It’s all in your head …

[KashifJ]

Probably all of you have read or heard that cricket is 80% a mind game … I have been playing for quite some time now but never actually faced this kind of ‘extended’ dilemma before. My recent batting failures (which includes a bad decision by the umpire too) have pushed me to the dark side and I am unable to get out of this mind set. I normally bat at 3 (sometimes open to), I used to thrive with confidence when going to bat and so many times I took the team out of the trouble while wickets were falling around me; my strike rate was always much higher than my runs … but this is not the case anymore, I am not sure if you guys have been in such situation but if you have, how did you get away from it?

Appreciate sharing your experience/thoughts …

[Poison]

Take a week off. Time off (without any cricket at all) really helps.

[KashifJ]

Take a week off. Time off (without any cricket at all) really helps.

I am doing it right now actually; didn't play at all ... but still I am not able to clear my head out

[shirazi_r]

You just have to tough it out from a psychological perspective, let it go. I bat at 3 as well and it's never an easy position but you need to ignore what's going on around you and worry only about hitting the ball, simple as that.

When you start worrying about your strike rate, failures, loose strokes etc, you put a damper on your own innings.

Clear your head and focus on one thing, playing an innings one ball at a time.

[ammo]

I open and my advice to you is bat as long as you can, that always gets rid of any problems for me, it lets you sort you mind out and find form and gain confidence.

[Genghis]

The next edition of the 'Ask the Expert' section is going to be on the mental aspect of cricket. Do make sure you have some good questions ready for that section.

[KashifJ]

You just have to tough it out from a psychological perspective, let it go. I bat at 3 as well and it's never an easy position but you need to ignore what's going on around you and worry only about hitting the ball, simple as that.

When you start worrying about your strike rate, failures, loose strokes etc, you put a damper on your own innings.

Clear your head and focus on one thing, playing an innings one ball at a time.

Thats exactly what I am trying to do; but luck is also not riding with me at the moment ... other day I started really well, I could see the ball like a giant football & foot work was great ... Mr. Umpire gave me wrong caught behind :(


I open and my advice to you is bat as long as you can, that always gets rid of any problems for me, it lets you sort you mind out and find form and gain confidence.

I am doing to stick around as much as possible on the wicket, but as I said above luck is not my side too these days ... But I am taking it as a challange now; lets see how quickly I can win this challange :)


The next edition of the 'Ask the Expert' section is going to be on the mental aspect of cricket. Do make sure you have some good questions ready for that section.

Kool ... can't wait for it. Who would be the expert to answer the questions?

[Cover Drive]

Cricket indeed is mind game, I recall Javed Maindad saying this too!

I would say as other have said take some time off and since you did then I would say when you go bat in the middle just think of spending maximum amount of time in the middle, leave balls outside off stump and let them go.

Once you have been in middle for sometime then your confidence will regain InshAllah!

Also play ball-to-ball as Shirazi bhai said.

I think if you bat with Screaming Cat in next game then everything will be back :D So Screaming Cat is cure :))

[KashifJ]

I think if you bat with Screaming Cat in next game then everything will be back :D So Screaming Cat is cure :))

You know thats exactly what I was thinking ... after yesterday's nets with Scat I feel much more confident ... mind games within the game :))

[Cover Drive]

Haha exactly I know yaar just stick with Screaming Cat and InshAllah it will scream in the middle too! :D

[Theo_14]

At first, I thought it was only me who believed in this, along with imagining the type of delivery your going to produce before doing it.

For instance when doing a yorker - I focus on the toe of the batsmen, and imagine that the cherry will land in that region - also motivate myself that I can do it.

Cricket has several beauties about it, hence why it's so artistic. Imagination is key, along with tactical mind.

[BoomBoom09]

I open and my advice to you is bat as long as you can, that always gets rid of any problems for me, it lets you sort you mind out and find form and gain confidence.

I agree, batting as long as you can can help you find form and taking singles will slowly increase your strike rate, if you score a 80 ball 50 then after scoring a 50 you will gain some confidence and so you can thrive from that.