Cricket training is built on discipline, repetition and small improvements.
It is also built on lies.
The most famous one is, “One more over.”
This has never meant one more over. It means at least four more overs, two throwdown sets, a discussion about technique, one argument about whether that was out, and someone asking for “just six more balls”. Every cricketer knows this. Every cricketer falls for it anyway.
NETS ARE NEVER AS CASUAL AS PLANNED
Training usually starts with good intentions.
“Light session today.”
“Just knocking.”
“Nothing too intense.”
“Let’s not overdo it.”
Ten minutes later, someone is bowling bouncers, someone is trying to hit everything into another emirate, and one batter is asking for side-arm throwdowns like a selector is hiding behind the sightscreen.
Nets have a way of becoming serious very quickly. Nobody wants to get out, even though everyone insists it does not matter. Of course it matters. If the ball hits the stumps, the batter will say he was “working on something”. If he edges one, he will immediately ask for another ball. If he middles one, he will suddenly rediscover the joy of batting.
THE BOWLER WHO IS “JUST LOOSENING UP”
Every net session has this bowler.
He says he is only loosening up, then bowls the fastest ball of the evening. He says, “I’m not trying to bowl quick,” while his run-up quietly grows by six steps and the batter starts regretting the decision to skip the thigh pad.
In the nets, every bowler is apparently working on rhythm. In reality, quite a few are working on ego.
Nobody says this out loud, because the next ball is probably short.
THE BATTER WHO NEEDS ONE CLEAN HIT
This batter will not leave until he middles one.
It does not matter that he has already batted for 40 minutes, that everyone is tired, or that the lights are about to go off. He needs one clean hit to end the session properly.
If he edges it, he says, “Last ball.”
If he misses it, he says, “Last ball.”
If he middles it, he says, “Okay, one more.”
This loop can continue until someone’s family calls.
THE FIELDING DRILL NOBODY ASKED FOR
Batting and bowling are one thing. Fielding drills are where enthusiasm goes to be tested.
There is always someone who says, “Let’s do quick high catches,” and somehow this becomes 25 minutes of running, diving, misjudging skiers and pretending the shoulder is fine.
The first few catches are taken seriously. By the end, everyone is dusty, sweaty and negotiating with gravity.
Someone will say, “Last round.” This is also a lie.
TRAINING IN THE UAE
In the UAE, training adds its own layer of drama: the heat, the humidity, the late evening slots, the traffic before nets, the drive back after, and the strange decision to take “just a few more balls” when everyone should clearly have stopped twenty minutes ago.
That is the thing about cricket training. It is inconvenient, repetitive, occasionally ridiculous and still somehow necessary.
The match gets the scorecard, but the nets carry the effort: the boring repetitions, the small adjustments, the frustrating sessions, and the one clean shot that makes the whole evening feel worthwhile.
That is the side of the game we love: the serious work, the quiet improvements, the friendly lies, and the players who say “last ball” with absolutely no intention of stopping.
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