Batting on cemented wicket

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akkers

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Batting on cemented wicket

We recently played abroad on a cemented wicket and found it hard to bat and bowl.

There was a lot of bounce off the wicket. Bowling was very hard to control with the extra bounce and pace. The opposition were hitting balls out of ground at will, we struggled to score simple boundaries.

Any advice on how to deal with this kind of wicket.
 
Re: Batting on cemented wicket

An interesting one. I guess you just have to accept that the ball is going to come onto the bat quicker and with bounce.

Look to get on the back foot is really the main advice here.

Also, take heart in that if you played them on turf you'd have been the ones smashing the ball around.
 
Re: Batting on cemented wicket

if u cant bat on a hard wicket u shood b giving up cricket. wot more can u ask 4. consistant bounce and pace
 
Re: Batting on cemented wicket

mdf30586;304238 said:
if u cant bat on a hard wicket u shood b giving up cricket. wot more can u ask 4. consistant bounce and pace
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I guess this is a hard wicket and then some. Consistent bounce is nice but can be tricky to play if it's constantly around your chest/throat, also the extra pace is something that would take a few matches to get used to.
 
Re: Batting on cemented wicket

I played on a cement wicket for two seasons of interschool cricket and It was fairly easy to bat with (at least for me) but I found that you can use the extra bounce to your advantage if you attack the slighlty short balls because with the extra bounce it is easier to pull, cut ect.

Maybe try it in the nets a little bit.

Unspinable
 
Re: Batting on cemented wicket

Unspinable;304259 said:
I played on a cement wicket for two seasons of interschool cricket and It was fairly easy to bat with (at least for me) but I found that you can use the extra bounce to your advantage if you attack the slighlty short balls because with the extra bounce it is easier to pull, cut ect.

Maybe try it in the nets a little bit.

Unspinable
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Did you find that it took you a little while to get used to it?
 
Re: Batting on cemented wicket

Not really, I'm a very aggresive batter (not the usual 3rd man) I used to hit the first ball for four, or get out...


But I found it easy if you start out attacking. :D
 
Re: Batting on cemented wicket

A cemeted wicket?

I think you'd find it will get very crumbly, lots of cracks, lots of divets.

Cement doesn't hold it's shape like concrete does ;)
 
Re: Batting on cemented wicket

I played on a cemented wicket last year, terrible. The bounce killed me. I played there twice, batte four times. I only made 5, 12*, 8 and 40. The 40 was a good one, but I pulled almost everything coz of the bounce. I don't handle bounce too well.
 
Re: Batting on cemented wicket

It is the problem with always staying within one's comfort zone :)

All surfaces differ in response and reaction within a huge range. If you are used to lush, astro is a pain and vice versa. Some indoor facilities are sprung, others are concrete. A Bunsen is something else... lush for some :D.

Research is the key, find out what sort of wicket you will be playing on and train on something similar; get used to the way it plays. Though worse when touring, local tournaments can be just as bad. A ground with little TLC can be spongey - yuk!

Having said that, get used to differing outfield conditions too, it can be the difference of a win or loss.
 
Re: Batting on cemented wicket

Actutall it was a cemented wicket with a thin artificial surface on top.

We really found it difficult at first. However after 3-4 matches some of our players were just getting to grips with it.

How would you practice for such a wicket. We dont have any such surfaces here; all we have is lush green grass for wickets.
 
Re: Batting on cemented wicket

Id say the best way to get used to batting on matting is to feed tennis balls through throw downs or via a bowling machine.

I play 90% of my junior cricket on matting and it helped me a great deal to to cut and pull/hook. Coaches say you can play just about all bowling off the back foot on matting because the bounce is reliable. I believe this however I've seen players take this too far and thus play half volleys off the back foot when you can drive off the front foot with no worries.

My advice for the matchday would be to just play positively and even bat a tad out of your crease if you can to try and limit the bounce because if there is one good thing about matting, the bounce is reliable. If the ball is there to cut, have a go at it. Just think back and across, and roll your hands over the shot. The ball wont keep low or kick up.

Good luck next time you play on it.
 
Re: Batting on cemented wicket

akkers;304793 said:
How would you practice for such a wicket. We dont have any such surfaces here; all we have is lush green grass for wickets.
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Oh, so lucky :D

It's true... if you know you will be playing on such a surface, book some time on a hard tennis court or a sports hall with a concrete floor, lay a cricket mat down and go for it.

A few of the schools and sports centres I have been to recently have an outside astro pitch, usually for football... these are excellent.
 
Re: Batting on cemented wicket

For the first couple of overs just leave and defend on the back foot.

Eventually you will get used to the pace and bounce and start playing more shots and feeling more comfortable as the innings goes on. :)
 
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