You can have as many team nights out, boot camps or bonding sessions as you like. If there is no basic trust and understanding of responsibilities then the team will not gel, at least not in my experience.

Expertise from captains, coaches and senior players is required if a team does not come together naturally. Most players are cynical to traditional 'team building' techniques, even if they really want it to work.

This is part two of a series on how to captain in the field. To go to part one click here. To go back to the introduction click here.

This is part one of a series on how to captain in the field. To go back to the introduction click here.

A good cricket team has a certain attitude. They concentrate on every ball, show a never say die attitude and encourage each other in the right ways. However, this is easier said than done, especially in sides where the attitude has historically been different.

One of the first images of captaincy that springs to mind is the leader in the field. There is nothing as commanding as a skipper orchestrating his side with precision, especially when his tactical nous leads to a wicket.

Captaincy might be about a lot more than that, but it's this element that naturally draws people to the job. I'm sure you have imagined yourself exuding calm authority as captain. It demands admiration and respect.

Today's article is a mock 'job description' for a cricket captain. If you were applying would you get the job?

The details have been supplied by Ryan Maron, Assistant Coach to the Netherlands national cricket team, VRA player coach and Director of Ryan Maron's Cricket School of Excellence in South Africa.

In part one we found out the building blocks of trust. Today we tackle the difficult people who want to break it all down again.

Most club cricketers play for the fun and camaraderie they game brings, at least in part.

Studies have shown that footballers pass the ball to their friends more than less liked team members. Even if the latter player is in a better position. The real shock is that this can still happen at professional level.

The conclusion? Cliques are not good if you want a successful team.

The Third XI captain (Sundays) of my old club side was called Dave. He was a large man in his forties without pretention. He loved beer, cricket and Brighton and Hove Albion FC.

He called himself a batsman, but his real talent was his 'occasional bowling', which caused chaos.

After several hundred posts I thought it was time you got an introduction. Or, more specifically; Some of the ideas and people behind the practical tips on this site that make you a better player. If you understand these pillars, you understand the system I use and that's essential to your success.

photo credit: Rick212

It's quite something to think that club cricketers have been playing the shortest version of the game since the first after work matches in the 1920s.

And the IPL thought Twenty20 was a new idea.

Generations of club players have grown up in the format that takes a couple of hours. In recent times the top players have shown the club game how it is done. What can we learn from them, and what should be cast aside when trying to win our local competitions?