On a rare day off from international duty England run-machine Alastair Cook took time out to share some batting tips for aspiring young batsmen with Sam Stow during a Clydesdale Bank net session at Lord’s.
Set For Success
“It depends a bit on what level you’re playing at but the first thing I’d say a batsman should look at is the way they’re set up, in terms of grip and stance. Everyone is slightly different and you need to make sure you aren’t hindering your technique in any way. You don’t want to over complicate anything and it’s important to make sure you’re set up in a way that helps you.”
Eyes On The Prize
“One of the most important things is watching the ball and then trying to hit the ball. I know it sounds incredibly simple but often people don’t watch the ball closely enough. Even as international cricketers we always have to remind ourselves to watch the ball and that should be the same with youngsters. Often people think they are watching the ball but they are not watching it as closely as they think.”
It’s Only Natural
“I think it is very important to allow kids to play naturally. It’s very important to encourage total, natural play; you can give them the basics and then see how they go for a while. There are always flaws in a batsman’s technique, even with Sachin Tendulkar. You look at someone like Rahul Dravid and Ricky Ponting; you know how to get them out and there always slight issues but look at the number of runs they have scored. It is pointless to worry about minor issues with a 13-year-old’s technique, you can worry about all that later on, maybe when they are 17 or 18 and perhaps looking to play at a professional level.”
The Hard Yards
“The biggest thing of all is how hard you have to work. We’re lucky enough to have Graham Gooch as our batting coach with England and he did it all in his day. For me, to have a player like him throwing balls at me for hours is great. The honest truth about batting is you have to work hard; it’s as simple as that. There are always technical things we’ll be trying to keep in tune but it’s the hard work that gets you there in the first place.”
Alastair Cook was speaking at a net session for Clydesdale Bank, encouraging involvement in grass roots cricket. For more information, visit www.ecb.co.uk/clydesdalebank40
