This summer (2005) large crowds in England and Australia have been following the series of 5 test matches between England and Australia. The sides are even and have played some of the most exciting cricket seen in many years. Whether you play cricket or not, you will find highly successful lessons in this series of matches.
The first lesson of success is that you and I should not dwell on our mistakes, humiliating though they may be. We have to be tough and focus on the next ball to be thrown or the next project of our lives.
Cricket is a team game, but there are only 11 players fielding (bowling and catching the ball) and they are spread out over a large field. Any mistakes you make will be seen immediately by your teammates and the audience. Batting side errors are also clearly visible as only two people are batting at a time.
Kevin Pietersen, England’s promising hitter, dropped two catches in the first tryout when he was fielding, but then went on to play a good hitter inning. One commenter commented that you need to have a strong mind to overcome the disappointment of dropping catches enough to allow you to hit well.
Geraint Jones, the goalkeeper, had also dropped two catches and again one commentator commented that you can try to put your mistakes in the back of your mind, but it’s not that easy. The memory keeps recurring. However, Jones hit well despite the memory that must have haunted him. Later in the series, he also took some gorgeous shots to make up for the ones he had dropped.
Both captains, Michael Vaughan and Ricky Ponting, hit poorly in the first two tryouts and were heavily criticized in the papers. However, in the third test match both captains hit remarkably well. Both showed the fighting spirit to overcome the depression they must have felt after the first and second games and the criticism they received on a daily basis.
A second key lesson for success is that you shouldn’t be distracted from your goal of scoring runs or anything else by physical or mental pain. In everyday life, many painful things can happen that can demoralize you unless you are determined enough to carry on despite the pain. Stay focused on your goals and dreams no matter what.
Those who have not played cricket may not realize how difficult a cricket ball is. It is especially hard and elastic when it is new. Fast bowlers are usually given the new ball so they can bounce it high and hit batters in the head, throat, ribs, or hands.
Once hitters are distracted by pain in their heads or hands, they will be vulnerable to the next ball and will do something silly like hitting a catch or failing to protect their wicket (the three stumps or sticks sticking out of the ground) from being hit. for the ball.
Brett Lee, the Australian fast bowler, was exhausted when he hesitated before running. He wanted to wave his hand to get rid of the pain. His index finger and then his thumb had been hit by fastballs. Later, however, in another match, he redeemed himself by hitting well even though he had received a heavy blow to the head and arm!
On the second day of the first test, England were pitching the Australians who were having their second inning (chance to hit).
However, England’s bowlers weren’t harassing the batsmen enough. Boycott, the former great hitter for England, commented that the ball should be whistling into the batters’ ears and hitting their gloves:
“The ball is new and hard. Now is the time to hit the hitters before the ball gets too soft. Once the hitters get too comfortable, they will start thinking, ‘I’d like to hit a hundred.”
Even the weakest tailenders or hitters hitting last have to suffer. Bowlers cannot allow them to stay too long. The boycott continues:
“Pitchers have to hit tailenders in the ribs or hand before they get too comfortable. That’s what you have to do as a fast pitcher. You have to hurt opposition tailenders. Tailenders are fine if there’s no chance they’ll get hurt. They’re not too brave. “
On Saturday, the third day of the test, the Australian finals were hitting. Gillespie, one of the followers, was hit in the stomach near the navel. He winced in pain. A few balls later he was hit in the groin by a Harmison ball and doubled over in agony. The ball was traveling at about 90 miles per hour. The crowd roared with laughter. Harmison had been aiming for the throat and toes and the crown jewels.
It may take a good roll (6 balls from the same pitcher) or two to focus after being hurt. But Gillespie is a brave player and practices hard at hitting. He realizes that it is important for a tailender to score runs or at least stay inside. He bravely continued.
The brave performance of the Australian tailenders had much to do with the Australian success in the first test match of the Ashes series. They had learned to overcome acute physical pain and regain focus quickly.
We must all learn to accept the fact that we will suffer physical and mental pain at some point to achieve our goals. The secret is to forget the pain as quickly as possible and focus on doing what we have to do.
More lessons of success came from the third test match. One of them is that sometimes it is better not to listen to the critics whether they are outside or inside your own head.
Australia won the first test match and then England won the second test on August 7, 2005, a date that will go down in history as the date of one of the best cricket matches ever played.
England won the match by just 2 runs, a surprisingly narrow margin. Much of the success was due to England captain Michael Vaughan, but Vaughan had not scored enough runs in this event or the first. He could guarantee that the newspapers would be attacking him in a big way. His solution was simple. He did not read the newspapers.
On Thursday, England came in to bat. Michael Vaughan was in third place and was under great pressure to perform. This is where his policy of not reading newspapers paid off. He scored his first century series. The audience was up and out of their seats clapping as he did it. He had scored 13 fours (strokes to the limit).
A captain who scores runs can lead by example. It is important that you are in shape, as actions speak much louder than words. In the end, he had a grand total of 166 runs with about 20 four and at least one six (one hit over the limit).
He told an interviewer that before hitting he had spoken to the young man who was England’s mascot of the day. The boy had already had three cardiac bypass operations. This made Vaughan feel less stressed as he realized that, at the age of thirty, he had a lot to be thankful for and that scoring or not scoring runs was not that important in the whole scheme of things.
He also decided to take advantage of intuition and not think too much. He had already done his thinking and his practice. Once he was up against some of the best bowlers in the world, he wouldn’t have time to think. His plan worked and he smashed the ball all over the place.
However, in the end Australia kept waiting for a draw. They were saved mainly by rain, which meant that England had less time than necessary to get them out.
So: carry on even if you make embarrassing mistakes in public view. Refocus on your goals even if you have suffered physical or mental pain. Even the great Jim Rohn lost a million dollars after signing a form without realizing the responsibilities involved. He soon regained his focus and lost money. Refuse to fill your mind with the opinions of your critics and keep your life in perspective by thinking of those millions of people who are much worse off than you. Finally, once you’ve thought, act wholeheartedly without worrying about the results.