When scoring runs becomes too tough......

During the phase where batsmen finds it too hard to score some runs, it is always been considered that the player is not in his best form.

To break this hard shell around him and to get some runs next to his name is not made so easy. He needs to go through a series of tough decisions. Here I wanted to discuss a few points which can be of some help for batsmen to get back to their run scoring abilities.

If you are an aggressive batsmen who is trying hard to get back to your prime form in batting then one of the solution is play aggressive.
And if you are a person who likes to take singles and rotate the strike but not able to do that for the past few games then you should try to stay a little longer at the crease and do not rush to score runs or steal a single or go for a big shot.

The biggest mistake which every one of us does is that; Aggressive batsmen change to defensive batting style and defensive batsmen change to aggressive batting style when bad form strikes. Stick to your style of batting and trust your abilities strong, it will truly help you.

In cricket when things go the way you did not expect it to happen, we always tend to hear too many voices in our head. And when few games goes by causing negative effects due to bad performances, the body does not work with the mind to the best way possible.
When the bowler runs in to bowl, we get distracted with voices in our head which in return makes us focus less on the ball and more on our listening skills.
Few ways to overcome this situation is by diverting yourself from the phase of illusion. Divert your mind but do not distract it. Try placebo effects they really do bring some great changes. When we learn to get the right connection between our body and mind, we can make runs with ease-sticking to your own batting style.

Fear factor comes handy at times too. Fear of getting out helps us stay focused and read the ball well  but when it converts itself to deep pressure, that's when poor form begins. Discussing less about the pressure and not talking much/listening much about your form will in a way help you to get a clear mind and when you reach that stage you will for sure feel the fear which pushed you overcome your pressure.
Remember the bowler has 6 chances every over to get a wicket and the batsmen got only 1 chance the whole game.

Good sleep before the game is a must when the mind is trying so hard to coordinate with the talent you can produce with your batting skills. Music lovers-listen to your favorite music before the game or even if you get a chance to listen before you get to bat.

Well, there could be so many other factors which can help batsmen to overcome their poor performance on a consistent basis. When you come across one then do let me know.

-Deepak Gopinath.

Cricket bats Fake vs Genuine?

Genuine MRF cricket bat made from English willow for only £40.00 - does this sound familiar?

This guide has been written to help you form an educated opinion about the authenticity of cricket bats for sale on Ebay, if you want to know how to spot a potential fake cricket bat then read on!!!

Firstly let's start with a short lesson in economics - if you sell an item that was an unwanted gift or you bought the wrong size or type you would typically expect to sell the item for between half and threequarters of its original value.  If, however, you were selling items to make a profit you would expect to make a decent profit on your investment and this is the first clue to the originality of a cricket bat, so ask yourself - if you bought a bat direct from the manufacturer at trade price, how much can you buy a top of the range cricket bat for?

The answer will vary, but to give you an idea, the Asian manufacturers which sell their bats cheaper than English and Australian manufacturers would normally sell their bats for the following approximate prices:

Top grade - £75.00 (MRF Genius Ltd Edition, BDM Dynamic Power Super, CA Plus, Puma Ballistic, BAS Blaster etc.)

Grade 1 - £65.00 (MRF Genius, Puma Stealth, BAS 444 etc.)

Grade 2 - £55.00 (MRF Blazer, Puma X-Bow, BAS Legend Gold etc.)

Grade 3 - £45.00 (MRF Bonzer, Puma Octane,

Grade 4 - £35.00 (MRF Cameo, BAS King Hitter

KASHMIR (or nurtured in India/Pakistan) - £7.00 (MRF Typhoon, BDM Dynadrive, CA Power etc.)

Add to these prices at least £5.00 per bat for shipping if bought in bulk - approx. £20.00 if a single order, and a further 17.5% V.A.T and you can't buy a genuine Top grade willow bat for less than £90.00, so how on earth can anyone sell a legitimate Top Grade willow cricket bat for less than this??????????  The simple answer, they can't, unless they're buying bats to sell at a loss there is only one logical explanation - a large proportion of bats sold on Ebay are fake, and it's not limited to Ebay either, look at a decent cricket website such as cricketdirect.co.uk and look at their MRF bats - look at the stickers and now do a google search on MRF cricket bats and go into some of the sites - their "MRF" bats and gear are massively out of date - ask yourself - why is this?????  These are small e-retailers with only a few bats in stock - surely any new stock they buy will have the latest stickers or designs if they are genuine????

If you intend buying a bat from and English or Australian firm such as Gray Nicols, Slazenger, Gunn and Moore, Kookaburra or Woodworm etc. then the cost of these bats should be even higher as their trade prices will be higher than that of their Asian competitors.  Secondly, there are many sellers based in India and Pakistan claiming to be selling genuine bats by English manufacturers - do a search on Gray Nicols - you'll see bats going for £40.00 which is not possible as their trade price would be 2 or 3 times times just to buy in the first place.

My next problem is the issue of willow - let's put this to bed once and for all!!!!!!!

English willow is grown in England in wet soil, with humid air and is the best quality willow you can buy - it is shipped to Asia to be made into bats and then sent back, hence the high price of English willow bats.

Kashmir willow is grown in poor soil, in dry conditions and is brittle and prone to cracking, it is made into bats in Asia and shipped cheaply in large quantities, hence it is cheap and can be bought at trade for £4.00 - £7.00.

There is no other type of willow available - so anyone claiming that their bats are English willow and then putting "nurtured in India" in brackets is just duping you - if it's nurtured (grown) in asia it's poor quality and should be avoided.

Finally one last thought - if you're serious about cricket go to your local cricket shop and buy a bat that you can pick up and hold and make sure it's the right size and weight for you and if you're in doubt as to its authenticity ask to see an invoice to prove it came from the manufactur, and if in doubt contact your local Trading Standards.

Just because someone has good feedback on Ebay doesn't mean they are selling genuine items - I know of several sellers who sell fake items - one of them has over 3000 feedbacks - and they all buy from the same manufacturer in Meerut, I can't say who they are on here, but they know who they are.........

One last warning - MRF bats have security holograms - this means nothing - i have a sheet of them in my kitchen draw - remember any item can be faked and it's not just bats - if they sell fake bats, the chances are they are selling fake pads and gloves etc.

If in doubt - don't buy - if it seems too good to be true it usually is.

-eBay UK/source guide.


Cricket being more of a strategical game-
"Buying a cricket bat involves more of MIND than MONEY; when you pick up a bat and get the best balance when you hold and feel you could hit the cricket ball with ease then that's the one for you"
As my friends always say, scoring runs depends more on the Batsmen and not only the Bat :)
-Deepak Gopinath

For Sachin Lovers

100th HUNDRED!

Sachin Tendulkar, another feather to his crown. No matter what the media or the public say, Bangladesh's win over India(which includes 11 players) will be spoken only till the Asia Cup is done but Tendulkar's greatness will always remain forever.