Turn Mushtaq Ahmed’s ‘Good Over’ Advice into a 36-Ball Drill

Practise six deliveries that support one plan, rather than chasing one exceptional ball. That is the useful lesson behind Mushtaq Ahmed’s advice that “good overs will get you wickets, not just good balls”. Speaking at a Bangladesh spin camp, he linked that message to deciding when to attack, when to restrict runs, which field to use and what the batter does well. Cricbuzz’s report records those comments.

The drill below is our practice adaptation of that principle, not a documented drill prescribed by Mushtaq. It gives a self-coached spinner a way to measure an entire over without needing wickets to judge progress.

Set up one stock-ball target

Use a suitable practice pitch in a net or clear bowling area, stumps, your usual ball, chalk markings and a notebook. Keep other people clear of the ball’s path. Warm up before starting the scored deliveries.

Choose your stock ball—the off-break, leg-break or other delivery you normally rely on. This drill works for finger-spin and wrist-spin; it does not ask either bowler to copy the other’s release.

Mark a landing rectangle about 1 metre long and 50 centimetres wide. These are starting dimensions for this drill, not an ideal length for every spinner. Position it using a few unscored deliveries: aim for a length that would make a batter decide between coming forward and going back. With a practice partner, check that judgement against their response.

Choose the line for a stated batting hand. Do not automatically copy an off-spinner’s target if your stock ball turns the opposite way. With a batter present, agree the starting position and watch what your ball actually does after pitching.

Use one release cue throughout:

Keep your usual stock-ball grip and finish the release with your normal spin intent.

Do not change the grip or deliberately take the spin off just to hit the rectangle. If control requires a separate session, use the accuracy-without-losing-revolutions drills.

Bowl six overs with one job

Start with a containing plan: repeat the stock ball into the chosen landing area. Here, “containing” describes your intention; hitting a target alone cannot prove that you would prevent runs.

For each over:

1. State the plan before ball one. For example: “Stock leg-break to this target against a right-hander.”
2. Bowl six legal deliveries. Replace any wide or no-ball and record the extra separately. If practising alone, check front-foot legality where possible. Flag uncertain calls and leave that over ungraded rather than assuming it was legal.
3. Mark each legal delivery’s landing as hit or miss. For misses, add a direction: short, full, leg-side or off-side.
4. After a miss, reset rather than inventing a variation. Step back, look at the target and return to the same release cue.
5. Review only after the over. Record the score, then choose one thing to carry into the next over.

Complete six overs: 36 legal deliveries, plus any replacements. Take a short pause between overs to write your notes. Shorten the session if fatigue starts changing your action.

Keep a simple scorecard

Over	Target hits / 6	Wides / no-balls	Main miss	Next-over cue
1	3	0 / 0	Short	Same release; watch landing length
2	4	0 / 0	Off-side	Keep the same plan

For this drill, call an over successful when it has:

• At least four target hits out of six;
• No wides, no-balls or uncertain legality calls;
• The same planned stock-ball approach throughout.

That is a practice benchmark, not Mushtaq’s published standard or a universal definition of a good match over. A wicket-taking ball outside the rectangle is still a miss for this particular control test. Equally, a target hit is not automatically a dot ball.

Progress from placement to decisions

Your first checkpoint is two consecutive successful overs. If you cannot achieve that, keep the same setup next session. Look for the recurring miss before making several technical changes.

Once you can, add a properly equipped batter and agree a field. Use the spinner’s field-position guide to name where your protection and catching options are. Keep the stock ball initially. In a net, record target hits alongside agreed estimates of runs and potential chances—not actual match outcomes. Discuss how the imagined field would affect each shot rather than treating every net contact as a boundary.

Before each over, choose whether you are trying to restrict scoring or create a particular chance. Change one element between overs—such as target line or field—not your entire method after every shot.

Mushtaq’s wider message included reading the batter and adapting line, pace, angle and field, alongside a repeatable action. The Daily Star’s account describes that combination. Your scorecard should therefore answer two questions: could you repeat the delivery, and did the plan suit the batter? Add a variation only when you can explain what problem it is meant to solve.