This article is part of the "Streetwise Bowling" series from PitchVision Academy. To view the full list of tactics click here.

This tactic takes a lot of guts and even more self-confidence as a bowler.

Will you risk it?

It's based around the old joke that after bowling a half volley and being hit for a boundary, some wag will comment that you have "lulled the batsman into a false sense of security". It's funny, but in reality you can do just that.

If you pick your moment perfectly.

• Name: The False Sense of Security
• Bowling Type: Any
• Difficulty Level: 9/10
• Success Level: Variable

The trick to this is twofold; you need the right batsman and enough control to pull it off.

In the case of the batsman, you need someone with an obvious strength and weakness. You may have worked him out previously or you might get the idea as the game goes on. For this example we will say the batsman is great through the covers and weak off his legs. Perhaps he falls over, as is common.

Balls 1-3

Start simple by feeding that strength.

Bowl on a length or slightly fuller outside the off stump. If you can move it away, all the better. You might even bowl a half volley or two that gets crashed through the covers for four. You could care less. You are about to buy this wicket for a very cheap price.

Ball 4

Get tighter on the crease and bowl a straight ball at the stumps. Moving in to hit middle and leg should do it.

The batsman is mentally set for his booming drive, lets his head go too far and is bowled or LBW. Your bowling average is 8.00. You win.

Ball 5-6

If the plan works you have a new batter on which to plot. If it failed, you probably need to do some damage limitation, as the over has gone for eight. So revert to your stock ball and aim to get a dot.

You might also bowl a yorker here, as these are great balls to get out of an over without looking too silly.

Review how well it worked between overs and start thinking of other ways to lull the batsman if Plan A fails.

It's quite possible to do this by accident. Say you bowled a couple of loose balls early to the strength area of the batter, you can refocus on the weakness towards the end of the over and rescue yourself. Of course, your teammates will scoff when you say it was a plan, but you can always give them this article as proof.