Why is it that some teams can crush the opposition while others throw away winning positions?

In cricket, things can turn around very quickly. Celebrating one moment, you are frustrated the next.

Some years ago, it was in middle of cricket summer. My college team was competing in a one off fixture. Our team was superior to them and not just on paper; we had dominated much of the game and thought we had the other team nailed down to the floor.

This article is part of "The complete guide to cricket field settings" series.

In limited over matches there are times when the batsman is on top and an off-spinner is bowling.

This article is part of "The complete guide to cricket field settings" series.

When a batsman is all set and looking to go after you, towards final overs a leg spinner can easily get thrashed if he doesn’t have a proper field to bowl to.

Batsmen who like to take their time over scoring runs are seen as selfish. But there are times when slow scoring is essential to the success of a team’s innings.

It’s not all Geoff Boycott throwing away games just to have a red inker.

If you are a slow batsman yourself you will know acutely what I mean.

Knowing when to leave a fielder up or push him back is quite the art.

Do it too early and you give away easy runs or miss a chance to take a wicket. Do it too late and it costs you big.

Tactically aware bowlers seem to have this 6^th sense, Jedi mind trick to know when to do it. But it’s more a conundrum to others.

Working in the grey area

Since we stopped doing the weekly PitchVision Academy podcast I’ve been constantly asked when it’s coming back.

The great news is that we are planning the new series right now and all the PitchVision audioheads can get their fix again very soon.

It’s a club game on a typical summer afternoon. Tell me if what I saw is a familiar story.

The opening batsman are being tied down by some accurate medium pace bowling. After 10 overs the score is 18-0.

Seeing that he needs to get on with it, one opener plays a defensive nudge towards cover and makes a dash for a quick single. His partner is looking for it too and they make it home. In the next few overs they do more of the same, making the scoreboard look a little fuller before the first wicket falls.

This is part of the specialist fielding series of articles, for the full list of fielding positions covered click here.

OK I admit it. There are no specialist fine leg fielders. But in most teams it’s the same players who end up at either fine leg or third man, usually a bowler.

For that reason it makes sense to practice the skills you will most need.

During a match in the 2005 Ashes, the 5^th wicket had just fallen and Adam Gilchrist strolled to the crease. The game was in the balance at 208-5. Orthodoxy dictated a couple of slips and a fine leg the only boundary runner.

But Vaughan directed a fielder to deep point.

Critics were up in arms. They accused the skipper of setting a field for bad bowling; a mistake a schoolboy captain would think twice about.

Earlier this week I ran an article from spin bowling guru Menno Gazendam. It got one reader so fired up that he sent me a huge email reply packed with tips.

It was so good I just had to share it with you.

So thanks to Shiva, an NCA qualified coach in India for the following: