Mr Cricket (15 page)
Of course, I could just play and play and play, never miss a game and do my best to maintain a consistent level of high performance. However, it is virtually inevitable that mental and physical fatigue would eventually take a toll, which could jeopardise my spot. You only have to be a millimetre off at this level and you will be found out. Scheduled breaks, however, pretty much ensure that each time I play, I'm refreshed and ready. That is why I am starting to become more open-minded to the idea of players being rotated in and out of the team.
The physical side of the game is pretty straightforward. Stay fit, practise hard and recover well and you should be able to get the best out of yourself physically. But there is a mental aspect to the game that is probably even more important, which brings to mind a story I heard about one Queensland batsman who complained to Phil Jauncey that he wasn't hitting the ball as well as he normally did. The batsman said he would usually time the ball well and score freely but something had gone wrong and he wasn't able to do that any more. Phil asked him, âWhat did you do when you were hitting the ball well?' The batsman responded that he would just watch the ball closely and hit it. Phil's answered: âWell, there you go. Just watch the ball and hit it! That's the secret.' The batsman was satisfied with that and went off and put Phil's advice into practice.
Now that might not sound very groundbreaking. But often sport comes down to simplicity and Phil can get that across in a way that elite sportspeople can appreciate. We so often have a lot going through our heads because there is so much going on around us. But Phil advises us to take out all our thoughts and concentrate on nothing more than the immediate task at hand.
Mental skills can refer to lots of different things and there are a multitude of different strategies available. You can do all the talking in the world, get into people's heads, give them vast amounts of information about how, when, where and why but, ultimately, the game of cricket is all about watching the ball come out of the bowler's hand and playing it as well as you can. The people who struggle are those who have all these other thoughts, doubts and fears, clouding their ability to do that simple task as well as possible. Simplicity is attractive to me. But, as much as I've tried to keep things simple, the fact is that when you're playing the sheer amount of cricket we do â and contending with everything else that goes with it â âjust hit the ball' is trickier than it sounds.
ONE-DAY BATTING PLAN (2005)
0 to 15 overs: Play straight, be patient, run hard
15 to 20 overs: Be busy, work the ball, run hard, keep cool and calm, get to 40 overs
40 to 45 overs: Positive risks, use feet, run hard, keep cool and calm
45 to 50 overs: Think straight, pick areas and bowlers, watch the ball, keep shapes. If it's not there, get bat on ball and run.
It's only recently that I've begun to understand how mental fatigue affects me. I always thought I was somehow immune to it when others around me suffered. Take county cricket as an example. There is a widespread perception that the standard of county cricket is lower than the standard of Australian domestic cricket. But what I found was that it was not so much that the players are not as good in England as they are in Australia. Rather, they play so much cricket that, instead of being able to perform at near 100 per cent of their ability in each match, the overwhelming majority of players are only be able to perform at about 80 per cent. The English season is long. You seem to be forever training, playing games or travelling between counties. It is almost impossible to be at your best for each game as the season drags on. Nevertheless, I always felt I was able to maintain my hunger in county cricket better than most. I wouldn't drop to 80 per cent of my capacity, more like 90 per cent. Because of that, I was always a little bit ahead of the game.
NORTHANTS BATTING REVIEW (2002)
v Glamorgan, 159, 68
Played really well. Flat pitch. My concentration was excellent. Very relaxed, calm attitude. Clear in my mind, my job. Looked to score runs and broke it down to one ball at a time. My stance felt really good. Feet in good position and head in great position in stance. Never rushed. Calm and relaxed.
v Yorkshire, 64, 122
Again played really well, in particular in the second innings. I only got myself into trouble when I was getting worried about not scoring. Just accept that there will be times of slow and quick scoring. Second innings I was never rushed and just played one ball at a time. Stance is very good.
v Yorkshire, 5
Drove at one, probably a little early. Felt supremely confident and was watching the ball well. Just went away off seam with new ball. I played a pretty technically correct shot.
v Kent, 8
Batted four, wickets tumbling, ball swinging a bit. Mentally felt okay, perhaps a little rushed. Get into that frame of mind where I'm relaxed, calm and never rushed. Stance felt pretty good.
v Lancashire, 70, 82
Batted really well. Got off to a flyer in each innings. Flat pitch, felt really positive, not much movement for opening bowlers. Enjoyed battle with Murali Muralitharan. Closed my feet well and picked his other one easily. I got bogged down when he decided not to try to get me out and just bowl maidens. Started to try to sweep. From a team point of view, the time was as important as scoring runs.
v Surrey, 80
Was watching the ball well from start. Didn't score as quickly through the middle. Maybe need to back myself and trust my game a little more.
v Scotland, 82
Assessed situation well. Couldn't afford to lose another wicket, played well at death.
v Australia, 73
Slow start, but played really well. Clear mind, watching ball well, looking to score.
v Warwickshire, 27
Played really poorly. 81 balls. Pre-meditated shots, wasn't watching the ball well. Needed to take some calculated risks to put pressure back on bowlers. Forgettable day!
v Essex, 329 not out, 70 not out
First innings, struggled a little bit in the first session. Mentally I went through a couple of stages. I was premeditating a little and wanted to hit everything for four. Was guessing a little. After lunch and beyond I felt good. I was just batting and looking to score, I felt relaxed, calm, clear mind. Just watching the ball and looking to score. Second innings, we needed 95 off 15 overs. I gave myself 5 to 10 balls to get in. Then I picked my areas and backed myself to hit those areas. If I saw it in the slot I went for it. If not, I hit a single. Got 70 off 33 balls.
v Gloucester, 4
I felt a little rushed and not totally focused on the next ball. I subconsciously was thinking about the situation â chasing 344 in 45 overs â and wanting to hit fours.
v Kent, 35
Run out. Was playing really well.
v Warwickshire, 7
Opening. Didn't feel as though I was watching the ball that well early on. Was slightly premeditating early. After a while I started to just look to hit the ball. Looked to score and felt a lot better. Hit a full toss to mid-on.
v Surrey, 15, 41
On a difficult pitch I felt I played pretty well. My driving was particularly strong. My stance felt good and I was watching the ball well. Picked swinging ball as bowler was running in. Nicked two pretty good balls through to the keeper. Even on a pitch doing a bit you have to be confident and look to score. This way, your feet will move into better positions to play each ball. If it does something extraordinary, so be it.
v Surrey, 96 not out
Batted at four. Came in at 2â6. Felt good from ball one. My stance was good and I was watching the ball really well. They bowled some rubbish and I was in a good frame of mind, looking to score. My pulls were good, although need to watch them closer onto the bat.
Recently, however, as I started to find out more about mental fatigue, I looked back on my seasons in England and realised that there was a clear reason I was able to stay ahead. Every now and then we'd get a 10-day rest and, instead of hanging around where we lived, Amy and I would always make the most of the free time, get right away from cricket and travel to Paris or Rome or another interesting place in Europe. Having a decent stretch of time without having to consider my form or anything to do with my team or the game allowed me to recharge and come back ready to play. I probably didn't realise at the time how important those breaks were.
Even at Wanneroo I remember that I would play really well for eight-tenths of the season but then drop away. It bothered me because I wanted to play well the whole season. At that level, missing out in the last game or three wasn't the end of the world. But playing for Australia is different because if you string a few bad performances together it could result in you getting dropped. And, I know more than most how hard it can be to get a chance in the first place.
In 2006â07 there was a lot of public debate about the effect fatigue was having on the national team. It was an enormously long period of cricket that seemed to never end. After the Champions Trophy in September 2006, we played the five-Test Ashes series and then had the one-day international series around Australia. After that we had a tour across the Tasman for a few games against New Zealand. Almost immediately after that we went to the West Indies for the ICC World Cup, which was played over two months. The toll became evident.