There is no sight more pleasing than your yorker taking out a batsman’s stumps. Like a sniper you can use a single yet fatal blow to cause destruction.

And it’s a skill that when done at pace is worth a fortune because it wins you Twenty20 games (and there is no faster way to make a fortune than to show you can win IPL matches).

The revolutionary PitchVision Academy Problem Solver has had a major upgrade.

Judging by the number of questions we get here at PitchVision Academy, a lot of players and coaches have a cricketing problem they need solving. Everyone has something; a technical flaw in the cover drive, not quick enough bowling, getting gassed with low fitness levels and a hundred other things.

We also know that there is a frustrating gap for most of us.

As you know, to celebrate the launch of the new online twenty20 bowling course from Ian Pont we are giving away an exclusive video by Ian.

But all good things have to come to an end and so on Monday 16^th January we will be closing the offer. You won’t be able to get the video or exclusive follow-up content any more.

Burners and David discuss batting collapses and boiling eggs in the podcast this week.

Losing lingers in the mind.

Everyone dwells on bad bowling spells. If it’s really bad you even let it worry you right into the next match, making it more likely you will bowl badly. A vicious circle of failure.

And in Twenty20 there is a fair chance it wasn’t even your fault.

Every year for more than 20 seasons I have gone through the same ritual after Christmas with a variety of club cricket teams.

The kitbag is dragged from the shed, and I find myself in a dusty sports hall trying to reacquaint myself with the faces of my team-mates that I haven’t seen for months.

The bowler’s have a little stretch while the batsmen fight about who is going to go first (or second actually, because no one wants to go first).

Stretching is like drinking more water. You know you should do it, but you never seem to get round to it.

But if you do aim to stretch more in future then why not get a head start with a stretching series from the cutting edge by strength coach Eric Cressey?

Fast bowling is an obsession.

Good fast bowlers say that, when they were young, bowling with pace was their passion. If you want to be really fast as a bowler look to build speed first and last.

Knowing when to leave a fielder up or push him back is quite the art.

Do it too early and you give away easy runs or miss a chance to take a wicket. Do it too late and it costs you big.

Tactically aware bowlers seem to have this 6^th sense, Jedi mind trick to know when to do it. But it’s more a conundrum to others.

Working in the grey area

Since we stopped doing the weekly PitchVision Academy podcast I’ve been constantly asked when it’s coming back.

The great news is that we are planning the new series right now and all the PitchVision audioheads can get their fix again very soon.