The tactic of dropping fieldsmen when a tailender is in with a proper batsmen

Top Contributors
LIONS then DAYLIGHT

LIONS then DAYLIGHT

Banned
The tactic of dropping fieldsmen when a tailender is in with a proper batsmen

Everyone knows the tactic.

Drop the field back for the regulation batsmen, or the set batsmen, keep the attacking fieldsmen in but deny the batsmen the chance of hitting boundaries as most batsmen will hit out when with a tailender.

Then bring the field up after 3 balls and try and keep the tailender down the other end for the next over.

What is everyone's thoughts on this tactic.

I have been watching cricket routinely since 1999, around 2001 blanket pay tv cricket coverage came into play so most of us can watch many different matchs around at the same time.

For example, here in Australia we can watch the SA - Eng series on Foxsports.

The first time I remember seeing the tactic was in the Aus V SA test match at the MCG 2001/02 season.

Waugh put the field back in the first innings.

I also think it happened when Australia played the Windies in 1999 with Shane Warne bowling to lara with 9 on the fence.

Im sure it happened earlier then that although, as I said, I can't remember.

In theory the tactic does have some logic, although I often here commentators slam it, espcially Ian Chappell.

It seems very wide spread now, nearly all teams do it.

Is it the right way to go, or should it be reserved for certain situations like we saw yesterday at the SCG with a small run chase?

Discuss.
 
Re: The tactic of dropping fieldsmen when a tailender is in with a proper batsmen

@LtD I am gonna bite .. you raise a question that has implications on various spheres of the game. Captaincy, Coaching etc. have made the situation become a common occurence but the truth is that the batsman is a no win situation. He has a tail ender (not someone who can bat ala McGrath, Donald etc) at the other end and he wants to add to the teams total.

What I have seen is bowlers bowling legside ala negative to ensure that the striker cannot get a run and then get the tail ender on strike. From a captaincy point of view, I think you should defend the boundaries from the batsman and try to defend the single from the tail ender. However you get the chance to get the batsman out due to his risk taking but notice one thing .. how little straight bowling is done to the modern day tail ender .. it is short stuff and corridor of uncertainty but seldom are yorkers bowled.

The other thing that you have not mentioned is that the sweeper is now almost common place and the third man and fine leg as well. My own thinking is that modern day attacking captaincy is a rare event when last have you seen everyone in the slips and in front of the batsman..

I think it is cautious attempt to have the best of both worlds ie. attack and defend in one..
 
Re: The tactic of dropping fieldsmen when a tailender is in with a proper batsmen

I think the tactic is alright really.

When bowling to tail enders, though, like hattrick said bowlers get hooked on trying to bowl bouncers continuously, but this should not be the case. It's alright if you are a bowler like Johnson or Lee, have real pace and massive bounce, they can maybe one an over in at the ribs or the head, but seeing Bollinger do it is annoying. 130-140 isn't quick enough for the modern day tailender. Most number 11s can bat these days, and everyone above that can really frustrate a captain thinking they are automatic outs. With protective gear as well tail enders don't have much to fear. Siddle can hit a tail ender in the head all day and inevitably they won't get out.

Bowl the same to them as you do a batsman. Formulate plans for them as well. Using Siddle as an example, line and just full of a length just outside off and nothing down leg side. Siddle has a weakness going on the drive, especially cover drive, and he is too eager to do it. Bowl things on the stumps and he puts you away through midwicket or blocks all day. Bowl to wide and he leaves or cover drives you for four, or gets a streaky edge along the ground for two. Either give him the yorker or that ball. No good with the short ball either, you may hit him occasionally but he isn't going to get out to it. Soften him up then go for the yorker. Not 4 bouncers an over to him. Just an example there.
 
Re: The tactic of dropping fieldsmen when a tailender is in with a proper batsmen

The tactics to Hussey were hopeless, fair enough having a couple of outriders on the boundary to save runs, but most of the team.??? Take's the pressure right of the batsman knowing not may fielder's are in catching positions.
 
Re: The tactic of dropping fieldsmen when a tailender is in with a proper batsmen

The other thing that you have not mentioned is that the sweeper is now almost common place and the third man and fine leg as well. My own thinking is that modern day attacking captaincy is a rare event when last have you seen everyone in the slips and in front of the batsman..
Click to expand...

What your forgeting is a few modern phenomena that have made run scoring much easier for batsmen:
- better pitches
- better bats
- faster outfields
- shorter boundaries

not to mention the fact that modern day batsmen are overwhelmingly more attacking - and have developed the techniques to facilitate this.

I think its unrealistic to expect fielding teams to be as attacking as they were 20, even 10 years ago in view of these changes.
 
Re: The tactic of dropping fieldsmen when a tailender is in with a proper batsmen

gandalf;384972 said:
What your forgeting is a few modern phenomena that have made run scoring much easier for batsmen:
- better pitches
- better bats
- faster outfields
- shorter boundaries

not to mention the fact that modern day batsmen are overwhelmingly more attacking - and have developed the techniques to facilitate this.

I think its unrealistic to expect fielding teams to be as attacking as they were 20, even 10 years ago in view of these changes.
Click to expand...

An example would be Bradman. In those times the fields could be extremely attacking, so much as having 7 slips, bat pad and a leg gully. Then Bradman could play with unprecedented attacking strokeplay, never really seen until a batsman had made 70ish, and even then the quality of pitches etc still made it incredibly difficult to score. Bradman had a free choice of anywhere to hit on the ground, nobody had an attacking option so automatically fields were set in defence, meaning it was even more incredibly difficult to get him out.

In ten years time I wouldn't be surprised if one day type fields are set in Test matches.
 
Re: The tactic of dropping fieldsmen when a tailender is in with a proper batsmen

Boris;384978 said:
In ten years time I wouldn't be surprised if one day type fields are set in Test matches.
Click to expand...

hasn't it already happened? With maybe the exception of third man, I see little difference. Even as little as 10 years ago it was common practice for mid on to be the only fieldsman in front of the wicket at the beginning of an innings - maybe a slight exaggeration but you get my point. Certainly the setting of a mid-off for the new ball is something that has only happened very recently.
 
Re: The tactic of dropping fieldsmen when a tailender is in with a proper batsmen

gandalf;384984 said:
hasn't it already happened? With maybe the exception of third man, I see little difference. Even as little as 10 years ago it was common practice for mid on to be the only fieldsman in front of the wicket at the beginning of an innings - maybe a slight exaggeration but you get my point. Certainly the setting of a mid-off for the new ball is something that has only happened very recently.
Click to expand...

Yes, it's progressing towards it. An example is when commentators are surprised captains take people out of slips and leave only one and a gully - when they were playing it was three slips and a gully at least until they reach their century. We are also seeing a hell of a lot of catches in the covers, point, backward point, mid wicket, even mid of and on. This is because one day tactics are being used with slower balls and such to get the spooned drives instead of the edge.

When was the last time bat pad has actually come into play against a pace bowler?

Spin bowling seems to be all about making batsmen pick out fielders in the circle or outfield.

The same has happened to one day fields as well. More and more are 300+ scores more likely as techniques are bettered from the days when ODIs just began. 200 used to be a good and at times unchaseable score, now 300 can be chased down, sometimes with ease. I can also see some scores of 250 in T20s in the future as well.
 
Re: The tactic of dropping fieldsmen when a tailender is in with a proper batsmen

gandalf;384984 said:
hasn't it already happened? With maybe the exception of third man, I see little difference. Even as little as 10 years ago it was common practice for mid on to be the only fieldsman in front of the wicket at the beginning of an innings - maybe a slight exaggeration but you get my point. Certainly the setting of a mid-off for the new ball is something that has only happened very recently.
Click to expand...

I think that has more to do with the very flat wickets served up these days.

Mid-on was the one that was hardly ever set from memory, I can remember Justin Langer sprinting from short leg to chase down strokes in front of the wicket.

I think 3 slips and a gully with perhaps a short leg is fair enough to start the innings. These days you need to encourage the bowlers to bowl at the stumps, the pitch's offer nothing mostly and you need to keep all avenues open for a wicket.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top