Howzat Harry. Batting and bowling coaching videos. Produced by New Zealand Cricket. Price $29.95. Reviewed by Lynn McConnell.

New Zealand all-rounder Chris Harris has proved the ideal frontman for two coaching videos aimed at the youth market which is a rapidly growing area in the game.

In his introduction to the tapes, Harris said he is "sharing his passion for cricket" and in doing that he is helped by Black Cap team-mates Chris Cairns, Stephen Fleming, Mathew Sinclair, Adam Parore and Daniel Vettori.

New Zealand women players Debbie Hockley and Haidee Tiffen, New Zealand Cricket biomechanics expert Ashley Ross and Cricket Academy graduate Tim Anderson all help out as various aspects of cricket are explained and demonstrated.

Interspersed with the words of wisdom are video clips of some outstanding cricket action from New Zealand's players.

Check lists at various stages of the tape help reinforce the messages from the players.

Viewers of the tapes will hear Cairns say: "For me, cricket is more than a game, it's a real life experience."

All bowlers wanting to emulate the way in which Cairns bowls his highly effective slower ball will be interested in the discussion on how it is done with Cairns offering the comment: "The most important thing with a slower ball is the arm speed."

Possibly the most sage advice is from Harris himself when he says: "The more skills you have, the more you will enjoy it."

Given all the stress-related bone injuries New Zealand's bowlers have suffered this summer the section on guidelines to prevent injury is especially valuable.

A table of recommended bowling loads for players in youth grades is timely and examples of this are that under-14 bowlers should bowl no more than five overs per spell and no more than 10 overs a day with that lifting to six overs per spell for under-15 bowlers with no more than 14 per day.

The policy of including clips of match play adds immensely to the appeal of these tapes.

Some commentating gems have made their way into the presentation, none better than former Test wicketkeeper Ian Smith's comment about Daniel Vettori, "I hope I'm around to see him when he's 40, because at 20 he's amazing."

And what better way to demonstrate the value of patience to young bowlers than by a clip demonstrating Vettori working on Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar until he gets his wicket. The tapes have plenty of appeal for young cricketers, both boys and girls, and Chris Harris is the perfect frontman for getting the various messages across.

© CricInfo