Is bowler a unpopular/ disliked position in the cricket team?

[ToHelenaHandcart]

Talking through sport with my son. He was asked to be in the cricket team, but was a bit reluctant. I couldn’t work it out as he’s generally keen on sports, but he says ‘they just wanted me as a bowler. Nobody likes bowling and they just wanted to get me to be it. It’s what no one wants to do me they thought I would’.
He’s very prone to self doubt, so asking others- is it ‘that’ position in a cricket team? He’s always seeeing himself as the not so good one, trying to balance this conversation as I don’t know.

My DS is a very keen cricketer ..... started around age 6 and just kept going, now plays for his Uni team. It's a wonderful sport for meeting people, team spirit, being in the fresh air etc etc. He's just done his work experience year for Uni and got involved with the local club, great way to make friends. Bowling is great ... any skill on the field is good.

Did anyone watch the recent Freddie Flintoff series on promoting cricket for less advantaged kids ?... I found it very good, cricket can be rather elitist.

My son loves bowling. In fact he wanders round constantly practising his throwing technique. In tesco, in the kitchen, he even tries it in the car! He's obsessed. It's very skilled, got to get that arm right and try for spins.

^ this. It's our life, he looks like a proper knob doing it in shops and restaurants, he's 6ft tall with stupid long arms, it's not cute.

Bowlers get to bat too, batters don't get to bowl.

I think the new coach is a bit eager maybe. It’s far from an elitist club/ area. He’s their first proper coach, as opposed to and older player with the boys. He wears the kit, rather than any old clothes, and does seem to aspire to more. Which obviously isn’t bad. But it’s always been more an on off cheap activity for the social (it was £2 for a Friday night before, now £10 with membership fees too).

Have to agree with everyone else. Bowler is crucial, and can very much be the star of the game.
I think it is young to be 'specialising' them - after all in cricket everyone has to bat too, and field.
Some of the greatest cricket players of all time were all rounders throughout their career - get him to research Ian Botham for example. Or more current - Ben Stokes.

I also agree with pp who said a generally sporty person can look good with a bat if there is a good bowler, whereas bowling itself is a much more refined skill that many players find more difficult.

I think if you can bowl you're lucky. There's a lot of standing around in cricket. Everyone bats, but when in the field, only the bowlers get any play, really. It can be quite boring just fielding.

It does sound like he thinks he has a talent for it. But there should be a team of bowlers, not just one.

My DH wanders around spinning balls, even though it's years since he played.

And after a boring day fielding, you finally get to bat and are out first ball.

Whereas at least a bowler knows they will get a chance for at least an over.

The bowler is the best role when your team is fielding! Apart from the bowlers and wicket keeper, the rest of the team are just standing around waiting for the ball to come their way. DH and DD are both fast bowlers.

I don’t understand why cricket is an elitist sport in the UK. It’s a poor kid’s sport in India, Sri Lanka, etc. it doesn’t need any real specialist equipment to play at entry level - it’s not beyond the scope of your average school to provide a bat, ball and a set of stumps, and most clubs keep a stash of helmets and pads to loan out (DH keeps his club’s loan equipment in the boot of his car all summer 😬) You don’t really need any more space for cricket than you do for football at a similar age, yet schools in our area seem to focus on football but no cricket. DD was very put out to find that in her school of nearly 2000 pupils there were not enough girls to make a regular team, it was suggested she join the rounders club instead but when she did they wouldn’t let her bowl because she was scaring the batters. 🙄🙄

I think cricket is a great game, I’d love to see it played more in schools.

My son plays cricket. He started playing when he was five and is now fifteen. I'd say it's only in the past two years he has considered himself to be a spin bowler. It takes a lot of time to become skilled at cricket. He did go through a phase of not wanting to play because he found the fielding boring. He also plays football so standing around was difficult for him. I'm glad I made him persevere as he is now studying GCSE PE and we have filmed some lovely wickets. Sometimes children need to learn that things take time and practise.

@backinthebox totally agree. Out of 120 boys only three play cricket for a club at my sons secondary school. I don't know why it's not played more widely. I payed £45 for my son to play for a season and £280 for football. I don't think it's anymore expensive. They do not push it enough in school. My friends sons who attend private school play it all year and have a very strong team mmmm

No I don't think this is right.

My daughter is a bowler, she's pretty competent plays for her county age group (under 13) and for her club in various age groups.

Even in her county team they try everyone at everything to a degree. Sometimes she opens the bowling and bats lower down the order. Sometimes it's & she bats at the top of the order and may only bowl one over.

I am surprised your club is looking to specialise so young. Does he like batting? Some young kids are a bit scared of the hard ball hitting them that this might be a factor, it is in our club u. 13 age group for some of the less experienced players.

Why can't she play on the boys team? I'd raise it with the school.

My daughter only plays in a girls team for the county.

The other teams she plays on are now mixed! Including the men's teams that she is playing on at the weekend.

There are lots of girls who are playing in boys and men's teams.

Agree, I always played for the boys team, and we also had mixed house matches.

@backinthebox and @mrsnjw

I love cricket - have season tickets for both the T20 and The Hundred and always try to get to the Tests that are played near here.
But I can understand why it isn't a great game for secondary - it is because - as has been said here - only a small proportion of the players are involved for the vast majority of the game. That then makes it boring for all the rest, which not only is when they start mucking about but they aren't getting any fitness out of it and aren't getting any practice of skills out of it.
Kwik Cricket at Primary level is excellent, as everyone bats for their 2 overs (loosing points rather than having to stop batting, when 'out') and everyone has to bowl two overs. So every child is involved. Everyone gets to practice their skills.
With rugby / football / hockey / netball / basketball etc, everyone on the pitch / court plays the whole time, which makes them better sports to do with a class of children / teens.
My dd was lucky enough to go to a great Primary school where they did all sports. From that, a coach asked her to join the local cricket club and she enjoyed the training, but hated the matches, as they used the most skilled bowlers and then she often didn't get to bat either as limited overs meant they ran out of balls before getting to number 6 or 7 or wherever they put her in. When she played football for a local club, she was involved throughout the time she was on the pitch. By playing (football) every week, she honed her skills, improved her abilities, and enjoyed the games. By standing on the boundary on the off chance a catch might come her way, she got bored and stopped cricket after the 2nd Summer.

The Hundred starts tonight, try getting him interested. Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams was on TV recently too, a good series about bringing in boys who’ve never had anything to do with cricket before. It was about much more than just the sporting side of the game.

Bowling is key but there's not just one bowler in a team

Everyone always gets a turn at fielding, except the wicket keeper. It's obligatory.