After the recent ball-tampering debacle, Australia have taken a different direction and appointed a new cricket coach for their men’s team. Many people will remember Justin Langer as a tough uncompromising test batsman who played for Australia from 1993-2007 and so it’s perhaps not surprising that he would reference mental toughness early in his tenure.
In this short clip about sledging, he describes mental toughness as “simply being 100% focused on the next ball”.
It’s a strong and accurate description because a mentally tough batter will have the inner self-belief and discipline to focus solely on what is in front of him or her. They won’t become derailed by emotion or mental obstacles, or in this reference to sledging become distracted by something that is being said by a fielder. Through removing emotion and concentrating only on achieving the desired outcome – in this case scoring from or blocking the next delivery, the batter substantially improves their chances of success.
This mentally tough mindset provides a solid foundation for a successful performance in cricket but is also equally effective in every other career where focus and concentration is important.
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