Best of Luck, Owler XI

On the first day I introduced myself to the team, I said, I'm someone who loves Cricket. I saw a beaming smile on Kamal's face and I heard he had just captained the side to a tournament victory. I immediately understood how much Cricket matters to Owler! As the team gears up for yet another tournament this week, I would want to make my contribution towards motivating them, by writing down some of the random rules I set for myself while playing!

Always anticipate a fumble - it's important to run the first one hard. Every time the ball goes to long on, long off, we should be prepared for a two - no jogging. Make best use of the slightest fumble. "Never run for a misfield" is a thing of the past. With all due respect to our level of Cricket, only 1 out of 3 throws reach the top of the wicket. Worth a gamble. Do ensure you drag your bat from the earliest possible position - Recall how Michael Hussey ran all his life.
As a non-striker, always give starts, by being on your toes - every fumble the keeper makes should be a run. It's a non-strikers call and the batsman just has to trust him and run. We can absolutely demoralize teams with the way we run between the wickets.
Do not over-estimate the opposition - a friend of mine always says, "play the ball and not the bowler". We are a super team ourselves, we have done it earlier and we can do it again.
Big hitters should be there batting in the end, don't throw away your wicket when the run rate is low. The last two overs can fetch you 30-35 runs and things will look totally different. Just like how it did here. While chasing a score, try finishing things off in the penultimate over. Even Dhoni struggled at times playing the last over.
Back-up every throw - even if it's going to the wicket keeper, the man at cover, short mid wicket, third man, fine leg should all back up accordingly. We aren't playing at the SCG, therefore always expect a bad bounce that can beat the keeper.
Forget about the previous delivery - Getting beaten, playing dot balls, misfields, dropped catches, bad calls, are all part of the process. Leave those behind and focus on the next one. You have no control over the past and the previous delivery is surely part of the past.

Bowl to the field, ask for the field you need from the skipper - again, forget about the last delivery, you are good enough to tie the batsman down regardless of what happened earlier.

Never question an umpiring call, even if it's as bad as a Steve Bucknor decision - the moment the umpire looks at us as complainers, his subsequent decisions could be influenced. If you think it's a poor call, grin and move on. Not so easy I know, but try.
Be well ahead of time - get to the ground early, stretch for sometime and get into a relaxed frame of mind. Never allow the skipper to make calls to you, he has far more important things to think about. These little aspects make a big difference.

Assist the Captain - If you think long off is standing too wide, if deep cover and cover are in the same line, let the Captain know.
Be prepared to both defend and chase - the moment you want one of these, your skipper most certainly will lose the toss and the opposition captain will ask you to do exactly what you do not want to do.
Never react angrily about a misfield or a dropped catch - keep it for later. When we are having a drink together, make the fielder feel miserable at that time by bringing it up. Not during the game. I have seen AB de Villiers and Michael Hussey drop catches, even we can [very] occasionally.
Wishing you all the very best for a hugely successful tournament. It's a team filled with some wonderful talent and if it plays to its true potential, we will go far in the tournament, undoubtedly. Come back with beautiful memories of having given all that you had. Winning the Cup is purely a by-product. We are all cheering for you!