Billericay St Johns cc

 Work in progress 31/05/22

I've changed the way I'm doing this for 2022. I think what I'll be doing in future is only recording the wagon wheels up to the point I start my spell, so it'll probably only be the first few batsmen going forwards. Unfortunately, I seem to have mislaid Neil Hadgrafts wagon wheel if it turns up I'll add it. 

Bat No.1 Anil Kumar (No picture)

This is how he did against the openers e.g., all blokes that bowl pretty straight and at the stumps, Tony sometimes throws in a off-break ball. I didn't get to see how he'd play me as I got him stumped within a few balls, he may have hit a one through the off-side, but to be honest I don't recall it and I wasn't overly concerned. But it's pretty obvious how you'd set a field initially for this bloke based on his wagon wheel. Our field wasn't anything unusual, admittedly some of the better players where in front of the batsman and the fielder at A was probably too fine.

I reckon an offside field along these lines would be a good start... Try and bowl that off-stump line and see if he plays straight. If you look at his data on Play-cricket the most likely way of dismissing him is catching. Without doubt his favourite shot based on these observations is a cut shot or similar through the A zone, so perhaps if he continues to play this shot, get another bloke in around the 4th slip with a gully?

Historically he's a pretty good player and has been around this club since 2015. 

Kumar's played 139 games and averages 23.78. Over this period he's hit 123 4's and 10 sixes and scores 14.8 of the teams runs.

He's played in their 1st XI but most of his best play is seen in the 2nd XI. 

Bat No.3 Alfie Ward

There's a couple of runs missing from this account, but I reckon this is pretty much his main shots. He's played for this club since 2013 according to Playcricket  and has played in 129 games. Over this period he's scored 1371 runs and has a high score of 56 and averages 12.58. He's scored 5 x sixes and 141 x fours. His most consistent method of getting out is bowled which is the method in this game with his wicket falling to Paul McKeon 

Based on this data and admittedly it's limited a standard in out field would probably do. He's scored a fair few 4's in his time and this data is limited in terms of setting fields to negate his strength. I need to get a better look at him, but that's subject to me playing in the team when they play our home game. 

Bat No.6 Ricky Taylor

This blokes data is better than the two blokes above. Played for this club since 2014, played 110 games and has scored 2264 runs averaging 26.02 which constitutes 12.87 of the teams runs. In this period has scored 15 x fifties in which 156 fours were scored and 22 sixes. 

Most common form of dismissal - caught as per the pie chart left. 

I was bowling when Taylor came out and he strode out looking like he meant business. My immediate thoughts were to set the field deep and let him have one and get him off strike. The captain Michael had other ideas. He brought most of the fielders up on the one, possibly sensing that he'd go for a big shot and try and assert his authority on the spinner as the mantra goes.

Whether one of the other blokes said... "He's a leggie" or not,  I sent down my stock ball, which is a cross-seamed Flipper, he stepped back exposing his stumps opening up his shoulders to hit the ball somewhere into the next county and the Flipper did what a Flipper does and he was back to the sheds. Michaels plan had worked. I sighed a sigh of relief, because he looked like he had intent. Plan for this bloke... Not sure, but it looks like if you're a spin bowler he has every intention of coming after you, so have a variation up your sleeve and maybe use it first up?