How to Get Better at Cricket Batting

Batting is one of the core aspects of cricket. The job of batters may appear simple – to hit the ball across the field – but becoming a competent batter requires a lot of hard work. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced player, there are many ways to improve your batting.

Are you wondering how to get better at cricket batting? This is a question many aspiring batters will be asking themselves and others.

You can start improving your batting by working on your technique, where you build on the basics of holding the bat’s grip, stance, and other aspects. Mastering different cricket shots comes next, where you improve your skills in shot selection and play. Finally, practice is the most important part of your batting journey and will impact your play the most. Without regular and focused practice, it’s difficult to get better at batting.

Practising with cricket nets can support batters in their journey to improve their batting skills and techniques. In this blog, learn how to get better at cricket batting and understand how total-play’s cricket practice nets can help you in this journey.

Build Your Batting Technique

To fine-tune this essential aspect of the game requires you to revisit the basics. Follow these guidelines in cricket net practice at home and perfect your batting technique.

1. Stance

Stance refers to how your feet are positioned near the batting crease. Always begin with a well-balanced and athletic stance with your body weight evenly distributed and your feet placed shoulder-width apart. A little bend in the knees also helps. If you’re right-handed, turn your left side towards the bowler and reverse if you’re left-handed.

Be open and flexible to tweak your stance when playing different shots.

2. Grip

Grip the bat firmly with both hands. A firm grip is one where your hands are wrapped around the bat, with the dominant hand placed closest to the bat’s blade. Place your hands between the top and middle of the bat’s handle for maximum precision and control. The further apart your hands are on the handle, the more unstable the grip on the bat and the more difficult it gets to manoeuvre.

3. Backlift

You can raise your bat with your dominant hand and keep it close to your rear shoulder while playing a shot. The flat side of the bat must face the bowler at all times.

4. Head Position

Level your head in a way that your gaze is fixed on the bowler’s hand as the ball is released.

5. Footwork

Footwork in cricket refers to the movement of the batter’s feet. Move towards the ball by stepping forward with your front foot and align yourself with the delivery. Adjust your movements according to the nature of delivery.

6. Selecting Shots

Assess and choose appropriate shots based on the line, length and speed of the bowler’s delivery. Installing a cricket net for practice at home allows you to practise a variety of shots such as sweeps, pulls, cuts, and drives.

7. Timing and Balance

Make contact with the ball in the middle of the bat and time it well. Transferring your body weight forward will help you maintain balance and hit shots well. If your weight is on the back foot, you’re likely to hit the ball in the air and may get caught behind.

8. Follow Through

Follow through is the action that follows after you hit the ball. Once you’ve hit the ball, extend your arms and continue the motion in the same direction.

9. Practice, Practice, Practice

Practice makes perfect. Refine your complete batting technique and shot play with regular cricket net practice at home or join a local club. Build regular cricket net sessions into your routine and become a competent batter and all-round player.

total-play’s cricket practice nets create a durable and functional cricket practice environment right in your garden. Take the next step towards achieving your training goals by browsing our range here.

10. Focus and Concentration

Build your focus and concentration levels while you bat, giving you the confidence to react quickly to any type of delivery, whether it’s a tricky yorker or a cheeky bouncer.

Follow these ten steps to refine your batting technique and transform yourself into a skilled, consistent, and confident batter.

How to Increase the Strike Rate in Cricket

Batters find themselves constantly under pressure to score their runs quickly before losing their wicket. In newer game formats like T20, the pressure to score more runs in a shorter period is even higher. Strike rate is the measure of how quickly a batter scores runs in a game; the higher the strike rate, the better.

If you’ve been looking at how to increase the strike rate in your cricket games, the following guide is for you.

1. Analyse Field Placement

The secret to scoring runs lies in assessing the field placement. Before each delivery look where the other team’s fielders are placed and look for gaps. Only pick shots that get you runs and avoid the ones that don’t.

2. Reading the Ball

Learning to read the delivery before you prepare to play your shot is a step that can’t be emphasised enough. There are 25 main deliveries in cricket, where 14 are bowled by fast bowlers and the rest by spin bowlers. Differentiating between different deliveries, whether it’s the doosra or the off-break, is important for shot selection and increasing your strike rate.

3. Use Pace to Your Advantage

Facing fast bowlers can be scary, but you can use the pace as an opportunity to score runs. When facing a fast bowler bowling at a high speed, just use your bat to guide the ball where you want to. Use uppercut and ramp shots against short deliveries by fast bowlers.

Range-hitting techniques can help you against spin deliveries when the spin bowler delivers a tighter line and length.

4. Running Between Wickets

Hitting fours and sixes isn’t always possible for batters. Focus on scoring ones and twos by keeping the strike rotating and efficiently running between the wickets. Improve your running speed to turn your singles into twos and twos into threes – it might make all the difference between your team winning or losing.

Install total play’s Cricket Nets to up Your Batting Game

Cricket net practice at home or at your local club sets the stage for improving your batting skills and techniques. total-play understands the importance of regular practice sessions at the nets, and that’s why we believe in offering high-quality practice equipment and products. We partner with leading suppliers to get you the best practice nets and cricket equipment, no matter what level you play at.

We’re a reliable supplier of cricket equipment and nets for clubs, schools, universities, and indoor cricket facilities across the UK.

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