Find the correct length of the cricket ball
The length of your batting or bowling arm determines how long you can hold the bat or hand before having to change it. If you have short arms, then you will need a shorter batsman’s size ball. If you have longer ones, then you can use a normal sized one.
If you are new to cricket, using a too-long ball could be frustrating as you may hit it harder but still find it difficult to get enough power off the handle. This would also hurt your wrist more because you will have to rotate it further when hitting the ball.
It is very important to learn how to play short cricket balls if you want to become a better player. Even professional cricketers sometimes struggle with this!
Know the different types of cricket pitches
There are three main pitch types in any type of cricket. These include grass, dirt, and hard surface. Grass is what most people know how to play short ball cricket because it is typically very easy to get away with bowling short balls on that kind of field.
Dirt fields can be tricky to manage as the bounce and speed differ from one patch to another. This makes it difficult to create good angles for your bowler, and you have to learn how to adjust when you hit the turf.
Hard surfaces like concrete or asphalt are the hardest and slowest to bat on. That means no quick singles and/or twos unless the batsman brings himself down the other end. Therefore, these kinds of pitches are not ideal for short-ballers looking to gain an advantage by pitching forward.
There are some variations within each category but overall they all work similarly! If you can identify which pitch we’re talking about then you will know what sort of shot will help you win the game.
Know the different types of cricket shots
Shots are one of the most fundamental parts of the game of cricket. There are many terms used for specific type of shot, but you will only know what they mean if you understand their classification. The term ‘shot’ is typically defined as an action performed with your bat or ball to hit or field the pitch.
There are five main categories of shot in cricket depending on the size of the area that is being targeted. These include hitting the middle (the space between the edge of the wicket and the mid-wicket boundary), long off, short leg, cover and head/deep field.
By learning how to play some simple cricket balls, you can expand your repertoire of shots to include ones such as the hook, pull, cut, top-edgerun, back foot faulter and so on.
This article will help you by going into detail about how to play the cricket ball that comes close to you. Read on to learn more!
Practice batting
When you are just starting out as a short-ball cricketer, your number one goal should be to practice batting. This is easily done by simply picking any pitch or field that has an empty gully or long back fence and going up against it with a batsman’s size bat.
Practice different shot types (pull, cut, forward defensive, backward defensive) using soft balls either at full run speed or half run speed. Add in hard bouncers when able!
The best way to develop your skills as a short-defender is to watch professional players and learn their styles. You can also take some lessons yourself if you know how to play the game!
Football style goals such as keeping the ball alive for your team’s forwards will help too.
Practice bowling
A lot of people get stuck thinking that because they can throw the ball around the field for a few minutes, then they consider themselves a good bowler. This is not the case!
Throwing fast balls around or moving your leg side around does not make you a great bowler. Only practicing batting, fielding and short cricket ball pitching makes this happen.
Practice bowling is an important part of being a successful cricketer. There are many ways to practice your craft as a bowler. Some experts suggest spending one hour per day on training yourself in different types of bowling.
That would be about eight hours every week! Most professional sports teams have their own bowling facilities with coaches who work with players on improving their game.
This is not the case for most top amateur leagues though. Luckily there are other ways to improve your skills as a bowlers aside from going to a gym and buying expensive equipment. These tips will help you enjoy the game more and become better at it.
Learn how to run down the batsman
Running down the batting player is one of the most important skills you can develop as a cricket player. You will learn this technique in your first week at club level or even high school level, but it takes time to perfect.
Running down the batting side of the field is when you take off running towards the boundary line with the intention of catching the ball before it goes over the fence. The goal here is typically to get close enough to make the catch just outside the boundary so that it becomes difficult for the batter to get back into position to hit the next shot.
Practice this out on a grassy area of the ground until you feel comfortable doing it correctly every time. Once you have mastered it, try practicing it against different types of bowling.
Know the different types of fielding positions
A very important part of cricket is fieldings. There are six main categories for how your team can defend or take the ball out of play. These include goal-keeper, wicket-keeper, close infielder, half-back, forward and gully.
The position of goal-keeper is usually just referred to as ‘goalie’ but that doesn’t make it any less important! The job of a goalkeeper is to try and stop the other team scoring by doing anything they can to prevent the ball going into their net. This may be throwing yourself at the foot to tackle it, kicking it away or simply jumping onto the pitch and putting your hands on the ball.
The most common way to teach people how to play short cricket ball is to start with the closer defensive positions such as the goal-keeper, then work up through the wicket-keeper and back line. Once these are mastered you can move on to more advanced positions like the half-back or even forwards!
Know the proper way to hold the cricket bat
Holding your cricket bat correctly is very important as you can have different types of bats, sizes of balls, and conditions. The handle length and shape of the bat will determine how close or far away you must stand from the ball for it to pass through.
The grip size of the bat will depend on what type of shot you are trying to hit. A shorter, thicker handle is ideal for hits that go high in the air, while a longer thinner one is better for shots that drop more than rise.
By learning the correct technique for batting, you’ll be able to get the most out of your cricket game.
Practice chucking
Chucking is one of the most important skills in short cricket. If you can throw a good length ball, then it can really help your team win or lose a game!
There are two main types of bowling with which to start practicing throwing balls- slow bowlers’ throws and fast bowler’s throws.
The first type is what we refer to as “slow bowling” throws. These are usually pitched forward (more belly than back) and have a lot of momentum.
Some examples of these include a leg side yorker, an off stump bouncer, or even a straight middle stump shot. All of these require more preparation time before they can be executed properly so don’t worry if yours take too long!
The second kind of throwing technique is known as “fast bowling” throws. These are typically spun from behind and come with some quick revolutions.
Examples of this style of throwing include a swing/hook willow or a slider underthrown army. Both of these require less spin power because the ball comes down faster so try practising those first!
Now that you know how to play short cricket ball number 2, get out there and have fun!
