**MANAGEMENT_TIP

Youth Team
Youth team coaching can produce excellent young players, but it is always a bit
of a risk.
**MANAGEMENT_TIP
Coaching Points
Extra coaching points are handy but expensive. It is a better idea to use what y
ou have already and ensure all your players benefit by continually moving your r
esources around the team.
**MANAGEMENT_TIP
Coaching
Coaching has little effect on in-form players. Coaching technique has a more lon
g term effect on young players than older ones, so a good policy is to direct co
aching towards them.
**MANAGEMENT_TIP
Contracts
If you get a good young player give him a three year contract to save money, as
he will likely demand more as his career progresses.
**MANAGEMENT_TIP
Buying Players
Players will sometimes accept quite a lot less than they are asking for, but nev
er on the first offer, and not if there are other counties offering close to you
r offer.
**MANAGEMENT_TIP
Overseas Players
There are lots of good overseas players so leave these bids until last.
**MANAGEMENT_TIP
Managing Your Squad
It's a good idea to try to get a decent spinner if only because they can bowl mo
re overs before tiring, so this way you can play county matches with four bowler
s instead of five.
**MANAGEMENT_TIP
Player Growth
Players will not be at their best until they have experience. They need to play
about 15 county matches before they are experienced. They will continue to impro
ve slightly with each additional match although they can also lose ability due t
o age. Test match players need to get experience as well.
**MANAGEMENT_TIP
Luck or Skill?
Cricketers need luck as well as skill. A player with a bad average may be good b
ut unlucky. Take note of the number of near misses they get when bowling or batt
ing (the notes section is useful for this); it will give an extra indication of
ability.

**MANAGEMENT_TIP
Growing Your Youth
Give young players a good run before writing them off. Second team averages also
help in deciding if a player is any good.
**MANAGEMENT_TIP
Persisting With Stars
Don't drop your best players just because they've had a couple of bad scores - a
n excellent player out of form is better than a poor player in form.
**MANAGEMENT_TIP
Injuries
Some players are more prone to injury than others. If you have a star player tha
t keeps getting injured, sell him or spend lots on physiotherapy so that they re
turn to action more quickly.
**MANAGEMENT_TIP
Form Specialists
You may notice that there are some players who do just as well in one-day games
(or even better) as they do in county matches. Some players are naturally gifted
in one-day matches but less so in first class (and vice-versa).
**MANAGEMENT_TIP
Bat or Bowl First?
Look at the weather forecast. If conditions are very cloudy but will improve lat
er, bat defensively until they change. If it will be very cloudy or raining for
the first day, put the opposition in to bat. In all other situations it is a goo
d idea to bat first.
**BATTING_GENERAL_TIP
Aggressive Batsmen
A naturally aggressive batsman will score at a strike rate of 50% or above in co
unty matches, while naturally defensive batsmen will score some way below this i
f they are both on 3 aggression bar notches.
**BATTING_GENERAL_TIP
Aggressive Batsmen
It is important to pick naturally aggressive batsman when selecting one-day side
s, because an aggressive batsman will find it easier to score at the required ru
n rate even if they are a generally poorer player. It's also useful to have an a
ttacking batsman in at number 7 in county matches because they can score their r
uns before running out of partners.
**BATTING_GENERAL_TIP
Going Aggressive
If a bowler is using an aggressive field against you, it is sometimes
ng the risk to score some quick runs to get your batsman settled. The
then adopt a more defensive approach, allowing your batsman to score
y. The bowler will rarely defend, however, if you are batting to save
a first-class match.

worth taki
bowler may
more freel
a draw in

**BATTING_GENERAL_TIP
Keeping Strike
If you have a batsman keeping strike make sure they are aggressive or you just e
nd up missing singles. The other batsmen should be on 1 or 2 bars of aggression
so that they can score singles and get off the strike. Only do this for the firs
t 3 balls of the last over if you are playing ball by ball in a close match.
**BOWLING_GENERAL_TIP
Getting Settled Batsmen Out
Changing to spinners also helps against settled batsmen. An occasional bowler ca
n work if the opposition is comfortable enough to slog against them.
**BOWLING_GENERAL_TIP
Bowling around the Wicket
Around the wicket can help get batsmen out after a long innings and is effective
against left handers. However, less Lbw's are obtained against right handers.
**BOWLING_GENERAL_TIP
Bowling in Spells
Bowlers have a settled rating so bowl them in spells until they have about 3 bar
s of energy left. Try to do this in one day games as well.
**BOWLING_GENERAL_TIP
The New Ball
Fast bowlers get an advantage with the new ball.
**BOWLING_GENERAL_TIP
The Old Ball
Spin bowlers will generally not take wickets until the ball is about 15 overs ol
d. As the ball gets older, it tends to spin more, but it also tends to give less
variation.
**BOWLING_GENERAL_TIP
Bowling with the Weather
Take note of the effect of conditions on bowlers. An ordinary medium pacer can b
ecome dangerous on a very cloudy day.
**BOWLING_GENERAL_TIP
Bowling to a Weakness
Check batsmen's preferences before you set your bowling plan. If you're bowling
to a spin specialist, counter him with a paceman, and if he prefers the off side
, try bowling on the leg side.
**BATTING_FC_TIP
Conserving Energy
Batsmen have a tired rating so fitness is important. If they have played a long
innings it may be a good idea to adopt a cautious approach when getting close to
a day break. They will start the next day fresh.
**BATTING_FC_TIP
Building an Innings

In county and test matches you should have your batsmen on two aggression bars u
ntil they are 30% settled and then move up to three.
**BATTING_FC_TIP
Tailoring Aggression to the Bowler
If a bad bowler comes on move up your aggression. If a good bowler is taking lot
s of wickets be more defensive.
**BATTING_FC_TIP
Batting for the Draw
If the other team scores 600 in their first innings you are unlikely to win. Giv
e it a go until you lose a couple of wickets and then shut up shop completely (p
lay defensively) to get the draw. Try to get the maximum batting points as well
in County matches.
**BATTING_FC_TIP
Batting Wisely
Generally all batsmen perform at their best on 3 aggression bars, but should bat
more defensively while getting settled, and with greater aggression against bad
bowlers. The batsman's own aggression rating refers to the scoring rate of the
batsman if they are on three aggression bars.
**BATTING_FC_TIP
Blasting Away
Players will generally not do well batting at more than four notches from the st
art in a county game. This aggression should really just be used when batting ag
ainst very bad bowlers, attempting a desperate run chase or if making runs befor
e the 120 overs is up in county games.
**BATTING_FC_TIP
Declaring
If you are in a very strong position, declare an hour before the close of play i
n order to give your main strike bowlers an extra spell. This is particularly us
eful if the light is fading.
**BOWLING_FC_TIP
Bowling Tactics
Bowlers in county matches will perform at their best on medium aggression and ba
lanced field setting.
**BOWLING_FC_TIP
Bowling Aggression
Use the defensive field settings if a batsman has a big score or you are going f
or a draw. Use the attacking field settings if you've got plenty of wickets to p
lay with but not much time.
**BOWLING_FC_TIP
Attacking New Batsmen
Attack new batsmen before they are settled by setting bowlers aggression close t
o the max.

**BATTING_OD_TIP
Using Fielding Restrictions
In one day matches try to score at about 4.5 to 5 per over for the first 15 over
s (or faster if you're chasing a big target), while the fields are restricted. H
owever, the computer will use its best bowlers, so sometimes it is a good idea t
o put lesser batsmen in so that you don't lose important wickets early in the in
nings.
**BATTING_OD_TIP
Batting in Twenty Over Matches
In twenty over matches you need to be aggressive from the start. Use seven notch
es to settle the batsmen, before moving to maximum aggression. You might need to
defend for a couple of overs if you lose quick wickets to avoid a collapse.
**BATTING_OD_TIP
Chasing Down Targets
When batting second in one day matches, try to keep up with the run rate all the
way through the innings so you don't have to go all out too late.
**BATTING_OD_TIP
Going Aggressive
Aggression is sometimes necessary but it can lead to losing wickets. Don't use m
aximum batting aggression unless you have lots of wickets to play with. Take not
e of bad or expensive bowlers and use extra aggression against them.
**BOWLING_OD_TIP
Bowling Aggression in One Day Games
If you can tie a batting team down in one-day games they will get more aggressiv
e and get themselves out. Bowl outside off stump and use defensive fields. If yo
u don't take wickets it's often worth taking the risk to be more aggressive. The
opposition is more aggressive the more wickets they have left.
**BOWLING_OD_TIP
Defending Small Totals
When your batsmen have failed you, it is a good idea to bowl more defensively to
try to keep it tight, however when totals are very small, a few wickets are ess
ential. Sometimes keeping the pressure on is necessary. Try bowling more aggress
ively at first. It's likely the opposition will play cautiously when they don't
need to attack.
**BOWLING_OD_TIP
Bowling at the Death
When bowling at the death you'll want to bowl it full and on or outside off stum
p. Don't give away easy runs by straying onto the leg side or bowling it too sho
rt. If your opposition needs boundaries to win, use a defensive field setting.
**BOWLING_OD_TIP
Using Your Bowlers Well
You should use your best wicket taking options early on, and save enough overs f
rom your most economical bowlers in case it is a tight finish. Try to use your b
est pacemen at the start for the fielding restrictions, and then again at the en
d if they are bowling well. Spinners are generally best in the middle overs.