What are your goals for the 2017 season?

[Big Mac]

There are enough of us playing organised cricket for either schools or clubs to make this sub-forum more than the ghost town it currently is so let's kick things off by talking about what personal targets we've set for ourselves. Do you want to move up to the first team, score your maiden hundred, average under 25 with the ball, simply get a game , it's all good.

For me, I started playing cricket again in 2016 after more than 10 years away from the game so I was just glad to get regular games. Especially as I was a tailender who never liked batting and had to try and bowl leg-spin as I was too fat/old/broken to bowl outswingers any longer

Unfortunately, it seems my spinning finger doesn't want to co-operate and no longer lets me bowl a leg-break without hurting for the rest of the week so, seeing as I'm too lazy to bowl off more than two paces, I'm going to have to join the ranks of those namby-pamby gloryboys and learn how to bat. My goals for the season are to score at least two half-centuries, which seeing as my highest score to date is 22 should be a piece of cake.

Unless...I teach myself to bowl left-handed and become a one man wrecking crew

Oh and I want to face [MENTION=46929]shaz619[/MENTION] in the nets and smash his halwa bowling into orbit

 

[shaz619]

There are enough of us playing organised cricket for either schools or clubs to make this sub-forum more than the ghost town it currently is so let's kick things off by talking about what personal targets we've set for ourselves. Do you want to move up to the first team, score your maiden hundred, average under 25 with the ball, simply get a game , it's all good.

For me, I started playing cricket again in 2016 after more than 10 years away from the game so I was just glad to get regular games. Especially as I was a tailender who never liked batting and had to try and bowl leg-spin as I was too fat/old/broken to bowl outswingers any longer

Unfortunately, it seems my spinning finger doesn't want to co-operate and no longer lets me bowl a leg-break without hurting for the rest of the week so, seeing as I'm too lazy to bowl off more than two paces, I'm going to have to join the ranks of those namby-pamby gloryboys and learn how to bat. My goals for the season are to score at least two half-centuries, which seeing as my highest score to date is 22 should be a piece of cake.

Unless...I teach myself to bowl left-handed and become a one man wrecking crew

Oh and I want to face [MENTION=46929]shaz619[/MENTION] in the nets and smash his halwa bowling into orbit

You're in the same boat as me then, a leggie who bats a bit that's bad news for you, the remainder of your season shall be spent on the bench or getting a whipping in the nets from me. I shall be making a comeback! I have been training with the destroyer! seriously though since am away from brum 90% of the time besides the summer I've stopped playing altogether. When I get back, Ramadan stars and more then half the season is over. In 2018 I should be working though and god willing it will be in brum, would have a lot more time on me hands to for the cricket; you are safe for now!

What number do you bat at Big Mac

 

[Slog]

Actually last year for the first time in my life I started playing with a hard ball regularly and now I totally regret not doing that earlier and wasting time on tape ball cricket

I get some crazy crazy swing. No jokes.

Obv pace is low (125-130kph - its been just over 130kph whenever ive had it measured previously) but I can say confidently shaukiya cricketers cant handle the swing

One of the big downsides of living in Karachi (and Pakistan in general i guess) is there arent many opportunities to play with the hard ball without making a huge effort on your part and booking stadiums, getting a match going etc.

Most of the hard ball cricket ive played on have been in actual matches last year so you dont really have the luxury to try out new things with the ball and usually stick to what has worked.

 

[Slog]

All said and done. In the 8 or so hard ball matches i played last year i learned more about bowling and learn to appreciate it more than i did for the 10-15 years prior to that where i mostly played tape ball cricket.

 

[Big Mac]

All said and done. In the 8 or so hard ball matches i played last year i learned more about bowling and learn to appreciate it more than i did for the 10-15 years prior to that where i mostly played tape ball cricket.

Welcome to real cricket

130kph is not slow btw, that's really quick for an amateur cricketer.

You're in the same boat as me then, a leggie who bats a bit that's bad news for you, the remainder of your season shall be spent on the bench or getting a whipping in the nets from me. I shall be making a comeback! I have been training with the destroyer! seriously though since am away from brum 90% of the time besides the summer I've stopped playing altogether. When I get back, Ramadan stars and more then half the season is over. In 2018 I should be working though and god willing it will be in brum, would have a lot more time on me hands to for the cricket; you are safe for now!

What number do you bat at Big Mac

I was yo-yoing up and down the order like a PP talented youngsta beauty

When I played in school, a long, long time ago, I batted at #11 because I was scared of the ball and bowled medium pace outswing. I played a bit of parks cricket but retired from cricket because the politics of playing cricket with Pakistanis was too much, even for me

Came back to cricket last summer, after more than 10 years without picking up a bat or ball because my body was destroyed beyond repair from football and American football. It was either cricket or learn how to golf and I already had the cricket kit



My first game was in the 6ths, I batted 9th. It would have been 11th but we only had 9 players turn up. We still won though

Then I opened the batting in the next two games?!

After scoring 21 runs in two innings at the top of the order, the selectors couldn't ignore my red hot form so I was promoted to the 5ths where I batted at 9, 10 then 7 before finding myself opening the batting again only this time I ended up keeping wicket as well somehow

In short, I have no idea where I bat

Gonna try and get a few hours in front of the bowling machine over the next few weeks and stake a claim in the top order. Need to work on my onside game, I'm a bit unbalanced at the crease so I fall over and struggle to work the ball off my pads.

 

[Slog]

Welcome to real cricket

130kph is not slow btw, that's really quick for an amateur cricketer.
.

It was kind of a disappointment though but does show th gulf between amateur and competitive

For eg with the tape ball I am usually by and large among the faster bowlers so thought I'd be on the faster side but in actuality I bowl at speeds which I refer to as trundling

 

[Big Mac]

Yeah, the difference between the pros and mere mortals is insane. When I played American football we had an ex-NFL player play for us for one season and it was eye-opening. He was only a pro for a couple of years and was barely at the level of a third-string player but he was head and shoulders above anybody on the field at our level. People would try to tackle him and he'd just jump over their heads )

 

[Ellipsism]

It was kind of a disappointment though but does show th gulf between amateur and competitive

For eg with the tape ball I am usually by and large among the faster bowlers so thought I'd be on the faster side but in actuality I bowl at speeds which I refer to as trundling

At least your quicker than Imran Khan.

 

[Slog]

At least your quicker than Imran Khan.

haha thats what i used to say all the time (reg to him, anwar ali etc) but seems like not quite.

though im prolly still faster than Tanveer aunty

 

[Stallion__]

Once upon a time when I was known for my sweep shots in my college. Later developed a decent dilscoop as well . Also used to like hip to chest high stuff though I was so weak on playing through covers region though .

As a bowler, I was all over the place if I bowl with a legal action . I could be fairly decent line & length bowler if allowed a little extension . Never a great spinner and my spinning ability further diminished after the arm fracture, however my Ajantha Mendis stuff wasn't easy to pick for the ones playing me first time

I played last year after a long time, though I was still the same player , my fitness level has subsided significantly . Might have become too old or be too busy this year but I am working on my fitness though not for cricketing reasons . But I would welcome if any cricket comes along the way

 

[aloo paratha]

Get into the academy first

 

[Big Mac]

I played last year after a long time, though I was still the same player , my fitness level has subsided significantly . Might have become too old or be too busy this year but I am working on my fitness though not for cricketing reasons . But I would welcome if any cricket comes along the way

If there is anything we should have learned from following Pakistan, it's that you are never too old

I have grey hairs in my beard, tendonitis-like pain in both elbows, wear and tear has worn away cartilage in both my knees, one of which needed surgery a couple of years ago, I've had a ruptured disc so my back isn't great, I've got shoulder impingement and my ring finger is buggered so I will have to learn to bowl left-handed if I am to fulfil my dream of becoming a wrist-spinning genius,

Despite all that, 2017 will be the best season of my cricketing career and there is no reason any of you should aim any lower

 

[Stallion__]

I have grey hairs in my beard, tendonitis-like pain in both elbows, wear and tear has worn away cartilage in both my knees, one of which needed surgery a couple of years ago, I've had a ruptured disc so my back isn't great, I've got shoulder impingement and my ring finger is buggered so I will have to learn to bowl left-handed if I am to fulfil my dream of becoming a wrist-spinning genius,

Despite all that, 2017 will be the best season of my cricketing career and there is no reason any of you should aim any lower

Kudos mate.

Personally, I find it very difficult to be an effective spinner with a non dominant hand. Even though, I get prodigious turn with my left hand as compared to the right one, I can't generate enough power for 22 yards so I will either give the ball excessive flight or it won't turn

 

[Stallion__]

And btw [MENTION=138463]Slog[/MENTION], 130kph isn't slow by any means for dilettantes. The maximum I have faced was 137kph and I couldn't even play that guy in front of square. In the end, I got a wide one, edged it to third man, got to the non striker's end and started thinking about the ways to get out and don't make myself look like I am chickening out Thankfully, I didn't have to face him again.

 

[Big Mac]

Kudos mate.

Personally, I find it very difficult to be an effective spinner with a non dominant hand. Even though, I get prodigious turn with my left hand as compared to the right one, I can't generate enough power for 22 yards so I will either give the ball excessive flight or it won't turn

I only started flicking the ball from my left hand while sitting at my desk from last night so I've not idea if I can even propel the ball 22 yards, let alone get it to land anywhere near the batsman

Going to the nets later tonight, don't think I've got the guts to try it yet. But soon...

 

[Big Mac]

Well, I tried bowling one normal leg-break and my finger immediately started to hurt and I can tell it's going to hurt for the rest of the week so I'm sad to announce that my days of right arm leg-spin are finished.

Left arm Chinaman here I come...

 

[Big Mac]

Update

It turns out trying to bowl with a different arm is not as simple as I had hoped.

 

[Big Mac]

Gonna try and get a few hours in front of the bowling machine over the next few weeks and stake a claim in the top order. Need to work on my onside game, I'm a bit unbalanced at the crease so I fall over and struggle to work the ball off my pads.

Finally got some time in front of the bowling machine. Was my first time using a machine so I set it to trundle in at 60mph but it feels quicker, the lack of any bowling arm to focus on really screwed with the timing of my backlift. I had to stand there with my bat in the air like an idiot and struggled to get my feet moving as I'd hope to.

Here is a sneak preview of my quest to transform myself from a tailend hack to a beast like Rahat Ali

Eagle eyed PPers will notice [MENTION=46929]shaz619[/MENTION] batting in the net on the right of screen, you can tell he's a pro because he's decked out in full whites.

Kudos mate.

Personally, I find it very difficult to be an effective spinner with a non dominant hand. Even though, I get prodigious turn with my left hand as compared to the right one, I can't generate enough power for 22 yards so I will either give the ball excessive flight or it won't turn

Same, I can get it to turn but it's hard to get any accuracy or power over 22 yards. Going to have to start with baby steps and walk through my action step by step, slowly building up my action by bowling from 10 yards and gradually work my way back to 22 yards.

 

[Stallion__]

Same, I can get it to turn but it's hard to get any accuracy or power over 22 yards. Going to have to start with baby steps and walk through my action step by step, slowly building up my action by bowling from 10 yards and gradually work my way back to 22 yards.

That's the right way to go. Focus on one thing at a time. First power then accuracy. Kaneria during 2006-07 was turning the ball big and Ramiz asked him how he developed that much turn. He said that he used to sit few yards short of the bowling crease and kept bowling hundreds of balls trying to maximize the turn using his ring finger. Then gradually shifted to full length pitch and finally got it to turn with proper bowling action.

Talking about myself, I had a nasty right arm fracture that took away the dexterity of my right hand
So I tried my luck with the left hand and wanted to become a gun bowler step by step much in a same way like you. Chinaman was more difficult to control so I took orthodox and started it in like 8-10 yard space in my lounge. I was getting better with practice but left playing this game for badminton and table tennis (though lack of flexibility in my wrist limits my backhand game)

 

[Big Mac]

I bowled one leg-break after batting on the machine on the weekend, the first time in over a month, to see if my finger had healed.

Nope.

Beginning to think it might be something bone related now