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by AJITH C.S. PERERA

Cricket today at higher levels, is a lucrative business in a very dynamic environment. With its highly competitive nature, the margin for failure to perform well consistently is minimal. Have you ever thought, why good players with sound technique, enough experience, abundance of talent and in good physical condition still fail to provide consistently the expected results and perform to their true potential ? Often, many of them fail miserably at important times that matter most to the teams, when expectations of their performances run high.

As we have recently witnessed in Sharjah, this could happen even to good teams like Sri Lanka. What we then often hear at the media interviews are the deceitful stories they believe, such as the key batsmen failed to score well enough and / or the bowlers did not bowl as expected on that particular day, the toss that was so vital went the other way, the other team performed very well on that day (rather than the reality that they were permitted to do so), the pitch (or even the climate) did not favour as expected in our turn, etc., as the root causes for such debacles.

Non-physical factors

Unless one understands well enough the roles played by one's eyes, brain and mind, the players, their trainers, fans and supporters, and also the administrators the world over, disastrously believe it's caused entirely by the unforseen 'bad luck'. Very many are ignorant of the fact that the playing ability and its application at any particular time is also very much affected by non-physical factors, identified as 'mental parameters', which exert their effects sub-consciously.

They fail to recognise the real origins of many shot selection and shot execution defects, even the critical ones the batsmen hardly made before. As it's not possible to see and know directly what is exactly happening in one's mind, the root causes for such consequences are never understood properly by the average common man. The bitter lessons taught repeatedly, like at the 'Sharjah finals', hence go unacknowledged and remain as road blocks across winning avenues, as all of us are too soon prepared to simply forget despondent happenings as history dead and gone. Hence the chances run high that again and again 'the bad luck factor' can emerge at any moment especially at times so crucial, never permitting us to come out with optimum performances consistently and make winning a habit.

Right Attitudes

True, human beings can never display peak performances consistently. The three 'A-factors' essential for a successful field performance, Ability Application and Attitude at any particular time, vary with the three 'C-factors', Conditions, Constraints and Circumstances. Ability and Application infact depend heavily on prevailing Mental Attitude. Some of these C-factors (for example: winning the toss, injury to key players at crucial times, climate) are beyond one's control. Often these do not go favourably. When they turn out favourably as initially at Lord's, easily (as admitted by Jayasuriya at the start of the Lord's Test), attitudes turn positive and this in turn often make applications to come correct and abilities to shine. However the real secret of consistent success can come only when 'performances are not allowed to be governed easily by these external C-factors'. If that is permitted to happen, the day they do not favour us like on that sad day in Sharjah, nothing can go favourably one's way. More and more external psychological demands will then fall on individuals and team. It will be the time that the mind gets easily rattled. But it is also the crucial time, if one is to get resurrected, to control with good care and maintain well the right attitudes of the mind, which in turn only make you remain true to your potential.

The acid test

Yes we not only kept the crowd entertained while amassing our highest Test Total at Lord's, but also made England to follow-on. However that was when all the three 'C-factors' became very favourable - we won the toss, the sun was shining, the pitch was batting friendly and minds were already prepared for a life without Murali. But at Old Trafford and at Edgbaston own experiences indicate that the pitches are much faster and England are certain to play in Alex Tudor. Their pacies will extract more life there. The 'Acid-Test' for us would be when the C-factors do not favour us well, unlike at Lord's. That is where the importance of properly developed minds matters a lot !

Secret of success

Truly champion teams in world sports, have all developed within every member, the ability to perform competitively and fight successfully with correct application retaining that vital positive attitudes, especially when not favoured by the 'three C's'. In developing their winning consistency, they have understood the science behind mind power and learnt well to put into effective use within their teams, the art to compete and succeed under any circumstances, at any given time in any conditions. These facts are evident, in observing closely with an analytical mind, a great team like the present Australians. Less good players and teams on the other hand, still depend on almost indefinable 'good luck', natural ability and technical skills to carry the day which does happen at times but not consistently. As their performances are allowed to be governed by external conditions and circumstances, they are very much prone to crumble with meekness.

The significant difference between Sri Lanka and Pakistan on that day in Sharjah, I still believe, was not the achieved physical skills but the conditioning of the mind and the mental toughness of the individual players facing those three C's, at that period of time.

Like the see-saw when one side goes down mentally they easily slip into a negative frame of mind that shatters self belief to lose control and the other side thereby is allowed to gain the upper hand and appear invincible! It is a repeatedly proven fact that even in sports, especially in today's cricket, thoughts very much affect many important mental skills and they in return influence physical activities and physical skills. One's level of optimum performance is determined by how you interpret things around you to your self at that period of time. Great players already have been taught about these pitfalls and are competent enough to avoid them. Let me illustrate with few examples from Sharjah game

Deadly Viruses

From what the two captains said when interviewed before the start, they both strongly believed that winning the toss was crucial, as the teams batting second in the league lost the match 5 out of 6 times. They also believed that chasing targets in that atmosphere under lights, exert a lot of pressure on them (so they were worried about handling pressures too ? - the fear of failure!). Look at the pessimistic reasons both sides had working in their minds at the start itself ! But Pakistan won the toss and that made them to begin on a more positive frame of mind. Came suddenly that big blow - physical injury to Murali at a vital stage of the game. Of course as fate is no respecter of persons or positions, any one could equally and easily meet even greater disaster at a less expected time and manner than this, even in future !

We all know from the body language how much the anxieties ran high. Yes that was the time every other member had to put in that extra bit of effort with more determination, to 'live with a life without Murali' and re-kindle that desire to fight back, than to bow down. Over anxiety and feat of failure are two known deadly viruses, which if for any reason is allowed to enter the mind, shatter the self-confidence and morale of any team. With that the minds become lesser resilient and fatal consequences soon follow. This is exactly what really happened placing the Pakistanis with their spirits running sky high, in a far superior frame of mind. They then capitalised on that well.

Mind's role

To start with, the very same two bowlers Vaas and Zoysa who under great pressure astounded two of the best hitters in today's game (of course then with a positive frame of mind), when a repeat performance was so crucial from them, lost the line, length and craft that they were masters of just three nights previously and went to pieces.

Unbelievably then all of a sudden the Sri Lankan batsmen in their turn to bat, lost the technical know-how to counter the celerity pace and deceptive swing of the Pakistan trio and made every ball look a wicket taking one! The pitch that day although was different, in it there was something for the bowlers who had their line and length in control and also helped the batsmen who had the basics correct on a positive frame of mind. When permitted to slip into a negative frame of mind for any reason, it shatters self-belief and even professionals turn novices! From 76 for 5, they decimated meekly for 78 (for 9) lasting just 141 balls, without any semblance of a fight and that too in a final in international cricket. This is inevitable when technical skills are to battle alone in the absence of a well-prepared and conditioned mind.

What could even an experienced batting coach like Barry Richards could ever do, when the root causes lie elsewhere ? Go back just three nights before to see what a very good frame of mind could achieve for a team (like at Lord's Test). This very same Sri Lankan eleven held their nerves under great pressure, never gave up and scored a thrilling remarkable 9-run win over the same Pakistan eleven. That was also a time when extra-psychological demands were placed on them as the Pakistanis were heading for a certain victory, needing 19 runs off 18 balls with 5 wickets in hand. Their thinking never got rattled and they continued to believe in their strengths. The same duo Vaas and Zoysa in remaining positive commanded respect, permitting just 9 runs off 18 balls.

What better words can I add here to illustrate my points than those given by Sir Richards to Sachin on his recent failures. "It seems you have brought pressure on your shoulders as well as at the back of your mind. Never go out in such a frame of mind and attitude. One thing more important than technique is your head. It is your brain that will tell you of application, whether to play forward or go back. You seem to be over-cautious about situations. Play your natural game to enjoy it."

Kings of the chase

Over the 25-month period of the 1996-97 era, Sri Lankans with almost the same team nucleus, reigned as the undisputed kings of run-chase. Playing in all parts of the world, under varying conditions, constraints and circumstances many times not favouring them, they never talked about added pressures in chasing targets, even mammoth. Their remarkable performances indicate that they were very much conditioned within of every member to perform competitively and fight successfully in chasing runs. At the World Cup '96, they went against all previous belief to chase a target after winning the toss, that too under lights and under far great pressures from all sides, to emerge worthy winners.

Of the 52 matches played during that era, Sri Lankans batted second 36 times and won on 22 occasions, but lost only 8 times, to live up to their reputation. What has happened to that mentality of the players today, when circumstances make us chase targets ?

Forward thinking

These are indeed tough times even in Cricket. We certainly need tough players not only in body but also in mind to win back lost initiatives, like at Lord's Test. Performances by our future heroes against the Indian - A side, exposed again this deficiency. To win the crown and reign thereafter as kings, the minds of each and every member of the team must be trained enough, conditioned and made ready so that their potential turns into performance consistently and also these are not allowed to be governed by the variable external Conditions, Constraints and Circumstances. This crucial need covers a vast subject area and can never be achieved in a hurry. It requires deliberate systematic approach over a considerable period of time, under the guidance and direction of a qualified and competent "Sports Psychologist".

It's now or never

Already we have realised the importance of batting and fielding and bowling coaches and have already hired the services of these experts. In spite of highlighting on numerous previous occasions by knowledgeable personnel here, the utmost importance of proper mental conditioning at least of our cricketing heroes of tomorrow, nothing worthwhile has happened yet. We thus have seen its tragic consequences many a time.

True in Dav Whatmore, we have one of the best motivators, but he cannot be expected to perform wonders with the influex of new players he periodically gets, unless they have already received the basics of overall preparation and careful conditioning of the mind. To derive the desired optimal results at least in the near future, we soon need to establish well designed action-based programs and implement them effectively with younger age groups, at least in our under 19 teams. But the immediate vital task for the 'cricketing thinking tank' here in the best interest of cricket here is to identify the appropriate resource personnel and then plan the mission ahead judiciously, based on identified short and mid term goals. It is indeed now or never !!

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