Do batter and bowlers arguments happen every week in your net sessions?

That’s the modus-operandi for many club and school net sessions, isn’t it?

It can be no different here at Millfield at times and as a result, our coaching group aim to come up with net formats to facilitate as much “bang for our buck” in our competitive net sessions as we possibly can.

Here is a net session that we have devised to reward discipline from the batsmen and to enable our batters and bowlers to shift focus from one type of situation to another very quickly.

Here are my notes that went out to the winter training group ahead of Thursday’s session this week:

• This is a session, which combines discipline (first 10 minutes of net) and T20 skills (last five minutes) for both bowlers and batsmen.
• There is also a consequence for the batters if they are not able to bat with discipline or are dismissed within the first 10 minutes.

Net regulations

1. Have a variety of bowlers in each net with max of four bowlers per net
2. Bat in pairs swapping with hard run single (3.25 seconds or under) either third or fourth ball (dependent on bowler numbers in your net).
3. There will be a padded up batter per net who will bat after 10 minutes in the event of a wicket being lost
4. Every Pair bats for 10 minutes. This is irrespective of the number of times an individual batter gets out.
5. Wickets are taken in the following ways: Bowled, LBW, Caught keeper/1st/2nd for seam or Caught keeper/1st for spin, hit at head between knee and top of head height to standard placed fielder, irrespective of pace off the bat, Hit into the air on a poor trajectory allowing time to get under it
6. The “fielders” are all professional cricketers. They can dive and can move!
7. Any benefit of the doubt goes to the batter.
8. The umpire’s (one of the coaches) decision is final.
9. If a batter is dismissed within the first 10 minutes then they will forgo the opportunity to have five minutes simulating the last two overs of a T20 game. Batters will have earnt the right to bat in the T20 element by batting with discipline and being not out across the first 10 minutes of their session
10. If a batter is dismissed within the first discipline 10 minutes then they shall de-pad, prepare to bowl in the next net groupings or undertake tennis ball technical drills.
11. The last 5 minutes will be an opportunity for the batters to practice their power hitting, ramps and other T20 in a net context.
12. The bowlers will have the opportunity to practice their yorkers, slower balls, cutters, arm balls, angles on the crease and anything that they can do to deceive the batters or cause either a poor contact or an error.
13. There will be no consequence for dismissal in this section. It is an opportunity to practice your relevant skills and test your effectiveness of your decision-making & execution of your skills. This element is about being effective, not just trying things out for the sake of it or swinging as hard as you can.
14. You will assess your effectiveness in the T20 section at the end of your bat and bowl on the whiteboard. This will be an effectiveness.
15. If a waiting batter comes in for the T20 element of the session as a result of a wicket lost in the first discipline section then he has the opportunity to have a 20 minute net of five minutes T20, discipline 10 minutes, five mins T20 if he applies himself well enough to the task.

Review and Reflection

• Discipline: Do I earn the right to be able to practice my Death T20 Scoring Options by being not out after 10 minutes? Yes or No?
• T20 Effectiveness: What % do I give myself at the end of the session in terms of being effective across the balls I face in the T20SKILLS Section?
• How Could I increase my effectiveness if I was to have another go at the same task?
• Discipline: Do I get enough balls in good areas for the batters whom I compete against? Did I take a wicket in line with the criteria above?
• T20 Effectiveness: What % do I give myself at the end of the session in terms of being effective with the balls that I delivered in the T20 section?
• How could I increase my effectiveness if I was to have another go at the same task?

Have a go at this session for a couple of weeks and see if you get more “bang for your buck” from your net sessions.