When did the bowling machine become a crucial bit of kit?

15 years ago, most people still scoffed at the idea. "It's crazy. What would be the point?" they said. "We already have human bowlers".

10 years ago there were plenty of machines around and they started to think there was a benefit in having one.

Bowlers win cricket matches. Because of this, the fast bowlers are a team within a team and need to put unrelenting pressure on the opposition.

What does a pack of fast bowlers look like?

When you think of a pack of fast bowlers the first thing that springs to mind is the great West Indian teams of the 1970's and 80's.

Get your hankies ready as Kevin tells talks us through how his championship dreams were crushed at the weekend.

Don't worry though, we have plenty of more positive stuff to look at too. Gary Palmer answers another batting question and we rummage through the mailbag for more reader's questions.

Coaching isn't like filling a jug with water. Minds don't work by having information poured into them until they are full. For a start, jugs don't wonder if it's the right kind of water for their needs.

Who wouldn't want to be streetwise with thoughts and plans at their fingertips?

Raj is an opening batsman. He is a slow starter, but is able to score freely once he gets his feet moving. His coach has been helping him with some technical points.

Meanwhile his team-mates have been teasing him for his slow starts.

Bowling is hard. At least when you bat and you are out you can hide in the pavilion, but when you bowl and are clattered for 3 boundaries in a row there is nowhere to hide. You have to finish the over.

No wonder the mind becomes cluttered with thoughts and plans when you stand at the top of the mark.

But an unfocused mind makes it difficult to bowl. How many times have you bowled wide outside the off stump, tried to compensate and end up throwing it down he leg side instead?

On the show this week David and Kevin chat about the ECBCA conference and bowling the opposition out for a below par score. Gary Palmer talks about an unusual guard and we answer your questions.

Gary Palmer, the PitchVision Academy batting coach, takes fresh look at an old idea and finds out that you can be technically correct and score quickly. If you would like coaching from Gary, check out CCM Academy.

Playing straight with a checked drive in the 'V' from both front and back foot is something that all the great players have done well, and still do well today.

This edition of Laws of Cricket, in association with the International Institute of Cricket Umpiring and Scoring, covers some more tricky questions of the Laws.

Knowledge is a tool used by coaches to make better cricketers.

That's why the ECBCA conference is such an important event for all coaches: You surround yourself with such passionate and knowledgeable people, all of whom love sharing their knowledge of the game.