How to Be a Better Opening Batsman

Ask most people about opening the batting and they will tell you about batsmen who can block. Occasionally you get a big hitter. But, what really makes a good opening batsman?
Opening is about more than "seeing off the new ball" in your cricket match. It's a matter of good organisation, and a position that is specialised. The bowlers usually have the upper hand with a new ball and fresh legs. That means you, more than any other position, need to have your cricket wits about you.
There are certain traits a good opener has, or is able to develop.

• An adaptable technique. Although you could have lots of shots, knowing your own game is most important. Playing straight is the cornerstone of your game. You could have the ability to switch gears from disciplined defence to attack depending on the conditions, match situation and bowling.
• A good judge of the off stump. Knowing when to play and when to leave is a great skill for the opener, even in Twenty20 conditions.
• Patience. There will be times when the bowlers make you play and miss. However, the bad ball will come. The ability to stay focused on the next ball will see you through the tough periods all openers experience.

This is often what coaches mean when they talk about seeing off the opening bowlers. Personally, I don't like the phrase. It puts openers into a defensive mindset. Opening the innings is more about having a sound defence and being ready to attack.
Once you have assessed that conditions have are in your favour you can start to think more aggressively. This may be a couple of hours in, or right from the first ball. However, you need to keep a tight defence as a good ball is never far away.
Naturally, these skills are useful anywhere you bat. So the biggest difference for me is the desire to do it.
You have the biggest opportunity as you are on the field from the first delivery. You have to be prepared to make a big score and that takes focus, patience and cricket bravery. Get out early and your side are off to a poor start. Make runs too slowly and the pressure is on. Do well, bulid an innings and pace yourself effectively and the team will come to rely on your solidity at the top. That's a different kind of pressure to batting between three and seven.

Opening practice

There is not much an opener can do differently from any other batsman to prepare. The principles of deliberate practice apply just as much with any position in the batting order.
That said, you will want to focus on two areas in particular:

• Middle cricket practice. Practicing against fresh bowlers with a new ball in simulated match conditions will teach you how to adapt to the mental and tactical side of opening. When you have had a middle practice, sit down with your coach and opening partner (and possible the number three) and discuss how it went, what your tactics were and whether they worked or not.
• Technical development. While you want as many shots as possible, you don't need them. Get the straight shots in order first. Learn to judge whether to play or leave. Have some more attacking options thirdly. This can't be done in standard nets as the bowling is not accurate enough so grab an empty net with your opening partner and give each other some accurate throwdowns or bowling machine drills instead.

I would also strongly recommend learning how to rotate the strike by taking cheeky singles and turning ones into twos. You can score very well without ever hitting booming boundaries.
An opener needs to be a positive player with the ability to leave attack behind for a while if you are up against a good opening bowling attack. Practice to learn this cricketing nous, and you will not go far wrong.

11 Ways to Improve Your Attacking Batting

Scoring runs is at the very heart of winning cricket matches. How do the professionals do it?
PitchVision Academy and 3 times World Cup coach Ian Pont shares with you the secrets of how to score more runs aggressively while keeping the percentages in your favour.
You can put these tips into action right away:
1. Pick your bat up high with your hands
By doing this you create a large arm pull, which maximises the power in the ball. It also helps turn your front shoulder into the ball for your offside shots.
2. Make sure you move your shoulder and feet as one unit
Just “planting” your front foot when playing forward will not help you. Nor will “getting your foot to the pitch of the ball" which causes you to over stride. Leaning in with your front shoulder and then your foot can offer support, is the best way of doing it. It's only by having a balanced stride (shoulder and foot lined up) that you have a stable base to hit from on the front foot.
3. Work out a trigger movement to suit you
There is no single way to bat, only your way. If you go back and across, don't forget to move into the ball when it's pitched up (90% of balls will be). Moving back makes the bowler seem slower so if you are struggling with timing you might prefer to front foot press to get into the front foot sooner. As long as you have your head still at the point of delivery, triggers are merely to get the feeling you are not standing still. You may choose not to move at all and just step and hit the ball as you see it.
4. Your front shoulder is your steering wheel
The front shoulder dictates where you are trying to hit the ball. Into the leg side you will open it, and into the off side you will close it. You don't want the back shoulder to take over when trying to control the front foot shots.
5. Move your feet to give you best chance of hitting the ball
If you wave at the ball flat footed you will get found out. Your feet take you into the line of the ball so your eyes (cameras) can also be lined up to the target (ball).
6. Treat every ball as an event
You can only play the ball about to be bowled not the one that follows it, or the ball before. Makes sure you play it on merit and try to score as many runs off it as you can. Don't let circumstances around you affect the judgement of the ball.
7. If you are in trouble, stand by the umpire
The best place to play a difficult bowler from is at the non-striker's end. If you get into trouble batting try to get up by the umpire by rotating the strike. That gives you a breather and a chance to share the batting pressure with your partner.
8. Understand where your strengths are
Look to play in areas where you are strongest, not weakest. It sounds obvious yet players often try to hit into the part of the ground where they have less likelihood of success. Hit away from fielders. Target open areas. Perfect shots that allow you to have higher strike rates.
9. When you have nets, practice something
Most batsmen go into general nets and never work at something specific. You have to be trying to achieve something when you bat - even simple outcomes, if not technical. Make a plan, stick to it, and discover you can gain confidence when you have a successful session.

10. Bowling machine or throw downs

Most people can look a million dollars on a bowling machine set for half-volleys at 65 mph. Make a bowling machine more challenging by having an awkward session where the length is far harder to hit. Bowling machines are great for grooving but don't get hung up on them. High quality throw downs at pace are far closer to real bowling. Progressing from a machine to throw downs will make you a better batsman.
11. Attend an attacking batting workshop
Currently you can get personal coaching tips live at the Mavericks Cricket Attacking Batting Workshop. Hosted at three UK venues - Epsom, Swindon and Chelmsford - the workshops are 3 hours and feature the very latest techniques, tips, hints and advice to improve the standard of those attending.
Discover power play hitting, manipulating bowlers, T20 style hitting and how to power the ball to the fence.
Learn what the world's best players do including reverse sweeping, switch hits, moving around in the crease, hitting in-to-out, and out to in, and hitting aerially.

Top Ten Cricket Batting Tips with Faf Du Plessis : T20 Cricket

Top Ten T20 Cricket Batting Tips with Faf Du Plessis
Faf Du Plessis is a product of the Titans franchise based in Pretoria, he is a life life long friend of A.B.de Villiers, the two of them having played cricket together since primary school.
Faf has emerged as an exceptional short form player in South Africa with the Titans and during his time playing for Lancashire, he has forced his way into the South African cricket team on volume of runs.
For a cricketer who has learnt how to play on the highveld where the wickets are quick and bouncy, Faf’s batting technique is almost subcontinent like in his ability to manipulate space against the slower bowlers.
An excellent rotator of strike, wristy and with the ability to open up the field square of the wicket he has good range to his game, comfortable against pace and spin.
He has worked exceptionally hard on learning how to play shots on slow wickets that allow him to control the tempo of his innings, you’ll see how he suggests in his cricket tips that batters learn to pace and manage the risk in their stroke selection.
I began working with Faf in 2005 when I joined the Titans and he was still playing amateur cricket.
He was one of a group of young players that the successful Titans side was built around, these included Dale Steyn, Heino Kuhn, Paul Harris and the Morkel brothers.
I’ve been delighted with Faf’s emergence as an outstanding young player for South Africa and am looking forward to him growing his game into test cricket for SA as well.
Enjoy his cricket batting tips …

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1.Intensity, Intensity, Intensity. Go to the wicket with the positive attitude of taking control of the game.
2. Have two strike rotation areas where you can get off strike and get down the non strikers end.
3. Get off strike as much as possible in your first 10 balls to keep the scoreboard moving and get yourself in.
4. Don’t let the bowler settle into an area, move around so he has to question his game plan and how he varies the deliveries in his over.
5. Structure your innings into low, medium and high risk batting and know at what time you need to move up and down.
E.g. when you first come in you play low risk, as your innings progresses you move to medium risk and when you’re attacking the death overs at the end of the innings you move to high risk.
6. Responsibility – when you’re in control of your game and the innings, keep control. Its always easier for the in-batsman to control the tempo of the innings than for a new batter coming in.
7. Partnerships win games.
8. Know your boundary options – when and where you are going to attack them. You need more than one.
9. Having wickets in hand allows you to post big totals.
10. Attack the power play with calculated risks.

Types of Cricket Shots and Fielding Positions

“Orthodox Cricket shots”
1.UPPER CUT
2.STRAIGHT DRIVE
3.LEG GLANCE
4.SQUARE DRIVE
5.COVER DRIVE
6.HOOK SHOT
7.PULL
8.SQUARE CUT
9.LATE CUT
10.SWEEP SHOT
11.REVERSE SWEEP
“All types of cricket shots”

There are many other shots played in Cricket which cannot be listed officially due to their non consistency.

One of the shot by name “Helicoptor Shot” Which was recently invented by MS Dhoni, gained lots of popularity in the cricket world.
“Pitch Dimentions”

“Fielding positions for a right Handed batsman”

Get cricket fit

Weight routine

Perform 3 sets of 8 reps per exercise, then alternate between the core workout in Section B and one exercise from section C every time you train.

Bench press

Muscle groups: Pecs, anterior deltoids, triceps
Why? "The bench press is an excellent upper-body compound exercise and one of the core exercises for batters, bowlers and wicket keepers, since each role depends largely on solid upper-body strength."

Squats

Muscle groups: Quads, glutes, hamstrings
Why? "A great strength builder for your lower body, squats also help maintain stability and create a good base for athletic movement."

Chin-ups, overhand grip

Muscle groups: Lats
Why? "Much of the active moments on the cricket field are played in a bent-over position, so a strong back is crucial to dynamic strength, stamina and avoiding injury."

Deadlift/stiff leg deadlift

Muscle groups: Hamstrings
Why? "It's vital that you keep the ratio between quads and hamstrings even, otherwise you're going to create muscle imbalances which can lead to injury."

Lunge (static or walking)

Muscle groups: Quads
Why? "Excellent strength builder not just for your legs but also your core. Lunges incorporate the element of balance, which is essential in cricket – and most other sports to boot."

Internal and external rotations

Muscle groups: Rotator cuffs
Why? "It's very important to have strong rotator cuffs since all the disciplines of cricket, particularly fast bowling, place a huge amount of stress on the shoulder joints. They need to be strong but equally flexible with a large range of movement."

Core strength

By boosting your core strength, you'll improve your total-body dynamics and minimise your risk of injury.

5 x 1 minute plank (on Swiss ball)
5 x 45 seconds side plank (star position)
5 x 20 Russian twists (with medicine ball)
5 x 25 crunches
5 x 25 crunches(legs up and crossed over)
5 x 20 dorsal raise (feet on floor)

Cardio

Use these drills to boost your VO2 max and improve your stamina – perform one exercise from this section every time you train.

23/7s
Stand on a start line, then sprint as fast and as far as you can in 7 seconds. Mark this position with a cone or t-shirt. Then you have 23 seconds to return to your start point. Repeat 5 times: this counts as one block, then have two minutes recovery and repeat again. Try and complete 10 blocks. Give yourself a prize if you don't vomit.

Mirror drill
Set out two facing squares using poles or cones, each about 3m squared. Stand in one square while your partner faces you in the other. One person then sprints in random directions while the other mimics his movement in the facing square, hence the "mirror". The drill lasts until either man loses movement technique or fatigues or both.

Grappling
Grappling is superb for improving all-over strength, stamina, balance and speed. Try these two drills with a training partner of roughly equal size.
1. Stand back to back, then turn and try to wrestle the other man to the ground.
2. Lie on your chest on the floor while your partner lies across your shoulders. Attempt to wrestle him off for 1 minute then swap over and try to keep him pinned down.
3. Kneel in front of each other and try to wrestle to the floor. Break after 1 minute.