[Arnab]

The Mental Game of Cricket
by Rob Robson

Introduction

According to Australian cricket legend, Greg Chappell, international batting is “probably 90 per cent mental effort and 10 percent physical effort… …because you have to be focused on every ball that is bowled”.

Of course, one of the features of cricket is that all players take on multiple roles over a long period of time, even in the one day game (compared to five-day tests). Batsmen have to field, bowlers have to bat; and some players bat, field and bowl. Add the challenge of organisation and motivation that faces the captain, and you can quickly build up a picture of a mentally demanding sport.

Indeed, Greg Chappell also stated, in his interview with Frontline magazine, that he rarely felt physically tired after batting, but often mentally tired. What are the demands on the mind of an international cricketer?

Batting

“To make a hundred in a Test match is going to take you between three and four hours. To bat for that length of time, you need to be able to focus, able to relax in between time, and learn to switch on and off so that you conserve your mental energy. Because you can’t focus for six hours on a trot.”

The focus Greg Chappell talks about is required in order to tune in to the subtle cues that a bowler will give – the position of the ball in hand, pace of run, arm position for example – that give him the opportunity to choose his shot in an instant and commit to executing it. Miss those cues and, at international level, you will have to make an educated guess based on your knowledge of the bowler that you face or, at worst, take a shot from your own repertoire which may be hopelessly inadequate for that delivery.

In addition, Chappell talks about the sheer mental drain of switching on and off over a period of time.

Exercises to Improve Concentration for Batters

1). Practice switching your attention.

‘Shuttling’ stops you from getting stuck in what sport psychologist John Syer calls “the middle zone”. You can do this with a partner. First, close your eyes and tune into and describe an internal sensation, such as “Now I am aware of my breathing”, or “Now I am feeling silly”. Next, open your eyes and tune into something outside of yourself such as “Now I am aware of the sun shining”, “Now I am aware of the birds singing”. Shuttle between an internal and external focus for a few minutes, and with each new sensation begin “Now I am aware…”. If you get a bit stuck (in the ‘middle zone’ your partner can provide the cue “Now I am…”. Take turns to do this. When you are comfortable doing this, try it with your eyes open.

In a match you need to be able to shuttle. Become too fixated on the bowler, your own movements, or the movement of the field and you will fail to respond quickly and lose runs or worse, your wicket.

2) Train yourself to make batting decisions with limited information.

Perhaps you could put a screen up that obscures part of the bowler’s delivery (say above a certain height) or part of the field (so that you have to get used to picking your shot without full knowledge). The key here is to build your confidence in making the decision and executing the shot. Another thing that you could do is practice making the decision to run without full knowledge of the fielding positions used.

3) Use a batting routine that tells you that you are back ‘on’.

First, if you are going to switch back on, it is important to switch off by stretching, practicing a swing, anything as long as it is relaxed and easy; and appropriate to whether you are on strike or not. Then, make sure that you are in position before the bowler returns to the back of his approach. Take a deep breath and use an ‘affirmation’ or verbal cue (which may be a more emotional (e.g. “let’s ‘ave it!’”) or task focused (e.g. “quick feet”) that tells you that you are ready.

Of course, focus is not only needed on strike. If you are not on strike you have to be ready for the command to run. Remember the calamitous run-out on the last ball of the semi-final in 1999? South Africa only needed one run off the last ball, the run was there to be taken, but between them Klusener and Donald managed to make a mess of it. This also assumes that the batsman has to be able to clearly and quickly communicate his decision to run, using a predetermined, simple command.

In many ways fielding is similar to batting. The quick decision, the shift in focus, and the ability to switch on and off are important for a full day of fielding under the hot summer sun. The slight change in emphasis is that if you stop the ball without catching the batsman out, you have to be able to quickly scan, take in information and anticipate where the game will be by the time the ball that you are about to throw reaches the wicket. It is essential that you can focus on the most relevant cues to make a quick decision and switch your attention to making an accurate throw.

All of this sounds like a lot. If players are really thinking very deliberately about all decisions, actions and options in a game situation, they are unlikely to perform at their best. In order to cope with all of the information that they handle, the batsman or fielder in question must have practiced the physical skills required until he is able to call upon them and execute them automatically.

Bowling

Bowling is much more of a closed skill than batting, in that you choose your delivery and stick to it. You may respond differently according to the batman you are facing, but if you pay too much attention to the batsman on your run up, a good batsman can ‘set up’ a bowler to deliver a particular ball – the ball he wants. The emphasis is on intensity (especially in fast bowling), accuracy, and consistency. A bowler also steps in and out of his role, spending the rest of the day out in the field.

It is extremely important to maintain a high standard of bowling. Five good deliveries can undone if the sixth is hit for six runs! Slack bowling can also gift the opposing team runs in the form of ‘extras’.

Some skills or strategies to assist with bowling

1) Set Process Goals with tough targets for line and length, accuracy and consistency.

Work on these in training. Be sure of your definition of ‘good bowling’, and make sure that you perform to those standards. You can’t control the performance of the batsman, but you can make sure that you don’t give him any unnecessary chances to score.

2) Back up your goals with mental rehearsal of your delivery.

If you practice mental rehearsal regularly to back up skills, you will be able to rely on it in a match situation. Like any skill, try to use it, undeveloped, in a match situation and it will falter.

3) Develop a pre-delivery routine that reinforces your process goals and tells you that you are ready to go.

This routing may well include, but not be limited to, your mental rehearsal. This may include a physical routine, using affirmations (as above), and ‘centering’ (using a series of deep breath to bring you back to a physical and mental state of relaxation and readiness). A pre-delivery routing will help you to deliver every ball with the same intensity and effort, and to achieve consistency.

Summary

Even from this short article it is clear that the challenges faced by different roles in cricket share important challenges. In batting, it is important to switch on and off, to preserve mental energy and achieve high levels of focus for each swing.

References

‘Its 90 per cent mental effort’. Frontline Magazine, Volume 17 - Issue 15, July 22 - Aug. 04, 2000

Syer, J., & Connolly, C. (1998) Sporting Body Sporting Mind. Simon and Schuster