Opening the batting

[Jathu]

How do you tell if someone is a genuine opener?What are the charecteristics of an opener?Also what would be the best ways to face the new ball and problems such as unorthodox bounce and swing in both directions?

[Aleks.]

They need to have a good concetrations and ability to face fast bowlers withouth giving away their wicket.

[siddle2franklin]

they are able to see off the new ball with reasonable runs accumulated without losing their wicket

[Mousey]

Some one who doesn't give away their wicket, can handle pace, can handle swing and can set the conditions for the rest of the team. None of which I am good at.

[roxy09]

Well ive opened every game for the last 2 years in the 2nds XI and i mainly focuse on concentration, and really watching the ball through the hand and seeing out the new ball bowlers. It only gets easier from there on

[eddiesmith]

Originally Posted by Mousey

Some one who doesn't give away their wicket, can handle pace, can handle swing and can set the conditions for the rest of the team. None of which I am good at.

So thats why I suck at opening I gave up opening this year after a couple of years of mixed results as I much prefer facing the spinners

My main problem was I like to attack, but it was hard to know when to attack and when not to, whether to go all out early or build and if there was any swing, couldnt hit em anyway and would get tied up

[roxy09]

loll
yeh i kind of have that problem aswell.
i always tend to want to get off to a quick start so i can take some pressure off myself
There for i can get mi self out by playing a stupid shot haha.

[mas cambios]

Originally Posted by Jathu

How do you tell if someone is a genuine opener?What are the charecteristics of an opener?Also what would be the best ways to face the new ball and problems such as unorthodox bounce and swing in both directions?

The skills have been mentioned above and they are pretty much spot on. Concentration is a must as is footwork. You'll often get the pitch with a bit of juice in, so being able to get forward or back is key.

A good way to think is that as an opening bat, you're job is to only play along the line of the stumps - if the ball is wide or bouncing over the stumps, leave it, it's really not worth the risk.

The ball is going to beat the bat at some point so don't worry about. Focus on the job at hand, which is to see off the new ball/opening bowlers. Remember where your off stump is - a simple yet great piece of advice!

If you're batting in a limited overs game then the urgency is upped a little but the basic advice stays the same.

If the ball is moving then don't be afraid to tailor your back-lift to it, i.e reduce it to give yourself more time to react to a ball that jags or bounces unexpectedly. Don't worry if boundaries are hard to come by, you can still go at a decent rate just by rotating the strike and taking singles.

I would also say that it's important to set yourself a target, say 60+ runs off the first 15 overs or so. It helps to focus the mind and ensures that you're not getting bogged down.

[eddiesmith]

Originally Posted by roxy09

loll
yeh i kind of have that problem aswell.
i always tend to want to get off to a quick start so i can take some pressure off myself
There for i can get mi self out by playing a stupid shot haha.

My biggest hate is when I get out playing defensively

Good advice as always mas cambios, the target is something I have never really thought of, I always look at the bigger picture, the final target

[mas cambios]

You do need to consider the bigger picture but that can be daunting at times. I tend to break the game down into 5/10 over spells, set a target and then re-assess.

If you're ahead of the run rate you can back down a little, if you're behind then speed thigngs up. The little targets make the game easy to digest and can help confidence as each one is reached and passed.