**MANAGEMENT_TIP
Youth Team

Youth team coaching can produce excellent young players, but it is always a bit of a risk.

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Coaching Points

Extra coaching points are handy but expensive. It is a better idea to use what you have already and ensure all your players benefit by continually moving your resources around the team.

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Coaching

Coaching has little effect on in-form players. Coaching technique has a more long term effect on young players than older ones, so a good policy is to direct coaching towards them.

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Contracts

If you get a good young player give him a three year contract to save money, as he will likely demand more as his career progresses.

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Buying Players

Players will sometimes accept quite a lot less than they are asking for, but never on the first offer, and not if there are other counties offering close to your offer.

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Overseas Players

There are lots of good overseas players so leave these bids until last.

**MANAGEMENT_TIP
Managing Your Squad

It's a good idea to try to get a decent spinner if only because they can bowl more overs before tiring, so this way you can play county matches with four bowlers instead of five.

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Player Growth

Players will not be at their best until they have experience. They need to play about 15 county matches before they are experienced. They will continue to improve slightly with each additional match although they can also lose ability due to age. Test match players need to get experience as well. 

**MANAGEMENT_TIP
Luck or Skill?

Cricketers need luck as well as skill. A player with a bad average may be good but unlucky. Take note of the number of near misses they get when bowling or batting (the notes section is useful for this); it will give an extra indication of ability.

**MANAGEMENT_TIP
Growing Your Youth

Give young players a good run before writing them off. Second team averages also help in deciding if a player is any good.

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Persisting With Stars

Don't drop your best players just because they've had a couple of bad scores - an excellent player out of form is better than a poor player in form.

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Injuries

Some players are more prone to injury than others. If you have a star player that keeps getting injured, sell him or spend lots on physiotherapy so that they return to action more quickly.

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Form Specialists

You may notice that there are some players who do just as well in one-day games (or even better) as they do in county matches. Some players are naturally gifted in one-day matches but less so in first class (and vice-versa).

**MANAGEMENT_TIP
Bat or Bowl First?

Look at the weather forecast. If conditions are very cloudy but will improve later, bat defensively until they change. If it will be very cloudy or raining for the first day, put the opposition in to bat. In all other situations it is a good idea to bat first.

**BATTING_GENERAL_TIP
Aggressive Batsmen

A naturally aggressive batsman will score at a strike rate of 50% or above in county matches, while naturally defensive batsmen will score some way below this if they are both on 3 aggression bar notches. 

**BATTING_GENERAL_TIP
Aggressive Batsmen

It is important to pick naturally aggressive batsman when selecting one-day sides, because an aggressive batsman will find it easier to score at the required run rate even if they are a generally poorer player. It's also useful to have an attacking batsman in at number 7 in county matches because they can score their runs before running out of partners.

**BATTING_GENERAL_TIP
Going Aggressive

If a bowler is using an aggressive field against you, it is sometimes worth taking the risk to score some quick runs to get your batsman settled. The bowler may then adopt a more defensive approach, allowing your batsman to score more freely. The bowler will rarely defend, however, if you are batting to save a draw in a first-class match.

**BATTING_GENERAL_TIP
Keeping Strike

If you have a batsman keeping strike make sure they are aggressive or you just end up missing singles. The other batsmen should be on 1 or 2 bars of aggression so that they can score singles and get off the strike. Only do this for the first 3 balls of the last over if you are playing ball by ball in a close match.

**BOWLING_GENERAL_TIP
Getting Settled Batsmen Out

Changing to spinners also helps against settled batsmen. An occasional bowler can work if the opposition is comfortable enough to slog against them.

**BOWLING_GENERAL_TIP
Bowling around the Wicket

Around the wicket can help get batsmen out after a long innings and is effective against left handers. However, less Lbw's are obtained against right handers.

**BOWLING_GENERAL_TIP
Bowling in Spells

Bowlers have a settled rating so bowl them in spells until they have about 3 bars of energy left. Try to do this in one day games as well.

**BOWLING_GENERAL_TIP
The New Ball

Fast bowlers get an advantage with the new ball.

**BOWLING_GENERAL_TIP
The Old Ball

Spin bowlers will generally not take wickets until the ball is about 15 overs old. As the ball gets older, it tends to spin more, but it also tends to give less variation.

**BOWLING_GENERAL_TIP
Bowling with the Weather

Take note of the effect of conditions on bowlers. An ordinary medium pacer can become dangerous on a very cloudy day.

**BOWLING_GENERAL_TIP
Bowling to a Weakness

Check batsmen's preferences before you set your bowling plan. If you're bowling to a spin specialist, counter him with a paceman, and if he prefers the off side, try bowling on the leg side.

**BATTING_FC_TIP
Conserving Energy

Batsmen have a tired rating so fitness is important. If they have played a long innings it may be a good idea to adopt a cautious approach when getting close to a day break. They will start the next day fresh.

**BATTING_FC_TIP
Building an Innings

In county and test matches you should have your batsmen on two aggression bars until they are 30% settled and then move up to three.

**BATTING_FC_TIP
Tailoring Aggression to the Bowler

If a bad bowler comes on move up your aggression. If a good bowler is taking lots of wickets be more defensive.

**BATTING_FC_TIP
Batting for the Draw

If the other team scores 600 in their first innings you are unlikely to win. Give it a go until you lose a couple of wickets and then shut up shop completely (play defensively) to get the draw. Try to get the maximum batting points as well in County matches.

**BATTING_FC_TIP
Batting Wisely

Generally all batsmen perform at their best on 3 aggression bars, but should bat more defensively while getting settled, and with greater aggression against bad bowlers. The batsman's own aggression rating refers to the scoring rate of the batsman if they are on three aggression bars.

**BATTING_FC_TIP
Blasting Away

Players will generally not do well batting at more than four notches from the start in a county game. This aggression should really just be used when batting against very bad bowlers, attempting a desperate run chase or if making runs before the 120 overs is up in county games.

**BATTING_FC_TIP
Declaring

If you are in a very strong position, declare an hour before the close of play in order to give your main strike bowlers an extra spell. This is particularly useful if the light is fading.

**BOWLING_FC_TIP
Bowling Tactics

Bowlers in county matches will perform at their best on medium aggression and balanced field setting.

**BOWLING_FC_TIP
Bowling Aggression

Use the defensive field settings if a batsman has a big score or you are going for a draw. Use the attacking field settings if you've got plenty of wickets to play with but not much time.

**BOWLING_FC_TIP
Attacking New Batsmen

Attack new batsmen before they are settled by setting bowlers aggression close to the max.

**BATTING_OD_TIP
Using Fielding Restrictions

In one day matches try to score at about 4.5 to 5 per over for the first 15 overs (or faster if you're chasing a big target), while the fields are restricted. However, the computer will use its best bowlers, so sometimes it is a good idea to put lesser batsmen in so that you don't lose important wickets early in the innings.
 
**BATTING_OD_TIP
Batting in Twenty Over Matches

In twenty over matches you need to be aggressive from the start. Use seven notches to settle the batsmen, before moving to maximum aggression. You might need to defend for a couple of overs if you lose quick wickets to avoid a collapse.

**BATTING_OD_TIP
Chasing Down Targets

When batting second in one day matches, try to keep up with the run rate all the way through the innings so you don't have to go all out too late.

**BATTING_OD_TIP
Going Aggressive

Aggression is sometimes necessary but it can lead to losing wickets. Don't use maximum batting aggression unless you have lots of wickets to play with. Take note of bad or expensive bowlers and use extra aggression against them.

**BOWLING_OD_TIP
Bowling Aggression in One Day Games

If you can tie a batting team down in one-day games they will get more aggressive and get themselves out. Bowl outside off stump and use defensive fields. If you don't take wickets it's often worth taking the risk to be more aggressive. The opposition is more aggressive the more wickets they have left.

**BOWLING_OD_TIP
Defending Small Totals

When your batsmen have failed you, it is a good idea to bowl more defensively to try to keep it tight, however when totals are very small, a few wickets are essential. Sometimes keeping the pressure on is necessary. Try bowling more aggressively at first. It's likely the opposition will play cautiously when they don't need to attack.

**BOWLING_OD_TIP
Bowling at the Death

When bowling at the death you'll want to bowl it full and on or outside off stump. Don't give away easy runs by straying onto the leg side or bowling it too short. If your opposition needs boundaries to win, use a defensive field setting.

**BOWLING_OD_TIP
Using Your Bowlers Well

You should use your best wicket taking options early on, and save enough overs from your most economical bowlers in case it is a tight finish. Try to use your best pacemen at the start for the fielding restrictions, and then again at the end if they are bowling well. Spinners are generally best in the middle overs.