Critics had wondered why older players with Test pedigrees like Kallis, Vaas and Tendulkar were even bothering with the IPL. Maybe for the money, because their games are not built for the crash bang format.

It's a situation many older club players can relate to as well.

This article is part one of a series from Laurie Ward of The Complete Cricketer Academy.

This series of articles isn't about what you think.

Reading a title like this you will think of mental toughness, tactical awareness and the psychological side of the game.

But today we are going to talk about your head has a key role in the techniques of cricket.

This is part of a series on How to exploit batsman's weaknesses. To see the other weaknesses click here.

Every good coach will tell their players to stand ready with their feet a comfortable distance apart. While this is usually about shoulder width, some players will stand differently.

The sun beats down from a cloudless sky as you examine the wicket before play.

It's flat and grassless and looks like slab of baked concrete. Just as you think it can't get any worse you notice one end has a sloping run up and the wind is blowing down the hill.

You already know what the captain is going to say, but your heart sinks when he says it:

This is part of a series on How to exploit batsman's weaknesses. To see the other weaknesses click here.

If you are looking for batting weaknesses, it's best not to highlight a technique used by Don Bradman. So just to be awkward, that's exactly what I'm about to do.

The 'choked' or 'O' grip is a common variation of the more orthodox bottom hand grip and, despite the example of the Don, causes problems for batsman at club and school level.

We delve into the realms of sport psychology this week with the first part of our interview with ECB National Lead Psychologist and consultant for Lane4; Dr. Wil James.

Wil spoke to us on a range of topics related to the psychology of playing/coaching club and school level cricket.

This is part of a series on How to exploit batsman's weaknesses. To see the other weaknesses click here.

On the surface, an open stance is an excellent way to play. It gives the batsman a balanced position from which he or she has a wide range of scoring options.

But it can also lead to their downfall, if you know how to read it properly.

Rob Ahmun is the Strength and Conditioning Coach for Glamorgan CCC. Part of his job is to stay up to date with the latest research into cricket.

In this exclusive article Rob shows us what he has found, and explains how you can use the information as a coach or player.

This is part of a series on How to exploit batsman's weaknesses. To see the other weaknesses click here.

A "closed off" stance is one of the easiest weaknesses to spot and exploit because the batsman reveals his hand before he has even faced a ball.

It's also very common in club cricket. At the level I play I see it every weekend at least once, especially with lower order and tail-end batsmen.

In cricket, all batsmen have technical weaknesses. Really good bowlers and captains are able to use them to get the player out.

In this new series we will examine the more common technical faults, show you how to spot them and give you the bowling and field setting tactics you need to exploit them.

So if you are a bowler or a captain and you find yourself scratching your head for ideas on how to get a player out, this is the guide for you.