Cricket is a fun, social game that’s easy to learn. As a result, it’s a popular option for kids or beginners interested in sport.

To play, you’ll need a few key skills that are fun and easy to learn, including hand-eye coordination, throwing and catching, and basic bowling techniques. To help you get started, we’ve put together a few drills that’ll help you learn and master these basic skills in no time.

1. Hand-eye coordination

No matter what position you’re playing in, hand-eye coordination is an essential skill in the game of cricket. For a simple way to improve your hand-eye skills, stand in front of a wall, side-on, and hit a tennis ball with a racket until you lose control of the ball.

Another drill you can try is to bounce your ball on the end of your bat, and bounce it. Continue to tap the ball with your bat; trying to keep the ball in the air for as long as you can. To make it trickier, try and hit the ball on an angle so you need to adjust your body to keep tapping the ball.

2. Throwing and catching

If you’re placed in a fielding position, you’ll need to have sufficient throwing and catching skills. These are easy enough to practice – all you’ll need is a ball and a wall (or, another person to practice with).

To start, throw your ball against the wall and clap your hands before you catch it. To make it more difficult, back further away from the wall, and try catching with just one hand instead of two. If practicing with another person, have them throw the ball back almost instantly to mimic the rebound off a wall.

3. Bowling technique

Fast bowling and spin bowling are the two most common delivery styles in a game of cricket. Though they’re both extremely effective, each technique takes a lot of skill, practice and ability to master. If you’re a beginner bowler, here are a few ways to sharpen your skills.

First, stand and practice bowling towards a wicket. Think about your grip; placing your fore and middle fingers along the vertical seam of the ball. Gently wrap your thumb around the bottom of the ball (also along the seam), so the ball fits comfortably in your hand and can help you bowl with precision and control.

Once you feel confident with your bowl from a standing position, practice your run up. Tweak your speed, angle and length of your approach to find a technique that feels natural and produces accurate results. If you’re hoping to master the fast bowl, you’ll want to practice speeding up at this stage.

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As a general rule, all sports require players to abide by a stretching program to effectively warm up, wind down and prevent any muscular injuries during a game. The sport of cricket is no different. Batting, bowling and fielding involve specific muscle groups that can, unfortunately, become strained and stressed during different activities (such as running, catching or hitting) within a cricket game.

However, it can be difficult to understand which stretches will be most effective before and after your game of cricket – especially if you’re a beginner or still learning about the game.

So, we’ve done the hard work for you. Here are three of the most beneficial stretches for warming up before or winding down after a cricket game.

1. Standing high leg bent knee hamstring stretch

Unfortunately, hamstring strains are some of the most common injuries in cricket. They typically occur during explosive or sudden sprints, which are usually a requirement in bowling or fielding a ball.

To perform this stretch, balance one foot onto a high table. Keeping your leg bent, lean your chest into your bent knee and feel the lunge-like stretch into your hamstring. Relax your hands onto your bent knee, and keep your head facing forward.

2. Elbow-out shoulder and rotator stretch

If you’re playing out in the field, you’ll need to focus on stretching the muscles you’ll use for throwing. The same goes for batting, as your upper limbs, including your shoulders and chest, will need to be sufficiently warmed to allow you to make sudden and powerful movements as you hit the ball. Z

To complete this stretch, stand with one hand resting on the middle of your back, with your elbow point outwards. Then, reach your other hand across the front of your body, and gently pull your elbow forward.

3. Lying knee roll-over stretch

Both batting and bowling can place a great deal of stress on your lower back, hips and knees. If you’re playing on the field, your knees may also feel intense strain if you’re having to bend down to make a catch, or constantly bend over to pick up stray balls. Unfortunately, as the game of cricket can be quite repetitive, you may find yourself straining these body parts and muscles more frequently as the game goes on.

For this stretch, you’ll need to lie flat on your back, bend both of your knees, and let them fall to one side. Keep your arms splayed out with your palms facing down, and let your back and hips rotate naturally with your knees. For a more intense stretch, turn your head to the opposite of where your knees land.

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