Cricket Articles

Ground Fielding and Throwing

Over 70% of the game is spent in the field, when playing cricket. It is for that reason why mastering ground fielding is important to master. The old saying of catches win matches is absolutely true. In order to take wickets to win the game, you need to be good in the field. A cricket team that is sharp in the field will often win the match. That is one of the reasons why the Australian cricket team is so dominant.

There are two ways which you can field the ball, you can either attack it by running towards the ball, bend down and pick it up; or you can bend down, putting the leg behind the ball and then pick it up. Different game situations will require these skills.

When the ball is hit reasonable soft at the fielder, and the batsmen maybe looking for a run, the attacking form of fielding should be applied. This is where you move towards the ball. For a right hander, you put your right foot behind the ball, having the instep facing the line of the ball. This is so that if you miss the ball, the foot should hopefully stop it from going pass you. The front foot should face towards the line of the ball. Once the footwork is in the correct position, you should bend down to pick up the ball. You can either pick the ball up with one hand or two hands depending on weather a quick pickup is required for a run out. When picking up the ball, it is important to bend the knees, not bend the back. "Ass to the Grass" is the saying for this. You do not want to bend at the back as you are likely to miss the ball and fumble.

The other option is the defensive way of fielding the cricket ball. This is where you get the body right behind the ball, so if you miss it, it won't go through you and towards the boundary. This type of fielding is done when the ball is smashed at the fielder, or if the ground is uneven with funny bounces. The first step to this is to get your non preferred leg, down to the ground, with the knee on the ground, so that the body is sideways to the line of the ball. The preferred foot should be resting up against the knee, so that the leg and foot form a barrier which prevents the ball from going through. Once this is done, wait till the ball comes into your hands. Then pick up and throw to the target.

Throwing the cricket ball is vital. The correct technique is to have the leading arm to point towards the target. The throwing arm should be pulled back and bent. The elbow of the throwing arm should be up high, above shoulder height. Then you accelerate the arm towards the target, extending out the arm, and releasing the cricket ball.

It is also important to know where to throw the cricket ball. Generally, you want to throw the ball to the wicket keeper the majority of the time. This should be just over the stumps so the keeper can either take the bails off or to just keep the batsmen in their crease. However, if there is a run out chance, the at the bowlers end, the throw should be directed at that end. If the bowler is behind the stumps, the throw should be directed to the top of the stumps for the bowler to take and whip the bails off. Otherwise, it should be pinged at the stumps. The throw should often be a bumper throw towards the bowler, where the ball is thrown into the ground so it bounces up to about waist height. This makes it easier to take than being on the full. It is important not to throw yorkers, at the feet because this is too hard and awkward to take.

Summary:

Get body behind the ball
Watch ball into the hands
"Ass to the Grass", don't bend your back.
Maintain high elbow position when throwing the cricket ball

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