Death overs (also slog overs)

We continue our acquaintance with the current terms that can be encountered when watching a cricket match. Death overs (also slog overs) are the final innings of the meeting when the fate of the match is decided. At this point, the shooting team usually plays as many innings as possible while the kicking team tries to hit the ball aggressively.

Death overs (also slog overs): the basic meaning

Death overs (also slog overs) can be seen in the last five to ten innings. It all depends on the importance of the match. Most often, such situations occur in meetings of the One Day International format. It is noteworthy that in such moments the players are primarily required not to have a high level of technical training but psychological and physical stability. Batsmen need to hit paddle shot or slogging. The main goal is to score as many runs as possible (six in one hit).

In critical situations, the bowler, batsman and fielders must make adjustments to their actions. So, the bowling team will not be able to score early as often as before. Field players need to take positions in which they can best secure their team from losing the advantage.

Bowler fears the batsman’s powerful kicks the most, but the first player has no choice but to take risks. It is important for the player in this position to avoid half-volley hits. Sometimes cricketers will hit slowly on purpose to prevent their opponent from acting at speed. Often, in critical situations, coaches release spin bowlers onto the field.

Throwing players must be good at reading the batsmen’s game. Sometimes it happens that the team that is throwing the ball has superiority over the opponent. Then its outfield players need to concentrate on the whole field in order not to allow the opponents to gain a large number of runs.