SJS
Hall of Fame Member
Read my lips....Keeping your head inline with the ball isn't the best advice for playing swing bowling because that's how you get into a bad habit of falling across the crease. For example, if a bowler bowls several balls outside the offstump and you're trying to keep your head inline with the ball then your weight is going to be shifting to the offside; then the bowler bowls an inswinger and your weight is shifting to the offside then the likelyhood is that you're going to get rapped on the pads. You should keep your head still.
Ideally, the best way to counteract good swing bowling is to stand outside your crease (assuming that you play the short ball like a god or you're willing to wear acouple on the body). Also, if you wanna play the percentages then only play shots off of your body and generally cut off any offside shots for the time being. Do that, plus playing straight and only flicking through midwicket when the ball is on leg stump (not off and middle) and you should be fine. Take it for what it's worth; I scored my first ton in Sydney Grade Cricket (where the state players play, not average joe park cricket) last week.
To learn the basics of footwork, one must, at the first step, leave lateral movement out. It makes it simpler.