How to Break a Big Partnership in Twenty20

An exclusive article from PitchVision Academy; home of online cricket coaching.

Even in T20, partnerships are key to batting. The longer a pair stays together the faster they score. This doesn’t look good for your figures.

So your job as a paceman is to break to partnership and slow the run rate.

If we told you there was a way you could reliably gain accolades for your ‘golden arm’ that breaks partnerships, would you be prepared to put in the work to achieve it? How much better a player would you be?

But it does take work. We have all been out there with increasing desperation. It's easy to forget how to do things. We know. We have seen bowlers even at the highest level get confused by pressure.

That’s exactly what we are going to show you now. So next time the score is mounting up, take a moment and remember a couple of these tips, they are a sure-fire way to getting what you want:

Change the delivery

With the constant mantra of coaches to “bowl at the top of off stump” and the lack of practice of variations it's easy to forget that there are several ways to mix up the ball you bowl:

• Change of pace: quicker or slower balls.
• Change of angle: Go wider on the crease or go around the wicket. Suddenly batsmen are playing at balls they should leave and leaving balls they should play.
• Change of length: A yorker or a bouncer, followed up by a bouncer or a yorker makes life very difficult, even or a well set player.

Naturally, traditional coaching methods don’t talk about these tactics and obviously they don’t show you how to do them effectively. That’s why Chapter 4 of “Beating the Odds” gives you the tactics, techniques and practice methods you need to bowl effective variations. Click here to buy the online course.

Bluff the batsman

Twenty20 field settings are formulaic and batsmen get used to seeing them. So upset some rhythm by doing something weird, just for the sake of it:

• Bring up fine leg and drop mid on out. The batsman might try to hit the ball down to fine leg and hole out, or miss it altogether.
• Keep 5 or 6 in the ring, even when you can have more out. This squeezes the batsman, stops singles and forces big shots that could go up in the air.
• Put in a close catcher. Batsman driving on the up? Short extra cover (with deep extra as cover) can take wickets. Player like to work it to third man? Pop a slip in and dare him to carry on.

The theory is that the batsmen, used to being on top, fees confused and pressured by people suddenly in the way as the bowler runs in. He starts wondering if the captain seen something in his technique to justify such a move, or is about to get some short stuff.

Of course it's all bluff, but pressure is a curious thing.

You will learn more about bluff, how to use squeeze tactics and pressuring the batsman in Chapter 2 when you buy “Beating the Odds”.

Keep the slow batsman on strike

Not every batter is suited to T20 and some will be happy to nick a single to let the big hitter do all the work.

But if you can keep the nurdling batsman in and on strike the run-rate dries up.

The way to do it is to quietly give the hitter a single then squeeze the other batsman with a ring field. Then as the over is coming to an end you make sure he gets a single, keeping the hitter off strike.

The key to making this work is to be subtle about what you are doing so it feels like an accident to the batsmen, and that requires some sharp fielders.

When giving a single the ring fielders need to be slightly out of position. This can be done in a number of ways:

• Too close. For example, cover slides to an almost catching position while extra cover drops back to he or she is too deep and too straight creating a gap that allows the single but saves the boundary.
• Too deep. For example, put your weakest and slowest fielders at mid on and mid off then drop them back to the edge of the circle.
• Leave a gap. On the batsman's strongest shot, take out the saving one fielder and put him on the boundary, if the boundary is long keep them close enough to save 2.

It works, but only if you do it quietly. If the batsman catches on to your plan he will try and counter it.

Throw down your hat

Sometimes a simple strop is what it takes to focus everyone's mind. It's amazing how much fielding improves after a blast from the bowler.

If you curse and shake your fists too often, everyone becomes immune to your behaviour and it loses effectiveness.

But if you pick your moment you can throw the book at someone and everyone else in the side tries that little bit harder.

The effect doesn't last very long, with a couple of boundaries soon taking the sheen off your well planned tantrum. But there is a chance the increase in efforts leads to that piece of bowling or fielding you need.

Be warned though; batsmen love to see players having a go at each other in the field. So make it short and sharp and don't let ill-feeling linger. Some people like to bite back, or fume quietly about your histrionics. Pay attention to the response of the players.

Earlier on I asked you if you wanted a golden arm in twenty20. As you have got this far I’m going to assume you answered “yes”. Well, now that you have read through this article, you realise that there is a lot more to being a twenty20 fast bowler and that to be successful you need the professional advice in “Beating the Odds”.

Enrol on the online course now and you will fully understand why traditional coaching methods won’t get you to where you want to be.

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