Cricket club selection meetings always bring up controversy.

In every club that puts out more than one team, there is bound to be the fringe player who splits the committee. In my club this is especially true of young players looking to break into the first XI.

I’ve sat on selection committee all this season and one of the qualifiers for whether a player is given a chance or not is if he ‘looks like a first team player’.

This is a guest article from Laurie Ward

In modern cricket-speak, losing captains are quick to say “we will take the positives from this game” when they have been played off the park.

But do they really? Or is it just fluff for the media?

In reality the team and coach will look at what went wrong in the cold light of day and then work hard to put things right.

As you know, we recently announced a brand new live PitchVision Academy event in London. It's a golden opportunity to combine traditional coaching with exiting interactive activities to create a fantastic experience for cricketers of all ages.

But what if you don't live in the UK and can't get to the event?

Update: due to huge demand, registrations for PitchVision Academy Live! Are now closed.

How would you like to get coached by some of PitchVision Academy's Elite Coaches using the latest cricket technology at a top Test venue?

This is a guest post by Laurie Ward

Cricket is a simple game complicated by a myriad of variables: physical, technical, emotional, tactical and natural.

Every ball, wicket, match, day, situation, opposition, conditions and personal experience can vary tremendously.

So how can we prepare for something that can be so unpredictable?

Famously, Sir Don Bradman practiced for hours hitting a golf ball with a stump against an uneven wall to develop his incredible hand-eye co-ordination.

Talent: you either got it or you aint. It can't be coached.

Actually, according to research, talent can be developed by good coaching. You just have to know what to do to make it happen.

Think of it this way; how many sportsmen at the top of their game got there by God given talent alone?

The following article is an extract from "Bob Woolmer on Bowling" a coaching book from the late Bob Woolmer; former Pakistan, South Africa and Warwickshire coach. Published with permission.

This is a guest article by Laurie Ward from The Complete Cricketer Academy in Cape Town, South Africa.

In a recent ODI, England lost their 100% record against minnows Bangladesh, losing by 5 runs.

During that match they “threw away” at least 4 overthrows with unnecessary shies at the stumps when batsmen had clearly made their ground.

As any coach knows, coaching the pull shot is an easy win. Kids love it, they can do it easily and it gets them runs when they are starting out.

But it's also reducing their chances of batting success.

The pull is already the most natural of shots for anyone to play: step back and hit across the line through the leg side. Any novice player can do it.

The fact is that it's a staple of village tail-enders around the world.

In this free cricket coaching video Ian Pont discusses how fast he thinks bowling can get with his brand new, top secret fast bowling method: the drop step and front foot block.

Ian has noticed that 99% of bowlers don't use this method, but most of the really fast ones do. It makes perfect sense to emulate them.