Key Stage 3 PE · Competitive games

KS3 cricket and rounders tactics: a guide for parents

In striking and fielding games, one team bats and tries to score runs while the other bowls and fields to stop them. In Key Stage 3, PE moves on from hitting, throwing and catching to the decisions that win matches: where to hit, how to bowl, where to place fielders and when to run. Pupils also learn to judge what makes a performance effective and to give feedback to others.

Striking and fielding tactics, explained

Striking and fielding is one of the groups PE departments commonly use to organise games, alongside invasion games and net and wall games. The National Curriculum asks pupils to use a range of tactics and strategies to overcome opponents in direct competition, and cricket and rounders are among its examples. Schools choose which to teach, often in the summer term. Some schools add softball or a similar bat-and-ball game. The curriculum does not require a particular sport, but all of them share the same tactical problem: the batting side wants to score, the fielding side wants to stop them.

For the batting side, the main tactic is placing the ball. Hitting into a gap between fielders is nearly always better than hitting as hard as possible at a fielder. Batters learn to look at the field before each delivery, decide where the gaps are and choose a shot to match. They also learn when to run: taking a run only if the ball is far from a fielder and the throw would have to be long, and staying put when a fielder is close. Calling clearly, so that both runners know what is happening, matters in cricket.

For the fielding side, there are two main jobs. The bowler or pitcher delivers the ball where the batter finds it hard to score, using accuracy and variation in length, direction or speed. The fielders then stand where the ball is most likely to go, covering the gaps and backing each other up. Fielders learn to move to the ball, to throw to the right place (the stumps in cricket, the post where a runner is heading in rounders) and to communicate so that two fielders do not go for the same ball.

As in other games, pupils are also taught to recognise what makes a performance effective, applying it to themselves and to teammates. In practice that might mean an observer counting how many hits went into gaps and how many went straight to fielders, then discussing what the batter could try next. Pupils learn to compare what they intended with what actually happened.

Words your child will hear

Gap: A space between fielders where a hit ball is less likely to be stopped.
Line and length: In cricket, the direction (line) and the distance from the batter at which the ball bounces (length).
Field placement: Where the fielders stand, chosen to cover the areas the batter is most likely to hit to.
Backing up: Standing behind a teammate who is receiving a throw or stopping the ball, in case it gets past them.
Calling: Shouting “yes”, “no” or “wait” so that both batters know whether to run.
Run out: When a batter is out because a fielder puts down the wicket (in cricket) or touches the post the batter is running to (in rounders) with the ball before the batter gets there.
Relay throw: A ball passed from one fielder to another, usually to move it quickly over a long distance.

What the National Curriculum says

The programme of study for Key Stage 3 says:

Pupils should be taught to use a range of tactics and strategies to overcome opponents in direct competition through team and individual games [for example, badminton, basketball, cricket, football, hockey, netball, rounders, rugby and tennis]
Pupils should understand what makes a performance effective and how to apply these principles to their own and others’ work.

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Try it: choosing where to hit and whether to run

You are batting in a cricket or rounders game. Most of the fielders are on the left side. A bowler delivers a ball you can reach. How do you decide what to do?

Before the ball is bowled, look at the field. Count fielders on each side. If most of them are on the left, the right side has fewer people and probably more gaps.
Decide the target: the gap on the right side. Aim to place the ball there instead of trying to hit it as far as possible. A gentle shot into a gap can score more than a powerful one that goes straight to a fielder.
Pick a shot that suits where the ball arrives and sends it towards the right-hand gap. Stay balanced, with your eyes on the ball until the moment of contact.
After you hit, look at where the ball is going and where the nearest fielder is. If the ball is rolling away from every fielder, run. In cricket, if a fielder is close and ready, stay in your ground so you cannot be run out. In rounders you must run after a good ball, so the decision is how far to go: stop at the first post if a fielder has the ball, or keep going if it is still far away.
In cricket, where you run with a partner, call early and clearly, and obey the call. The usual rule is that the batter on strike calls when the ball goes in front of the wicket, and the non-striker calls when it goes behind, because that player has the better view.

Read the field before the ball arrives, hit towards the gap rather than as hard as possible, and choose how far to run by where the ball is and how close the nearest fielder is. Good batting is mostly good decisions.

Common mistakes and how to help

Hitting as hard and as far as possible every time

Big hits are the most exciting part of the game and feel like the only way to score. But a powerful shot straight to a fielder scores nothing, and swinging hard makes mistakes more likely.

What helps: Praise the pupil who found the gap, not just the one who hit it furthest. Count how many runs or rounders come from placed hits.

Bowling or pitching as fast or as hard as possible

Speed looks impressive, but an inaccurate fast ball is easy to leave or hit. Accuracy and variety are more difficult to deal with.

What helps: Practise hitting a target, such as a chalk mark or a cone, before adding pace. A bowler who can land the ball in the same spot again and again has a real tactical weapon.

Fielders all running at the ball

Everyone wants to be involved, so several fielders chase the same ball and others leave their area empty.

What helps: Agree who calls for the ball, and have the others back up. Fielding well involves standing in the right place as much as moving quickly.

Always throwing to the same place, or to the bowler

It feels natural to return the ball to the person who bowled it. But the batters may be running to the other end or to a different post.

What helps: Before the ball arrives, think about where the run-out chance is. Throw to the end where the runner is heading, and use a relay if the distance is large.

How to help at home

Target bowling. Put a cone, bucket or chalk circle on the ground in the garden or park and take turns rolling or throwing a soft ball underarm to land in it. Accuracy is the first step in bowling tactics.
Find the gap. With a soft ball and a bat or hand, one person hits and the others stand where they choose. The batter tries to find the biggest gap each time. Swap roles often.
Catch and relay. Practise throwing quickly to a partner standing a little way away, then move further apart and add a third person in the middle for a relay. Use a soft ball and open space.
Talk through the plan. After a match, ask your teenager what they noticed about the opposition: where they hit, or where fielders stood. The habit of noticing is more valuable than any individual shot.
Safety first. Use a soft or light ball at home, keep clear of windows and roads, and make sure no one is standing near a swinging bat.

Builds on

Key Stage 2: Invasion games
Key Stage 2: Net and wall games
Key Stage 2: Striking and fielding games
Key Stage 2: Attacking and defending

Leads on to

Key Stage 4: Tactics in team games
Key Stage 4: Tactics in individual games