Mens high performance review report

We know that there is a major distinction between the type of bowling in English domestic cricket and international cricket. In our domestic game, under 20% of deliveries exceed 135 km/h (84 mp/h), compared to over 40% of deliveries in Test cricket, yet bowling averages are similar in both. Spinners bowl just 22% of overs in England – the lowest of any domestic system – compared to 41% internationally. These numbers point to the fact that we aren’t encouraging the development of the “extreme” skills required to succeed in international cricket. In domestic cricket it is possible to be successful, especially as a seamer, bowling at slower speeds with less accuracy than is required at Test level. This in turn diminishes the need for spinners. This distinction between domestic and international cricket is potentially because of three factors. First, our bowlers may not be being coached based on the skills we know are needed to succeed in international cricket. Recommendation 2 will address this, by embedding the What it Takes to Win analysis into our coaching curriculum. Second, our pitches in domestic cricket may not encourage these skills. We aim to address this in recommendation 13. Finally, the ball we use may play a role. The Dukes ball has a reputation for more movement for more overs, compared to the Kookaburra ball which is used in many other countries. This extra movement may also limit the need for extreme skill development of seam bowlers, but also limit opportunities for spinners due to the success of seamers domestically. We don’t know to what extent the ball has a part to play, but we want to test whether using a Kookaburra will help to develop “What it Takes to Win” bowling attributes, for both pace and spin bowling. Thus, we believe a trial will give us a deeper understanding of this. We therefore propose a pilot trial of the use of the Kookaburra ball in the County Championship. Our hypothesis is that using the Kookaburra ball may: • Make it harder for seamers to take wickets – forcing the development of a wider range of skills as required at international level (e.g. extreme pace or accuracy) • Negate the dominance of seamers in domestic cricket, increasing the need for spinners to take wickets and develop their skills • Extend more games into a final day, again enhancing the role of spin bowlers • Give all domestic bowlers experience in using the same ball as they will be required to use in overseas international cricket After the pilot, we will have a firmer understanding of whether the Kookaburra ball has an impact on the above, which will then inform whether to implement a longer-term change within domestic cricket. SEPTEMBER 2022 HIGH-PERFORMANCE REVIEW OF MEN’S CRICKET IN ENGLAND AND WALES “We aren’t encouraging the development of the “extreme” skills required to succeed in international cricket. We want to test whether using a Kookaburra will help to develop “What it Takes to Win” bowling attributes, for both pace and spin bowling” 18