Aus vs SAF Series

[Failed Creation]

Adelaide Test Live on 9.

For real? That's unusual, isn't it? Is it perhaps because of the reduced ground capacity?

[Jim05]

Rogers c Dawson b STARc 125
The Dave B STARc 0
White C 2nd best batsman keeper in Australia B STARc 72
Cameron B STARc 0

STARc 4/72 [22.3]
May not have been selected in the First Test, IF underdone , because he played Nightgown cricket
But no excuses now
Will he be selected ?


PS : The guy who caught White made 108 not out

Disgraceful that the best glovesman in the country is playing as a specialist batsman so that an old ordinary glovesman can get a gig.

[Rik E Boy]

When did this become about sledging.

Its part of the mental battle isnt it?

What im saying is alot of times these mental battles are exaggerated by media outlets etc etc to create stories.

How much will we hear this week about the Smith/Pattinson battle, isnt Smith having a battle with all the Aussie bowlers? Im sure if he was asked which bowler he would prefer to get out to i bet the answer would be 'none of them'

Were the Saffies mentally weak against Aus all those years ago, or was it the fact they simply werent good enough against one of the best test sides in History?

I think the most important aspect of a mental game is the preparation which definatly exsists heading into a match but once the game is underway im sure the Saffie bowlers wont be running up to the stumps thinking 'im not gonna try this ball because i dont think i can get x player out.'

This is a piece still have from one of my old lectures which i really liked

'To suggest that athlete won because "they wanted it more" is actually disrespectful to the other athletes. One will win, and trying to explain why they did often subjects us, to the error of hindsight analysis, where we can pull out reasons that are simply not there or glorified in the aftermath of defeat.'

I disagree with the lecture comment in particular and your stance generally. It's not about disrespecting others, it is finding something in yourself to lift you through the tough times. If you can achieve that at an individual or team level, then that is a mental edge. You mentioned 'they wanted it more' and 'disrespect' and 'sledging' and 'media' but to me a mental edge is nothing to do with any of those phrases..I'm talking about BELIEF providing that mental edge.

I'm a big believer in the mental edge because I played Cricket for twenty years and captained for a couple. The fact that I was a captain was a feat in itself because I couldn't actually play. However, I managed to win a few batting trophies and captained a premiership side. Not because I was good or our side was unbeatable but because I kept believing in myself and the abilities of my team mates. A man I looked up to who captained me at a higher level taught me a lot about the power of belief.

Even if the bowler was better than me, and he usually was I'd just grit it out. I was (am ha ha) a slow boring batsman but you had to earn my wicket. I always believed that if you could focus your team's mental areas (concentration) on a fundamental concept, say improving your cricket..that in the end if you had a similar squad you'd eventually turn around the results. This is at the lower levels of amatuer cricket so it's not just about ability or the media because those two factors were not really there at the level I played at.

However, it is always easier to make runs, field well and take wickets when you have CONFIDENCE. And Confidence and Belief are the mental edge. Cricket is a very mental game but the press are miles off it. It's something you could sense on that third day, you didn't need to be told about it afterwards by hacks looking for an angle.

After 200 games as a park scrubber nothing you could ever say would convince me that the mental edge is something that is overplayed or doesn't exist at all levels of the game.

regards,

REB

[Rik E Boy]

We need a mental disintegration thread to see which poster is the best (I'm backing REB or PG in).

For what it's worth, I see two changes in each side for the next Test.

Australia: Rob Quiney and Ben Hilfenhaus out, Shane Watson (if fit, otherwise Usman Khawaja) and Mitchell Starc in

Rob Quiney was the best available, but long term prospect Khawaja ripped out a great ton, and is the only Aussie that does not want Watto to pull up fit. Watto of course would be straight back in for Quiney if fit. Hilfenhaus was ordinary, no question, and the next best choice is Starc.

South Africa: JP Duminy (injury) and Klienveldt out, Faf Du Plessis and Imran Tahir in

Tahir is a spud of the highest order, and Clarke will rape his bowling, but you need a specialist spinner in the long batting innings that King William Oval produce (and Klienveldt was shit), and Du Plessis was the back up batsman originally, and is also a handy bowler.

Watson for Warner. He's the batting version of Mitchell Johnson. The sooner we consign him to hit ang giggle cricket the better. He must learn to bat like Slats (or Warner really) or piss off.

regards,

REB

[whufc]

When did this become about sledging.

Its part of the mental battle isnt it?

What im saying is alot of times these mental battles are exaggerated by media outlets etc etc to create stories.

How much will we hear this week about the Smith/Pattinson battle, isnt Smith having a battle with all the Aussie bowlers? Im sure if he was asked which bowler he would prefer to get out to i bet the answer would be 'none of them'

Were the Saffies mentally weak against Aus all those years ago, or was it the fact they simply werent good enough against one of the best test sides in History?

I think the most important aspect of a mental game is the preparation which definatly exsists heading into a match but once the game is underway im sure the Saffie bowlers wont be running up to the stumps thinking 'im not gonna try this ball because i dont think i can get x player out.'

This is a piece still have from one of my old lectures which i really liked

'To suggest that athlete won because "they wanted it more" is actually disrespectful to the other athletes. One will win, and trying to explain why they did often subjects us, to the error of hindsight analysis, where we can pull out reasons that are simply not there or glorified in the aftermath of defeat.'

I disagree with the lecture comment in particular and your stance generally. It's not about disrespecting others, it is finding something in yourself to lift you through the tough times. If you can achieve that at an individual or team level, then that is a mental edge. You mentioned 'they wanted it more' and 'disrespect' and 'sledging' and 'media' but to me a mental edge is nothing to do with any of those phrases..I'm talking about BELIEF providing that mental edge.

I'm a big believer in the mental edge because I played Cricket for twenty years and captained for a couple. The fact that I was a captain was a feat in itself because I couldn't actually play. However, I managed to win a few batting trophies and captained a premiership side. Not because I was good or our side was unbeatable but because I kept believing in myself and the abilities of my team mates. A man I looked up to who captained me at a higher level taught me a lot about the power of belief.

Even if the bowler was better than me, and he usually was I'd just grit it out. I was (am ha ha) a slow boring batsman but you had to earn my wicket. I always believed that if you could focus your team's mental areas (concentration) on a fundamental concept, say improving your cricket..that in the end if you had a similar squad you'd eventually turn around the results. This is at the lower levels of amatuer cricket so it's not just about ability or the media because those two factors were not really there at the level I played at.

However, it is always easier to make runs, field well and take wickets when you have CONFIDENCE. And Confidence and Belief are the mental edge. Cricket is a very mental game but the press are miles off it. It's something you could sense on that third day, you didn't need to be told about it afterwards by hacks looking for an angle.

After 200 games as a park scrubber nothing you could ever say would convince me that the mental edge is something that is overplayed or doesn't exist at all levels of the game.

regards,

REB

Cheers for such an in depth reply and on reflection I probably didn't explain myself overly well.

I agree with alot of what you say and in particular the part about mental preparation. In any sport it's key to go into an event with clear thought pattern because once in the heat of battle this is what will help. Ala Cowan in this test match,

As a cricketer myself I guess I'm alot like you, wasn't an overly great cricketer but have captained multiple premierships.

I guess more my point was that at times I feel to much is made out of the mental game especially when used in hindsight. Sometimes if a batsmen gets out multiple times to a bowler it has nothing to do with mental edge or anything other than one cricketer is better than another which while it sounds so simple I think people forget at times.

I really hate the comment used so often in sport that one team wanted it more, to me it gets thrown around way to much. I struggle to believe professional sportsmen aren't given 100% of what they can give more often that not. You don't get to that level of sport without trying more often that not

Look I will definatly concede there is a mental side to the game (bad day yesterday pain killers went straight to the head) but sometimes the reasons can be simpler ala England in GABBA test was there a mental edge or did cook and trott just bat themselves into really good form.

The only real counter argument I do have is if the mental game is seen to be so important by all these multi million dollar world wide sporting clubs why doesn't every single one always carry psychologists.

Great to have decent discussion without the typical personal sledges that appear when one disagrees with another

[OnSong]

I feel this was a win for mankind in general and thank you REB for taking the time to explain it in explicit detail, detail I could not be bothered going to.
In the end, the lesson learned is do not post while under the influence of painkillers.

[whufc]

I feel this was a win for mankind in general and thank you REB for taking the time to explain it in explicit detail, detail I could not be bothered going to.
In the end, the lesson learned is do not post while under the influence of painkillers.

And one handed with predictive text because one person is bound to pick up on any poor grammar.

[RustyCage]

Sometimes if a batsmen gets out multiple times to a bowler it has nothing to do with mental edge or anything other than one cricketer is better than another which while it sounds so simple I think people forget at times.

I think this is true up until a point. Once someone has claimed your wicket a few times will start thinking differently when that person is bowling to them, whether that is by being slightly more nervous as they are coming in to bowl, or by trying to concentrate that little bit harder, or leaving a ball they would otherwise play at if anyone else had bowled that ball, or even something as small as a grimace, a tightened sphincter or frown when you see him warming up in the outfield! All these little mental things impede how the body reacts, reflexes and so on.

Even just having a few balls beat the bat or fly past your chin and the bowler has a mental edge over you.

I think one player being better than another gives a mental edge rather than being mistaken for a mental edge

[OnSong]

Sometimes if a batsmen gets out multiple times to a bowler it has nothing to do with mental edge or anything other than one cricketer is better than another which while it sounds so simple I think people forget at times.

I think one player being better than another gives a mental edge rather than being mistaken for a mental edge

That's right, they can often go hand in hand.

[Lightning McQueen]

A nil all series is paying $8.

[Gozu]

Adelaide Test Live on 9.

Is this right? Day 1 or the whole Test?

[Gozu]

SOUTH AFRICAN cricketers are furious at being branded losers and chokers by one of their staff in a book that could rock their Australian tour.

The Art Of Losing (Why the Proteas choke at cricket's World Cup) is the provocative title of a book set to hit the shelves in South Africa this weekend.

Written by Luke Alfred, a media consultant to Cricket South Africa, it tried to capture the inside story of South Africa's tortured history in ICC World Cups in the 50- and 20-over game.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/cri ... 6517703552

[RoosterMarty]

Hopefully they sell that here or I might have to buy it online. Could be a good laugh.

[RustyCage]

Buy one, take it to training and ask players to sign it

[whufc]

Clarke's in brilliant form, does he need to jump up to the number 4 batting spot!

[Jim05]

SOUTH AFRICAN cricketers are furious at being branded losers and chokers by one of their staff in a book that could rock their Australian tour.

The Art Of Losing (Why the Proteas choke at cricket's World Cup) is the provocative title of a book set to hit the shelves in South Africa this weekend.

Written by Luke Alfred, a media consultant to Cricket South Africa, it tried to capture the inside story of South Africa's tortured history in ICC World Cups in the 50- and 20-over game.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/cri ... 6517703552

Just one book?
They could of filled a library with choking stories by those useless c***s.
Most underachieving cricket nation going around

[therisingblues]

Sometimes if a batsmen gets out multiple times to a bowler it has nothing to do with mental edge or anything other than one cricketer is better than another which while it sounds so simple I think people forget at times.

I think this is true up until a point. Once someone has claimed your wicket a few times will start thinking differently when that person is bowling to them, whether that is by being slightly more nervous as they are coming in to bowl, or by trying to concentrate that little bit harder, or leaving a ball they would otherwise play at if anyone else had bowled that ball, or even something as small as a grimace, a tightened sphincter or frown when you see him warming up in the outfield! All these little mental things impede how the body reacts, reflexes and so on.

Even just having a few balls beat the bat or fly past your chin and the bowler has a mental edge over you.

I think one player being better than another gives a mental edge rather than being mistaken for a mental edge

No one mentioned Richard Hadlee vs Dean Jones yet?
At the very height of his form, when he'd be pasting other bowlers at better than a run a ball into triple figures, Hadlee was getting his wicket in single figures innings after innings, Hadlee was much more successful against Jones than other quality batsmen also. He had a column in the Melbourne paper and day after day the back page headline was Hadlee basically boasting that Jones was his bunny. This continued until a certain MCG match where the crowd, as one chanted "Hadlee's a wanker!" over and over.
Hadlee got the message, and his column calmed down, bit he definitely held a mental edge over Jones.

[Rik E Boy]

The only real counter argument I do have is if the mental game is seen to be so important by all these multi million dollar world wide sporting clubs why doesn't every single one always carry psychologists.

I think this is a good point and I believe the answer as to why there might not be all that many sports psychologists is that perhaps the thinking is that they can over complicate the game. I certainly believe this to be the case with Football and Cricket is one of the most technical sports of all. I reckon each and every coach knows the importance of positive reinforcement and confidence and that perhaps a sports pyschologist would be considered overkill. They were in vogue around a decade ago but perhaps a specialist role for such as person is considered to be no longer necessary.

regards,

REB

[mighty_tiger_79]

i wonder whether the great Mal will make his way down to a net session to find the next big thing as he has done in the past.

Not a bad morning here at the oval

[MightyEagles]

Adelaide Test Live on 9.

Is this right? Day 1 or the whole Test?

From what I hear it is right plus it is in the tv guide and it would be for the whole test you would think.