So we have a wrist spinner in the team?

Hints on using a wrist spinner, taken from champion cricketer & coach Peter Philpott's book 'Wrist Spin Bowling'.

• Our wrist spinner is used as an attacking bowler. He’ll spin the ball hard (makes it much more difficult to be accurate) but this makes him the most dangerous of bowlers. Spinners need to be bowled a lot in training & matches.
• Be confident that a wrist spinner that is bowling a lot and is confident, will, by himself, be a major part of our attack.
• Be prepared to use our spinner in an attacking manner whenever the game gets bogged down.
• Sometimes he might need to bowl tight & defend – but this is his last option! If the game is bogged down, he’ll try something different. He might go around the wicket; change the line; change the plan; change the field….
• Don’t use spinners as last ditch bowlers and put him on when all others have failed; or for 2 overs before drinks/stumps. A spinner needs to build their bowling spell more than any other bowler.
• When the ball is not swinging, medium pacers almost play batters in – particularly new batters. New batters don’t want to have to think. Attack a new batter with spin.
• Don’t overuse our quicks – using them in short, sharp spells work best. If medium pacers are not swinging or seaming, don’t let them resort to containment. Get the wrist-spinners on & attack with them – even in the first 30-40 minutes of play.
• Think about using spinners to open a session of play or to apply pressure in the last 30 minutes. Open the session with bowlers most likely to take a wicket.
• Down-wind pace and up-wind spin is a highly successful combination. Bowling into the wind is best for a spinner. For a leg spinner, a cross wind coming from the offside assists their drift while bowling down-wind is the last option.
• Talk over field placements with our wrist spinner. Listen & discuss. (Beware of bat pads – they shouldn’t be permanent position!) Remember it is as important to loosen batters up occasionally, as it is to tighten them up. So withdrawing the field to encourage shot making is AGGRESSIVE, while over-use of bat-pad can be negative. A spinner can be aggressive regardless of the field set – even with fielders on the boundary.