In the classic movie Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones is faced with a problem.

Trying to make a run for it he is intercepted by an intimidating swordsman doing tricks with a sword that the hat and whip had no chance against.

Research has show the simple truth: the better the batsman you are the faster you pick up the line and length of the bowler.

But how do you do that so you can emulate the likes of Kevin Pietersen who seems to have so much time he knows what the bowler has bowled before the bowler even knows?

The team announce your chance to win a feast of Kevin Pietersen prizes this week. Click here to enter.

But it’s not all grabbing swag. There is also a host of advice from David, Burners and Mark Garaway. The importance of “bench strength” is discussed in the light of India, Australia and Sri Lanka in a very heavy period of ODIs.

Readers’ questions are answered on choosing a captain and how to perform again after a good performance. Also, ECB rep level coach Paul Williams guests with some advice on coaching talented youngsters from the club game. 

In the first of three articles on sweeping spinners, I look at the hard sweep: The ‘normal’ sweep where the ball is hit out towards the square leg boundary along the ground.

Many commentators are very critical on the shot and its use in any format of the game.

Here's your chance to win some incredible prizes AND prove you are the most creative batter in your cricket club, office, factory or bedroom!

To celebrate the forthcoming launch of Keep Calm and Smash It, the exclusive online coaching course from Kevin Pietersen, we are giving away;

An Adidas cricket bat!

Adidas gloves and batting pads!

Free enrolment onto both Keep Calm and Smash It online coaching courses!

AND

£150 to spend on further coaching courses on PitchVision Academy!

Plus 4 runner-up prizes of Free enrolment onto both Keep Calm and Smash It online coaching courses.

Every club at every level craves a genuinely quick, aggressive fast bowler. They win games.

Some say it’s the luck of the draw: talented young bowlers are born, not made.

No one is born to be a bowler. Every successful fast bowler in history had to learn how to bowl fast and accurately. That means you don’t have to wait for God-given talent to arrive at your club. You can mould the young players you already have into demons.

This week’s winner of the Cricket Show podcast question competition is Naveen. He wins a free coaching course from PitchVision Academy.

"I am an off spinner and I have a peculiar problem of bowling well to the batsmen of good quality but when I come across bowling to less skilled batters or tailenders I tend to bowl a bit waywardly. So David could you please tell me how i can come over this problem and bowl consistently and accurately to all types of batsmen irrespective of them reputation? " 

Listen to the panel’s answer to his question here.

To enter your own question for the chance to win your choice of online coaching course send your questions in here. 

Relative unknown batsman Richard Levi broke two world records on his way to a Twenty20 hundred, making Chris Gayle look more like Chris Tavarè.

His hundred came in a record-smashing 45 balls and in total he smote 13 sixes; 3 more than the previous record. He trended worldwide on twitter.

Some people will put it down to natural talent. Others will say he just had a big slice of luck.

But really it’s the result of hard work built on some excellent physical skills.

Here are the 5 reasons Richard Levi can make six hitting look like a stroll in the park.

Here’s a bit of fun to show you PitchVision Academy isn’t always about serious high performance stuff.

In the video below a Dad decided to test PitchVision’s latest installation at the Cricket Asylum in Wakefield, England.

It didn’t quite go according to plan, but the PitchVision tracking system caught it all on video…

With Mark Garaway away in the West Indies, cocktail in hand, it’s over to Burners and David Hinchliffe to run the ship.

The show discusses how not to use PitchVision (as this video shows) and defining roles for players with a wide skill set. Irfan Sait of the KIOC Academy in Bangalore comes on the phone to talk about what it takes to become a pro.

Your questions are also covered on bowling to tail-enders and how to captain an inexperienced side.