A wicket keeper is a player in the game of cricket who is on the fielding side and stands just behind the wicket keeping a watchful eye on the batsman.
The wicket keeper is all set to take the catch from the batsman and thus the batsman is out. The special thing about wicket keeper is that he is the only player in the fielding side who wears gloves and external leg guards.
He is known as a key player of the fielding side.
Wicket Keeping on Spinning
Wicket keeping is often a bit difficult for those who are new to cricket, but here are three basic techniques that will help you improve your wicket keeping and become known as a consummate skill player.
Three Basic Techniques For Wicket keeping
Standing position
For the standing position you have to take the guard of the off stump. Then you have to measure a distance of two feet. This area has to be marked with a pin and the left foot-up will be towards the off-stump. At the place you have marked, stand on the offside of the stump and keep the distance between your legs shoulder-width apart and position yourself in such a way that your weight is balanced.
Sitting position
In the sitting position, your weight should be at the very base of the foot, neither too far forward nor too far back. Even if it is backwards, you will not be able to catch the ball.
The most important thing that you have to keep in mind while sitting is the weight of your head to keep it in a stable position.
Often the wicket takers are unable to maintain their head position due to which they fail in wicket taking and find it difficult to catch the ball. Along with this, you should spread your hands on the ground in such a way that you can capture the ball easily.
Receiving Position
When the ball bounces, the first thing you should do is move your back up and not try to get your head up straight away. While catching the ball, your gloves should be below your eyes and your hand should move in the same position as you feel the ball going.
Wherever you feel the ball going, you have to move your hands in exactly the same accord and move your legs accordingly.
While moving our body, we should take care that the foot on the off side of the stump does not move from its position, it is also called the anchor foot.
The anchor foot plays an important role in maintaining the weight of the foot as well as providing support in holding the ball.
Moreover, the wicket keeper’s movement while catching the ball should be in a straight line. If we feel the ball moving to one side, only one of your hands will go towards the stumps.
Mistakes Done By Wicket keeper
Often, wicket keepers make some mistakes while playing due to which they are not able to cash the ball. Let’s take a look quickly!
- A common mistake made by wicketkeepers is that when they start to receive the ball, they raise their heads immediately, due to which they are unable to receive the ball.
- Some wicketkeepers take the ball forward and then put it on the stump; if they do this, it will cause many more problems, and it can even become a back pain problem for the player.
- The last mistake that wicketkeepers often make is that they do not wear helmets. Helmets are very important for safety as well as helping you catch the game again. This has ruined the careers of many cricketers.
Best Drills For Wicket Keepers
Drill No. 1( For collection)
First we learn the drill about the collection in which the batsman will bring the ball and you just have to catch it with your hands under your head. Here it is important to keep in mind that the ball seems to move sideways as much but you can move your body at that position. On the other hand, try to keep the ball below your head.
Drill No. 2 (For movement)
In the second drill you learn about the movement in which you place two coins on your offside and one on the other side of the wicket. In this, you have to stay in line and catch the ball while moving your body.
Drill No. 3 (for Single Hand Collection)
In this, you have to sit on the off side of the stumps and extend your right hand forward to catch the ball, which your partner will throw on the off side. In this way, you have to extend your right hand forward, go to the right, catch the ball, and put it on the first stump.
Drill No. 4 (For Off Side Ball)
When the ball comes to the offside, you have to immediately catch it and put it on the offside.
You may find all these drills a little difficult as a new cricketer, but here it is worth mentioning that by practicing these drills, even the newbies in cricket will be able to do it in a very short time. And with good practice, they can make a name for themselves in wicket taking.
Top 10 Wicket Keeping Tips
As we know, a wicket taker is a prominent character in a bowling team who is entitled to catch the missed balls from the batsman and dismiss him. Below are some interesting wicket keeping tips for wicket keepers which help in the game.
- Experiment with your focus and keep a perfect eye on the ball.Standing down and watching the ball bounce to go see yourself. Judge the length and practice accordingly
- Keep your hands down and your eyes fixed on the ball as the ball bounces and allow your arms to extend forward and your hand to grip the ball immediately.
- To be a good keeper one must practice hitting the ball on the stumps as well as catching it under the legs.
- You can practice for this by placing a chair or a long box in the way to act as an obstacle. In this way you can practice catching balls with an imaginary batsman.
- As a wicketkeeper you are the central point of your team in the field so set your tempo sides, get through the overs head of the clock and the over rate make your fielder look good.
- Also keep your slip alignment perfectly.The slip takes their mark from you. While catching, go with total commitment.
- Keep your focus on every ball bowled by the batsman and pay special attention to the hands of the bowler.
- Another tip is to keep your hands open to catch them and go down on each ball, this will help you catch the up ball easily and make you come up under as well as the ball.
- You can become a good wicket taker only if you have spent a long time training. While practicing wicket-taking, you need to spend a long time practicing all aspects of the game to perfect the skill. This means keeping in the nets, working in specific drills and coaching and taking part in catching drills without the gloves, working with leaders and gloves.
- Interestingly, a good tip that you can use in wicket taking is to get the opening bowlers to play with you on the edge.This way you will keep your rhythm during the game.
Top 5 Best Wicket Keeper Gloves In Cricket
The key person of the bowling team, the wicket-keeper, wears some gloves called wicket-taking gloves, which play an important role in the game.
Here is the list of some wicket-taking gloves:
- CW Cricket Combo Crown Wicket Keeping Le Guards with County Wicket Keeping Gloves for Men Protective Equipment USA
- CW Defender Cricket Wicket Keeping Gloves with Wicket Keeping Gloves for Men Adult Senior Protective Gear Set Wicket Keeping Legguards with Wicket Keeping Gloves
- CW IKON Cricket Wicket Keeping Gloves Cricket Wicket Keeper Gloves Keeping Gloves Combo with Inner Gloves Padded Gloves Padded Hand Protectors Gloves for Wicket Keeper
- FORTRESS Original Pro Wicket Keeper Gloves – Pro Design Glove | Excellent Protection
- CW Crown Wicket Keeper Gloves with Inner Gloves Youth MN Wicket Keeping Combo Gloves with Inners
Bottom Lines:
The wicket keeper is the key player of the fielding side who catches the bowl missed by the batsman and hits the stumps to get him out. There are some basic roles of wicket taking that he plays by following many new players in this cricket who make mistakes in wicket keeping.
A wicket keeper is an integral part of the bowling team who is on the fielding side.
Moreover, cricket newbies can make themselves perfect by practicing the Best Drills for Wicket Keepers. Hope you have shed enough light on wicketkeepers through this article and these techniques will be of great help to you both as a beginner as well as at the professional level.
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