Keys to Success

In the run in to the tournament, you must start focusing on raising your performance levels. I have discussed this in the posts below but, really need you to focus on putting the words in to practice. In particular:

1. Partnerships: Bowling and batting partnerships are key to team performance. You must keep the pressure on when you bowl, sometimes you will need to sacrifice pace for good length and look to bowl dot balls. When batting you must turn the strike over. I will be looking at the scorebooks for evidence of good partnerships. Work together.
   
2. Positivity: As a team and an individual you must remain positive about your performance. Put the poor shot/ball behind you and focus on what you are going to do. Use your imagination to think about how the ball is going to leave your hand or bat. Bowlers, imagine the ball leaving your hand, the seam, the shape of delivery as it pitches and hits the top of offstump. Batsmen, picture the ball leaving the bowlers hand and imagine the sound and the feel of the ball as it is strikes the middle of the bat. As a team, make sure that you keep positive throughout the game - no negative thoughts or words. All positive and all about us!
3. Every ball is an event: When fielding, every run you save by diving or chasing a ball, is one more they have to score and/or one less you do. Every time you back up the stumps and stop and overthrow, is a run saved. When you are batting, every time you push the field and score a single because your partner was backing up or called well or when you play the ball in to the gap instead of smashing it to a fielder is one more to yours and one less to them. At the end of the game, when you add all the little events up, it will make the difference between winning and losing.
   

We all believe in your ability, you need to believe it! Play fair and with respect, play hard and remain positive!