‘‘Form is temporary, class is permanent’’, so an old sporting saying goes…
Personally, I think it is nonsense, as age inhibits every sportsman from maintaining their form at the best levels achieved during the peak years. However, there is some truth in the fact that one’s ability can hide in mysterious places during spells in a player’s career, and such sayings can be a comfort in times of need and desperation.
Golfing great Tiger Woods is currently experiencing his worst ever slump in form, having missed the cut in the 2009 British Open and endured a humiliating 2010 following lurid revelations about his private life. This phenomenon highlights how distraction can play a significant part in a sportsperson’s capability to perform at their best level. Sometimes the distraction is the fear of failure and the possible consequences it may bring. Other times, it may be the opposition who are able to disrupt a player’s focus from focusing on ‘the present’.
However long a top sportsperson plays at elite level, one thing which will always dominate the individual’s thinking, is form.
Good form is a wonderful experience, a sense of permanence at sport’s ’top table’, with the possibility that from time to time, a chance to sit at the head of the table may be a realistic proposition.
Meanwhile, bad form is a chastening experience, and one which can get an individual banished from feasting at the top table and be left to feed off whatever scraps may be on offer. In such periods of difficulty, despair can play a part in destroying a top player’s perception of themselves. In such dark moments, one wonders if there will ever be a way out. ‘‘Have I lost it?’’ or ‘‘Did I ever have it?’’ are the kind of searching questions an individual can pose themselves. When young, the question an individual may ask is ‘‘Am I good enough’’ but when a top player who is experienced goes through a barren period of form he tends to ask himself ‘‘has age caught up with me?’’. Self-doubt is the mother of all bad form.
The first two Tests of the current England v Pakistan Test Series has been a nightmare for some of the Pakistanis including their Captain Salman Butt, who has scored 16 runs from four innings so far. Wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal looked to be horribly out of form with the gloves, seemingly appearing to drop catches at will. He also ‘bagged a pair’ (two noughts in the match) off only five balls in the 1st Test at Trent Bridge.
At the same time, England’s Vice-Captain, Alastair Cook, has been searching for runs himself, and a place on England’s Ashes Tour to Australia this winter. The clock is ticking for Cook, as his form appears to have deserted him in England these past two summers, and with a modest record against Australia, his selection will be in the gift of the selectors’ generosity unless he can make a good score imminently.
A first innings failure in the 3rd Test v Pakistan at The Oval yesterday has made for an uncomfortable period awaiting his next opportunity, as he seeks a change in his fortunes in the second innings. With luck on his side in the second innings of this 3rd Test at The Oval, Cook can earn himself another opportunity next week at Lord’s if he can post a score at The Oval. His chances should be good as The Oval is one of the world’s best batting pitches. If he gets picked for Lord’s, he will have two innings (potentially), on another renowned ‘flat’ pitch to re-establish his credentials as one of England’s most consistent and reliable batsmen. Alternatively, he could be in the middle of a mid-career slump which may require him to spend time out of the England side and rebuild his game and confidence. If this happens, there is always the possibility that he may never return as either his confidence may never recover from the humiliation of being dropped for an Ashes Tour or, his replacement may play so well that the sign ‘no vacancies’ may be posted on the England dressing room door for some time to come. These two distinct possibilities may be at the heart of Cook’s current problems. They are a reality, but to remain a top sportsman, one has to be able to banish such thoughts and focus on the next moment, and respond to it as well as it is humanly possible to do so.
Averaging 13 in the series, Cook is relying on his Test record of 4,238 runs at an average of 42.80 with 12 Centuries from 52 Tests, since he made his century on debut in Nagpur in 2006, to keep him in the team. Cook, 25, is the youngest England player to reach 1,000, 2,000 and 3,000 Test runs, and became the first Englishamn to score 7 Test centuries before his 23rd birthday. He scored one thousand runs in his first year in Test Cricket, only the second (after Australia’s Mark Taylor) to achieve this feat.
Cook is also one half of England’s second most successful ever opening partnership, in conjunction with Andrew Strauss. They have scored over 3,183 runs for the first wicket in Tests since their fruitful partnership began. In history, only the revered opening partnership of Sir Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe have scored more in partnership for England at the top of the order.
Yesterday, after yet another low score, (when making only six in seven balls against Pakistan), Cook brought his tally to 106 runs in eight Test innings this summer, at an average of 13. In this series against Pakistan, he has been out for eight, 12, 17, four and six, which means he has scored 47 runs in five knocks. He has batted for 36 minutes, 35, 35, 11 and seven. His mental torture must be agony for him.
Run-scoring can be the most elusive mistress in the worst of times. The spotlight of Test Cricket makes the experience more challenging as every failure brings greater scrutiny of a player’s place in the team and his technique. Prior to matches, out of form players become the focus of the media’s glare and the intensity of the need to succeed gets ratcheted up by several notches each time a low score is recorded in the score book. Andrew Strauss went 31 Test innings without a century and then made his highest Test score of 177 in New Zealand to save his career.
Even the ‘greats’ can experience a slump in form. Australian legend Greg Chappell had a dose of it in 1981-82 when he made seven ducks (including four in a row) in 15 international matches against Pakistan and the West Indies. It was inexplicable because Chappell had started the season with a dazzling 162 for Queensland against Pakistan followed by a brilliant 201 also against Pakistan in the Brisbane Test at the start of that summer. But his wheels soon fell off, and his form became horrendous, including golden ducks in the Melbourne and Sydney Tests. Thankfully for Chappell, his class helped him overcome his drought and his best form re-emerged over time.
The brilliant and elegant Australian, Mark Waugh, once recorded two ‘pairs’ in the first two Tests in Sri Lanka earning himself the nickname of ‘Audi’. Before the next Test, his teammates joked that if he got another nought, they would have to call him ‘Olympic’ after the five Olympic rings logo!
In 1985, New Zealander Ken Rutherford began a nightmare start to his Test career Playing against the mighty West Indies, Rutherford made 0, 0 (when he was run out without facing a ball to bag a debut ‘pair’) 0 and 4 opening the innings again in the 2nd Test. In the third Test in Barbados, he was dropped down to No. 3 … and went first ball to Malcolm Marshall. It didn’t get much better for Ken as he made 2 in the second innings, and 1 and 5 in the final Test, for a shocking debut series of 12 runs in seven innings. It got worse before it got better: Rutherford made three more noughts in his next five innings, but he went on to captain his country and play 56 Tests.
It is in such periods, that an individual has to reach deep within oneself to find the necessary inspiration to put oneself through the potential humiliation of another failure on the big stage. It is also a period when a player discovers who their true friends are. Ultimately an individual has to go to the crease and bat for themselves but it helps if one can feel that others are supporting you in your hour of need. Bizarrely, when on lets go of the desperation and need to succeed it is easier to ‘be present’, and perform close to one’s best. An example of this can be players who feel they have been ‘walking the plank’ of selection and fail in the first innings then resign themselves to the selectors’ axe, only to go out in the second innings and play with fewer inhibitions, believing that they have already been ‘axed’. Paul Collingwood saved his career in similar circumstances in the lost Test to South Africa in 2008 at Edgbaston when Michael Vaughan resigned the captaincy.
Such challenging personal experiences will (ultimately) stand every player in good stead as it offers an unrivalled perspective, which can be especially helpful when one encounters the challenge of leadership. Both Strauss and Collingwood will feel for Cook in a way that is only possible if you have visited such unpleasant places oneself. However, no amount of sympathy or empathy can take away from the fact that an individual has to go out to ‘the middle’ and face their own demons, in order to succeed.
I am writing this blog entry as England reach the close of play on day two of the 3rd Test at The Oval on 6-1, a first innings deficit of 69 runs still, with Alastair Cook on 0 not out, off two balls faced. His Captain Strauss has departed for 4 and the team are on the brink of allowing Pakistan back into the series, when they should be finishing them off with one match left after taking a 2-0 series lead from the first two Tests. A long and unexpected last wicket stand by Pakistan saved Cook from a more lengthy examination of his skill and temperament tonight, but I imagine he will not rest easy overnight with so much at stake, despite his laconic nature as a man.
As a batsman, the game is very tough because one mistake can end an innings. This prospect can often be very inhibiting for players, but the very best players are able to banish such negativity form their thought process, and commit to their attacking strokes with every sinew of the body’s strength as well as every ounce of their mind’s positive energy, without fear of consequence.
Cook has benefitted from a healthy relationship with England Coach Andy Flower since their days as team-mates at Essex, as well as a long-term mentoring relationship with current England Batting Coach Graham Gooch.
Gooch is a good man, with his feet firmly on the ground despite his remarkable achievements as a top-class cricketer. He has been through most of the ups and downs a cricketer can experience and is well-placed to offer meaningful support. I remember the 1986 season when seemingly at the peak of his powers, he decided to withdraw from England’s Ashes Tour that winter only to find it nearly impossible to re-establish his place the following summer because of his wretched form and England’s success in Australia without him. After starting the season with a 171 at Bristol, Gooch then collected two ‘pairs’ at his beloved Chelmsford; a nought at Taunton in between; followed by a nought again at Chelmsford. His dry wit came to the fore when he commented that: ‘‘I don’t know if I am in good ‘nick’ or not as I haven’t been at the crease long enough to know! The facts show that good form eluded Gooch for most of 1987 until he scored 117 for MCC versus Rest of the World at Lord’s in the MCC Bi-Centenary Celebration Match before being brilliantly run out by Roger Harper. Thankfully for Gooch and for England he returned to his best form in October when making a superb century in the World Cup Semi-Final in India.
In 1990, Gooch produced an amazing batting performance by scoring 333 v India at Lord’s, and a total of 456 in the match. Such gluttony goes to show how important it is to cash in when one is in good form as round the corner, a run of good balls, or bad decisions, or your partner’s poor running may get the better of you and some low scores could ruin your fun.
Making good form count is what the best players accomplish. On March 5th, 1971, Mike Procter scored his sixth consecutive first-class century when playing for Rhodesia against Western Province in Salisbury in The Currie Cup. Procter’s performance equalled the record, (which still stands), held by CB Fry and, of course, Sir Donald Bradman.
I had the pleasure of playing in the same side as Jimmy Cook at Somerset when he made five consecutive centuries and preceded the first with an imperious 85 against Michael Holding at Derby. The other great achievement in First-Class batting records is by Kent’s former England opener Arthur Fagg who scored two double centuries in the same game against Essex on my old club ground at Colchester, in 1938.
Gooch’s wisdom and perspective will be of great value to Cook and the other England players in Australia this winter where they are sure to encounter some tough periods throughout their Ashes Tour. However, whilst support can be invaluable to help an individual learn and work through difficulty, the bottom line is that top sportspeople have to be sufficiently resilient to handle the intense discomfort by themselves if they are to produce consistent top performance. Finding the best way to handle adversity and produce a performance is every sportsperson’s challenge, as very few have the ability of Sir Donald Bradman to be on top of their game throughout their career. Ultimately, one is on one’s own upon crossing the boundary rope, which is why I have great respect for every cricketer who ‘dons’ the whites, because potential humiliation may be their fate. There is no one to hide behind, and a scorebook which will record your individual deeds for ever and a day..
Great coaches look at, and understand, patterns in play and in performance over time. They can spot problems (almost) in advance, and through careful interventions, attempt to counter their threat. For the individual player, they can sometimes get delusional about their problems, either by dismissing them and denying they exist, or by getting over-analytical and becoming ‘paralysed’ by the introspective nature they develop in such periods of bad form. Working out how to break unhelpful or destructive patterns can be a difficult process for an individual to manage.
In sport, returning to a ground where one has enjoyed past success can stimulate helpful thought-processes whilst the opposite can happen too. On certain grounds, a batsman may never have made runs so there can be a negativity attached to the upcoming match if it is to be played at such a venue, or indeed their previous form against a particular bowler. During my professional playing career, I was bowled out regularly by Worcestershire’s Phil Newport, and in a variety of ways. It got to the point where it seemed that their players and I knew it was going to happen before I took guard against them!
Finding the freedom and calmness mentally (especially when out of form) is essential to managing one’s energy well. The necessary quietness of the mind helps to relax the body, so that the timing of one’s movements can be synchronised, such is the key to playing to the best of one’s ability. British Tennis player Andy Murray articulated the feeling of good form very eloquently this week when he spoke of his recent success and victory over Roger Federer in Toronto. Murray said:
‘‘I just want to enjoy playing my game, sort of express myself how I want,” said Murray, whose semifinal victory over Nadal made the title especially sweet. “Obviously, I’m without a coach now, so it’s a little bit different, but I’m enjoying myself out there. I’m playing a bit freer, going for my shots more. I just felt calm on the court all week, one of the best weeks I’ve had. I played free-flowing tennis and didn’t get too nervous.’’
Cricket is such a complex game where individuals play in a team game. The game’s stop and start nature can be very challenging mentally if one is out of form. It increases the difficulty of developing a good rhythm, unlike the more dynamic ball sports such as Football and Rugby, where the pace of the game engages every player ‘in the moment’. The waiting time in between balls in Cricket can play on an individual’s self-doubt.
The odd thing about Cricket is that an individual can play poorly but still be a good influence on the team they represent, thus are able to justify their selection. The dynamics of a team can be affected badly with chopping and changing, whilst the support of a good player through a lean period can send a powerful message to others in the group who will be reassured of the trusting culture the management has put in place for the team’s established players to sort out any difficulties. This kind of backing has a flipside though, how do players on the outside feel when they are banging the door down with consistent, big performances and still not getting a look in? The perception that a team has become a closed shop for the chosen few is an unhealthy one. Also, if a player is eventually selected it is likely that they will feel an outsider and an unwelcome ‘guest’ player in a ‘chosen child’s’ position until ‘the chosen child’ returns.
England Cricket remains on the up under Andy Flower’s astute leadership and Andrew Strauss’s pragmatic captaincy. Consistency of selection provided by National Selector Geoff Miller has played a key part in fostering a strong sense of loyalty within the current England team. Let’s hope Alastair Cook can repay their faith in his ability to excel at Test level again, and re-discover his best form to help England retain the Ashes in Australia this winter.
Last time England went to Australia they selected players who had been injured or out of form, based on their success in 2005. The policy came to haunt them as they went down 5-0 and the careers of Ashley Giles and Geraint Jones (in particular) never recovered. Time will tell if lessons from the past have been learned. Australia are the most vulnerable they have been as a cricketing nation for twenty years, and if we don’t take them down now, it may become increasingly unlikely to happen in the future.
Past form can be everything with regard to gaining selection, but present form wins matches and Test Series.
When a batsman is out of form, he tends to think every ball is potentially a dismissal and needs to be negotiated as such, rather than seeing it as an opportunity to score. The man out of form is over-concerned with his technique and wanting to execute everything perfectly. When one considers that the imperfections in the player’s technique were part of his run-scoring ability in the past, this seems madness. Out of form, a batsman becomes very self-conscious and unable to enjoy a calm relaxed internal experience whilst at the crease. A paranoia can develop which is overly-concerned with external perceptions and comments being made about one’s game.
The biggest challenge psychologically, is to remain truly ‘present’ in the performance process. During our many meaningful conversations about sport and life, Dr Ken Jennings has often referreds to the ideal performance state being ‘no mind’ . It is when one doesn’t think, but just responds to the unfolding moment. This ‘nowness’ is key to being instinctive and creative in performance.
The best batsman ever in Cricket was Sir Donald Bradman whose concentration and self-belief must have been amazing to have achieved the phenomenal levels of performance he attained.
He wass the ultimate batsman, and the individual which every player since, has benchmarked themselves against.
On retirement, his record stood at:
52 Tests; 6996 Test runs @ average of 99.94; Test 300 in a day; 10 Test Double Centuries, 2 Test Triple Centuries; Century every 3 innings throughout his career; World Record most runs in a Test Series (974 v England 1930); World Record most runs in a Test Series (810 v England 1936/7) by a Captain; Highest Test score 334; Highest First-Class score 452*; First Class average 95.14; World Record (equal) of6 consecutive First-Class Centuries.
• Bradman’s average score after scoring a hundred was 174. If you eliminated his 43 unbeaten innings, his career average would still be 83, better than anyone else.
• Without his 117 centuries, he would still average 58.20, better than Jack Hobbs and Walter Hammond, (their centuries included).
• Bradman made just 16 noughts in 338 innings, scored over 200 in a day 27 times, and took all of 253 minutes for his slowest hundred!
Tomorrow is the anniversary of Sir Donald Bradman’s magical innings of 232 played at The Oval in 1930. It was the young prodigy from Bowral’s first Tour to England and his last knock of a series in which he scored 974 runs, (still a world record), and included three other Century scores of 131, 254 and 334. How Alastair Cook could do with such form from tomorrow onwards….
There is a lovely story which has done the rounds in Cricket, where a well-known modern Australian Test batsman was in the company of Sir Donald Bradman and ventured to ask him how ‘The Don’ dealt with poor form. The reported answer was the truth:
‘‘I don’t know mate, I was never ever out of form!’’
