Avoid over-analysing why you are out of form. Don’t over-think things. Over-focusing on a lack of runs can distract you from getting the little things right.
Practise. At training, have your coach or a friend watch you bat in the net to make sure you are still using good technique and have your head, hands and feet in the right position. Facing balls in the nets will help with your confidence come match day.
Take things slowly. When you’re playing a match, try to stay relaxed and don’t be in a rush to score runs. Be conservative and avoid risky shots. Look for singles to keep the strike rotating so that you can take some of the pressure off yourself. The more time you spend in the middle, the more likely you will be to find your form.
Watch the ball. Often this one simple thing can be forgotten when you’re feeling pressure to perform. Make sure you watch the ball as it moves all the way from the bowler’s hand to the bat. You can’t hit what you don’t see.
Doing the simple things well and clearing your mind of negative thoughts about performing badly will help you find your way back to winning form.
Chasing down a total
There’s no doubt that in all forms of cricket, chasing down a total is a vital skill, but in T20 games the run chase has almost become an art form. Handling the pressure at the pointy end of the game is no easy feat; it takes the right measure of confidence, caution and timing. Here are a few things to keep in mind.
Believe in yourself. There’s not much point trying to chase down a total that you don’t think you can get. Start with the mindset that you will win the match.
Make a plan. Once you’ve begun to believe you will win the match, start thinking about a plan for how you will do it. Have an idea about how much you need to score off each over and look for chances to play aggressively and find the boundary. Be strategic about when you hit out and against which bowlers. Breaking the total down into chunks of ten or 20 runs can also help you feel more confident about chasing down a big total. Each time you secure another chunk of the total, you will feel closer to the win.
Intend to score. Having the intention to score is vital when you’re chasing runs. Play your shots but remember you can’t hit boundaries off every ball. Rotate the strike to avoid one player getting bogged down at one end.
Take it one ball at a time. When it comes to chasing runs, you need to play each ball as it comes. There may be times when you need to adjust your plan, such as after the loss of a wicket or an over from a great bowler. Don’t panic or resort to rash shots. Have faith that there will be more scoring opportunities to come.
With the right mindset and focus you can recover from any setback and find a way to chase down that total.
GLOSSARY
all-rounder
a player who bowls, bats and fields equally well
arm ball
a delivery from a slow bowler which has no spin on it, thus producing an unexpected straight-on flight
beamer
a full toss, usually fast, which goes towards the head of the person batting; an illegal delivery, punishable by a no ball being called
block hole
the area between the batsman’s bat and toes
bosie
see googly
bouncer
a ball which is so bowled that it bounces high when it pitches; also known as a bumper
boundary
a) the marked limits of the field
b) the score of four derived from hitting a ball which reaches the boundary
c) the score of six derived from hitting a ball which goes over the boundary before it touches the ground
bumper
see bouncer
bye
a run made on a ball not struck by the person batting
captain’s knock
a batting innings by the captain of a team of such quality that befits his or her position, especially one that is a turning point in the game
carrom ball
similar to a doosra except that the ball is spun using the thumb and the middle finger
caught-and-bowled
a dismissal in which the bowler takes the catch
century
100 runs
clean-bowl
to break the wicket without touching the person batting or their bat
cover drive
a drive which sends the ball towards or past cover point (a fielding position between point and mid-off)
crease
one of three lines marked near each wicket:
i) bowling crease, along which the stumps are placed
ii) popping crease, behind which some part of the bowler’s front foot must land when bowling
iii) return crease, marking the limits for the bowler at each side of the popping crease
cross-bat
a bat moving in a horizontal curve, as for a cut shot
cut shot
a) in batting, to strike with a cross-bat and dispatch a ball on the off side, usually in a direction between cover and third man
b) in bowling, to cause the ball to deviate on bouncing, usually by making the seam strike the pitch
declare
to close an innings voluntarily before all 10 wickets have fallen
delivery
the act of bowling a ball
doosra
an off-spinner’s googly, which looks similar to a normal off-break, but rather than spinning towards the bat, goes the other way, in the manner of a leg break
dot ball
a delivery from which no runs are scored
drop
a falling wicket
Duckworth-Lewis method
a mathematical formula used to calculate the target number of runs for the team batting second in a limited-overs cricket match that has been interrupted
fast bowling
a style of bowling in which the ball is delivered at high speeds; also known as pace bowling
finger spinner
a bowler who uses an action of the fingers to impart spin
googly
a delivery bowled by a wrist spinner which looks as if it will break one way but in fact goes the other; also known as a bosie or wrong ’un
half-century
an individual score of over 50 runs, but not over 100 runs
half-volley
a delivered ball or its return, hit or kicked the moment after it bounces from the ground
helicopter shot
a stroke played by swinging the bat in an uppercut fashion so that it catches the ball partly from below; in the follow-through the bat flails up and around vertically, through an angle that may exceed 180 degrees
innings
a) the turn of one member of the batting team to bat
b) one of the major divisions of a match, consisting of the turns at batting of all the members of one team until they are all out or until the team declares
c) the runs scored during such a turn or such a division
inswing
the movement from off to leg of a bowled ball
LBW (leg before wicket)
a dismissal that occurs if the ball, when pitching in line with the stumps, strikes the bats man’s leg or pads and so is impeded from hitting the wicket
leg break
a ball which, when a right-hander is facing, changes direction from leg to off when it pitches
leg glance
a glancing stroke by the person batting directing the ball down fine on the leg side of the wicket
leg side
that half of the field which is behind the person batting who is facing the bowling, as opposed to off side
leg spin
the spin which a bowler imparts to a ball to achieve a leg break
long-off
an off side fielding position behind the bowler, or a fielder in this position
medium-pace
a style of bowling which is slower than pace bowling but faster than spin bowling
mid-off
a fielding position on the off side, near the bowler
mid-on
a fielding position on the on side near the bowler
no ball
a ball bowled in a way disallowed by the rules and automatically giving the side batting a score of one run counted as a sundry
non-striker
the batsman standing at the bowling end
off-break
a ball which, when a right-hander is facing, changes direction from off towards leg when it pitches
off-cutter
a delivery from a fast bowler, similar to an off-break, but at greater speed
off side
the half of the field towards which the feet of the person batting point as he or she stands ready to receive the bowling, as opposed to leg side
off-spin
the spin which a bowler imparts on a ball to achieve an off-break
off stump
the stump on the off side of the person batting
on side
see leg side
opener
either of the two people batting who open their side’s innings by batting first
outfield
the part of the field furthest from the person batting
outswing
the movement from leg to off of a bowled ball
over
a) the number of balls delivered between successive changes of bowlers
b) the part of the game played between such changes
overpitch
to bowl so that the ball bounces too far up the wicket, allowing the person batting to play it with ease
pace bowling
a style of bowling in which the ball is delivered at high speeds; also known as fast bowling
pitch
a) to bowl so that the ball bounces on a certain part of the wicket
b) when a ball bounces on a certain part of the wicket
plumb
a batter standing directly in front of the wicket and thus leg before wicket or potentially leg before wicket
pull
to hit (a ball pitched on the wicket or on the off side) to the on side, usually off the back foot
reverse sweep
a shot in which the batter drops to one knee and reverses the hands in gripping the bat so as to sweep the ball from leg to off
run-out
the dismissal of the person batting by being run out
run rate
the number of runs scored per over, assessed by dividing the score by the number of overs completed
short-pitched
of or relating to a bowled ball which first strikes the pitch at a short distance from the bowler
slider
a delivery from a spin bowler that involves placing back spin on the ball so it often skids or slides off the pitch
slip fielder
a close fielder behind the batsman, next to the wicketkeeper
slog sweep
a pull shot that is played from kneeling position, usually against full-pitched, slower balls, in an attempt to hit boundaries
spin bowler
a bowler who has a special skill in spinning the ball
square leg
a fielding position on the leg side at right angles to the pitch opposite the wicket of the person batting
straight drive
a batted shot that passes straight past the bowler
sundry
a score or run not made by hitting the ball with the bat, as a bye or a side; an extra
sweep
to strike the ball with a cross-bat close to the ground, on the leg side, usually backward of square leg
switch hit
a shot played by a batsman who reverses both their stance and their grip during the bowler’s run-up so that a right-handed batsman would play the shot as an orthodox left-hander
tailenders
a team member who is ranked towards the end in the batting order
topspinner
a delivery in which forward spin is imparted to the ball, so that it does not deviate significantly on bouncing, but accelerates off the pitch, and often bounces unexpectedly high
the player on the fielding side who stands immediately behind the wicket to stop balls that pass it; also known as a wickie
wrist spinner
a bowler who uses an action of the wrist to impart spin
wrong ’un
see googly
yorker
a ball so bowled that it pitches directly under the bat
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Version 1.0
Glenn Maxwell 3: State Showdown
9780857986122
Published by Random House Australia 2015
Copyright © Random House Australia 2015
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
A Random House Australia book
Published by Random House Australia Pty Ltd
Level 3, 100 Pacific Highway, North Sydney NSW, 2060 www.randomhouse.com.au
Random House Books is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com
First published by Random House Australia in 2015
National Library of Australia
Cataloguing-in-Publication Entry
Author: Loughlin, Patrick.
Title: State showdown/Patrick Loughlin, with contributions from Glenn Maxwell;
illustrated by James Hart
ISBN: 978 0 85798 612 2 (ebook)
Series: Glenn Maxwell; 3
Target Audience: For primary school age
Subjects: Cricket – Australia – Juvenile fiction
Cricket players – Australia – Juvenile fiction
Other Authors/Contributors: Maxwell, Glenn, Hart, James, illustrator
Dewey Number: A823.4
Illustrations by James Hart
Image of Glenn Maxwell courtesy of Kookaburra Sport Pty Ltd
Cover design by Christabella Designs
The publisher would like to thank Macquarie Dictionary for use of definitions in Macquarie Dictionay Online, 2014, Macquarie Dictionay’s Publishers, https://www.macquariedictionary.com.au
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