England and Middlesex paceman Steven Finn shares his top five tips for aspiring fast bowlers and his tricks of the trade for avoiding some tap at the death.
1) Smile Like You Mean It
“The first and most important thing is to enjoy it. If you don’t enjoy bowling then don’t do it, because it can be miserable at times when it’s not going your way.”
2) Need For Speed
“A very good bit of advice that I got told when I was younger was to bowl as quick as you can. You have to know your limitations to set them, so get out there and bowl fast!”
3) Go Your Own Way
“The country is crying out for individuals, not generic cricketers who do exactly the same thing as the next person. We want to see people who do special things. A few years ago everyone was set to the level four coaching manual but I think coaches are beginning to account for individuality – and that’s a great thing. Individuality is key for me.”
4) Advice With Caution
“It’s important to take on advice but filter it. Don’t listen to everything everyone says to you, because then you won’t know your arse from your elbow and you’ll have no idea where to turn. I wanted to listen to every single bowler who would speak to me when I was younger and by the end I was so confused that I didn’t know what to do. You have to pick and choose what works for you.”
5) Find Your Feet
“A bowler’s run-up is absolutely crucial. You have to work in straight lines. I often go down to my local cricket club on a Saturday afternoon and I’ll see people running up at 45 degrees or right-armers bowling round the wicket and wonder how beneficial that is. You don’t have to be 100 per cent serious all the time but if you’re going the set the basic foundations at a young age, the basic principle of running up in a straight line and having a consistent run-up is massive. The earlier you can get that in someone’s ethos, the quicker everything else will come together when they get older.”
And finally, some tips for bowling at the death when the heat is on…
“I try to watch the batsman as closely as I can because people can get funky with their movements at the crease and that can often overcomplicate things for them. I’ve got a slower bowl, which I bowl as an off-cutter, and bumpers are very underrated at the end of the innings on a wicket with a little bit of a pace in it – a surprise ball when the batsman is set up for everything on the front foot. As a general rule a yorker is a very good ball because it’s the hardest ball to hit but the main thing is to keep it simple and watch the batsman. If he goes outside leg stump then follow him and give him no room to free up his arms.”
Steven Finn is a judge for the ECB and Clydesdale Bank 40’s Junior Journo competition, which is searching for aspiring sports writers aged 16 and under. For more info visit www.ecb.co.uk/juniorjourno
