Picture the scene; its cricket practice day and you pull back the curtains to see the rain tumbling down. It’s natural to shrug and call the session off.

But you don’t have to be so hasty. There is plenty you can do in the rain to practice your game. It’s tough to motivate players at the best of times. When rain makes practice irregular it gives people an excuse to “forget” to come. So tell players that practice is on every week come rain or shine and then use these four wet weather cricket tips for something to do.

It seems a Test series can’t be played without a controversy around the Decision Review System (DRS) technology. The system has utilised computer modelling and even military grade heat cameras to help the top level come to the right decision.

And there is a knock on effect to the games played at grass-roots level, even when the highest-tech item on the oval is a cricket bat.

And as far as I’m concerned it’s good for the game.

What’s the best way to handle a pressure situation in a cricket match?

Simple: knowing you have been there before and succeeded. There is no better confidence than the confidence of experience. This is why practicing set pieces is a crucial tool for any side who want to know for sure they can battle out of any situation, no matter how rough.

A good coach or captain is always looking for ways to add this pressure into practice to build confidence. Set piece or scenario practice is the perfect tool for the job.

The Indian Premier League is a product as much as it is a cricket tournament. Many use this as a criticism, but for the budding club, school or academy cricketer it’s a real chance to improve.

Wherever you are in the world you will be able to see the IPL in action and that means you can see some of the world’s best players demonstrate their skills under huge pressure.

 Many have criticised the Indian Premier League as being less about cricket and more about entertainment. But it is very serious cricket business that is played by cricketers from which we can all learn lessons.

So, on the cusp of IPL 5, I take a look at some of the superstars of the game, and how you can match the players in your Twenty20 team to similar roles (even if the talent levels are not as high).

The talented young bowler had broken into the first team at his club. But the Youth Coordinator insisted to the 1^st XI captain that he only bowled 7 overs in his spell because of the Bowling Directives.

Everything was fine until the day he bowled a destructive spell before having to be whipped off when he was in full flow.

Senior players muttered about the rules, saying it was a pointless exercise that would cost games.

A fellow coach and I were speaking last night about a perennial problem in our team: the ball stops swinging very early.

We blame the quality of the balls. This happens every season. The new ball wobbles a little but the deviation soon ends, often after as little as 10 overs.

But it’s not just about the ball. So here are 4 ways you can make a “bad” ball swing.

Modern professional cricket teams have a support team of analysts and specialists that the average side can only dream about.

Except, if you build it right, you can have a team that helps your side become the best they can be. And you don’t need to pay a bean in salary.

If you can build a diverse group of people with different levels of experience and success, you’ll be 100% more likely to score more runs, take more wickets and win more games.

PitchVision Academy’s Fast Bowling Coach Ian Pont knows a thing or two about coaching sides to Twenty20 success.

His team - the Dhaka Gladiators - romped to an 8 wicket win over the Barisal Burners to secure the BPLT20 title for 2012 at the National Stadium in Dhaka.

Before the England Pakistan limited over series I read a tweet. It said reading the form guide is all you need to know about the result.

But England confounded recent form - and that opinion - by thrashing Pakistan in both T20 and 50 over formats.