Mental strength and confidence remain keys to success in batting - the cruellest discipline in sport
Mistakes are an integral part of sports. Though they do not occur by design, mistakes always remind us that sportspersons are human beings at the end of the day, irrespective of how stupendous and belief-defying their achievements are. In most sports, you get the chance to atone for your mistakes. Andy Murray did in the 2013 Wimbledon final, when he gave up a 40-0 lead against Novak Djokovic while serving for the Championship, but came back to win the title.
Similarly, when Andrew Flintoff bowled a no-ball that made the seventh ball necessary during what is called his "greatest over" in the second test of the 2005 Ashes, the crowd groaned in displeasure. However, Flintoff then dismissed Ricky Ponting with that fated seventh ball and turned the match on its head.
Both these instances gave the athlete a chance at redemption in the moment, because of the nature of their respective sports allowed them to salvage what might have seemed like a lost cause. That luxury, however, is not afforded to batsmen in cricket, and that is why batting remains possibly the cruellest discipline in sport, in addition to being a battle that is fought alone.
Steve Bull, who was the psychologist of the England men's cricket team from 1997 to 2014, has called batting to be a sporting discipline is “as close to unique as you can get.” He understood how every ball, every minute the batsman has to be on top of his game, as a slight error in judgement or bad technique can cause him to lose his wicket, which can have important consequences for the team.
Bull, who saw highs like the Ashes wins of 2005 and 2010/11, as well as lows such as the 5-0 defeat in Australia in 2006/07, Bull is aware how big a difference morale makes in such cases and how it affects technical details of one's game.
Discussing this, he said, "One mistake. The margin is so ridiculously small, and the consequences of a mistake are so huge. The knock-on effect is that after two or three low scores, the rest of the mechanisms kick in and the confidence starts to go. It can take you into the abyss.”
One man who is aware of how thankless and strenuous batting is West Indies great, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who agreed with Bull wholeheartedly, adding, "He’s perfectly spot on there. These days, bowlers study you more – it’s not that easy. Bowlers can tell when you’re struggling. In difficult conditions, you might be able to leave a few, but one or two you might nick off. It depends how long you’re able to stay out there, if you can get lucky and miss those balls.”
Chanderpaul, who is the eighth-highest run scorer in Test cricket, knows what he's talking about. After 164 tests and 11867 runs, he understands very well the scrutiny one is exposed to as a batsman.
Bull also emphasised the importance of luck in cricket, especially for a batsman, as failure and inability to perform is never put down to luck while a one-off success might be attributed to luck. Talking about it, he explained, "There are many walks of life where, if you take control, if you’re confident, resilient and conscientious, it will take you far. In cricket, you can get that piece of bad luck, and that hard work comes to nothing. Conversely, if you’re in bad form and get dropped at second slip, then things go your way and you score a hundred: bingo. If that catch had gone to hand, that’s another failure.”
Therefore, it becomes very important for a batsman to make the most of the time when he is in form, to weather the opposition bowling and show that he can be trusted to score a lot of runs for his team. Not for nothing, players with great records as batsmen are respected and revered by fans and opponents alike, because they know that when he is on song, he can determine the match's outcome with his batting and be decisive.
The West Indian gave his thoughts, saying, "I would always go out and play a bit harder if my place wasn’t on the line. I would just fight as hard as I could, try and bat as much as I could. You don’t want to be in that situation when you’re being put under pressure. You feel a little more relaxed, but you dig in," to indicate that it was as important to be fully dedicated and focused when one wasn't under pressure.
Chanderpaul, who faced a lot of skepticism and opposition during his career due to his very unorthodox batting stance, had to prove himself again and again despite the runs he scored as bowlers were told that he was a potentially easy target. Talking about that, he said, "There wasn’t a coach telling me what I have to do, or where I have to be. But you still have to remember the basics – eventually getting into a side-on position. Remember these things, and go out there and try and use them to help you through whatever period you have to go through.”
As someone who deals with sportspersons professionally, Bull impresses the importance of mental strength, which gains added impetus in the case of batsmen. He said, "You can’t have a situation where your confidence is dictated by how many runs you’ve scored. That’s not a good state of affairs. That means that if you’re scoring well, you’re confident, and if you’re not, you’re not."
He went on to add that mental strength distinguishes the best from the rest, saying, "Better players are resilient and tough players. They say: ‘I’m taking control of this. I’m going to feel confident. I’m feeling good in the nets, hitting the ball well, moving my feet.' That’s good psychology. If you are more of a worrier, very negative and very analytical, it can take you deeper into trouble.”
The ability to remain calm and collected during moments of duress signifies how good or bad a batsman can be. If someone can switch off enough to stay relaxed and yet have his focus on the game, that is someone who has found the ideal way to battle the pressure associated with his role. This process varies from person to person, allowing people different ways to perform their best.
Talking about that, Bull discussed the importance of relaxation, saying, "it’s a cliché, but sometimes the best thing you can do is take a break and switch off” – by going out for a drink or a day out. It is very much player-dependent. There were some players who liked structured thought and process-orientated strategy to get ready. With other players, the best they could do was to forget it. It takes you to a sports psychologists’ favourite maxim: control the controllables. When a player is worried about whether they are going to get picked or not, they have no control. You’ve got to come to the next session completely refreshed and start again.”
Chanderpaul added that relaxation, along with the strength to keep at it when not doing well, helped him the most, saying, "If I was struggling, I would be in the nets, hitting some balls. I’ll do the work until I start feeling good. If I feel OK, I’ll ease off, take a breath, and not stress about it.”
Batting remains an individual discipline within a team sport where confidence in one's abilities and the strength to overcome adversity are the keys to success. Knowing when to take it easy and when to dig in makes a good batsman great. That remains the sole barometer for success in batting which remains the cruellest discipline in sport.