post-match run down. Pick up on all the good things that happened and look at what needs to be done to improve. Criticism is important, but be very careful with it - individual feedback should only be given one-to-one.
 

Goughy

Hall of Fame Member
Regarding motivation. I would say put the team above yourself. Dont bat yourself above 7. Give others a chance to bowl before you. Im not saying you would do this but players dont want to be accessories to make up a team so you can play. Give them responsibilities and save yourself for getting the team out of **** or sacrificing your average for the slog. Selfless captains get players playing for them and motivate their teammates.
 

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