Fielding & keeping
Nobody admires a plain white wall. The moment a muddy ball splashes across it, everybody notices. That is the job. You are trying to stay a wall.
Chapter 1Every ball matters
Down the left of each card: the thing itself, what goes wrong, what to do, how to win with it
What actually separates a good team from a great one
More than catches win matches
Catches win matches, people say. The real separator between a good team and a great one is bigger than that: every single ball is a chance to influence the game, whether it comes to hand or not.
That is the mindset. Here is what it actually looks like, ball to ball.
Concentrate for the two seconds
You can switch off between balls. For the two seconds a ball is actually happening, you are concentrating hard enough that the batting side feels it.
Chapter 2Catching
Soft hands
Above the waist, soft hands
When the ball is above your waist, your fingers point up, to the sky. Watch it right until it goes into your hands. Your hands should give like springy foam, not stay rigid like a hard ball, or it bounces straight back out.
Below the waist, soft hands too
The same rule holds when the ball comes in low, except your fingers point down instead of up. Watch it right into your hands, and let them give like springy foam rather than staying rigid, whichever height it arrives at.