Captains Bowling Instructions

[AvantGardener]

I've never played Senior cricket so I am not sure how it works there, only junior cricket. At club level I was largely left to my own devices as a bowler and while the coach/captain set the field I had freedom to change whatever I wanted (not that we employed much else other than a ring field at that age). At rep level I didn't have the freedom to just change the field and had to consult coach/captain and there was even times they told me how to bowl which irked me.

Just watching the Big Bash now and they had Lynn on speaker but his end musn't have been working so he couldn't hear the commentators but they just had his microphone going for the TV audience. James Pattinson was bowling so top 5 bowler in the country and already had 4 wickets at this stage and on the first ball of commentary Lynn changed the field and said words to effect 'so you can get it in short'. Next ball Lynn tells him to bump it in short again. The old bowling juices in me got my blood boiling at this point that a captain was telling the bowler how and where to bowl. Pattinson ignored Lynns instructions and pitched it up got a wicket. So proof the bowler knows best!

My question is, shouldn't bowlers be largely left to their own devices? The general tactics should be captain led but the bowler knows his strengths more than anything and should be making the ball by ball plan. At the start of the over/spell or even the odd time during the over the captain might share his plan/vision with the bowler but after that it should just be up to the bowler. Just annoys me a captain would be telling the bowler what to do ball by ball.

 

[Carbine Chaos]

I've never played Senior cricket so I am not sure how it works there, only junior cricket. At club level I was largely left to my own devices as a bowler and while the coach/captain set the field I had freedom to change whatever I wanted (not that we employed much else other than a ring field at that age). At rep level I didn't have the freedom to just change the field and had to consult coach/captain and there was even times they told me how to bowl which irked me.

Just watching the Big Bash now and they had Lynn on speaker but his end musn't have been working so he couldn't hear the commentators but they just had his microphone going for the TV audience. James Pattinson was bowling so top 5 bowler in the country and already had 4 wickets at this stage and on the first ball of commentary Lynn changed the field and said words to effect 'so you can get it in short'. Next ball Lynn tells him to bump it in short again. The old bowling juices in me got my blood boiling at this point that a captain was telling the bowler how and where to bowl. Pattinson ignored Lynns instructions and pitched it up got a wicket. So proof the bowler knows best!

My question is, shouldn't bowlers be largely left to their own devices? The general tactics should be captain led but the bowler knows his strengths more than anything and should be making the ball by ball plan. At the start of the over/spell or even the odd time during the over the captain might share his plan/vision with the bowler but after that it should just be up to the bowler. Just annoys me a captain would be telling the bowler what to do ball by ball.

Pattinson isn't a top 5 bowler in this format.

Lynn also let Cutting set his own field earlier in this innings so it isn't as though Lynn is telling them what to do every ball.

 

[AvantGardener]

Pattinson isn't a top 5 bowler in this format.

Lynn also let Cutting set his own field earlier in this innings so it isn't as though Lynn is telling them what to do every ball.

Point is Pattinson knows what he is doing though.

That example brought it to my attention but my question is moreso in general. Does it happen regularly? Should it be happening?

 

[Carbine Chaos]

Point is Pattinson knows what he is doing though.

That example brought it to my attention but my question is moreso in general. Does it happen regularly? Should it be happening?

My POV - captains may be working on plans that may take 2-3 overs to work, not just 1 or 2 balls. Bowlers should listen to their captains.