Mind Games - Good Enough? How doubt and anxiety can plague cricketers

Last Updated: 15/05/20 11:49am

Why didn't Mark Ramprakash and Graeme Hick fulfill their England potential? Charles Colvile looks at the impact of self-doubt

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Why didn't Mark Ramprakash and Graeme Hick fulfill their England potential? Charles Colvile looks at the impact of self-doubt
Why didn't Mark Ramprakash and Graeme Hick fulfill their England potential? Charles Colvile looks at the impact of self-doubt

Cricket is perhaps even more of a mental game than a technical one.

It was a facet that Charles Colvile investigated in depth a couple of summers ago in our Mind Games series as he chatted with Sir Alastair Cook, James Anderson and Stuart Broad and investigated mental health in sport and what it means to be mentally tough.

In the coming days during Mental Health Awareness Week, we will be republishing each episode of the series on skysports.com.

Mind Games investigates the mental side of sport

Following on from our opening episode, The Zone, we look at the impact that doubt and anxiety can have on a player's performance in episode two, which is titled Good Enough?

Watch in the video at the top of the page.

Why are some players able to control their nerves while others cannot? Charles takes a look at the frustrating careers of two England batsmen, Graeme Hick and Mark Ramprakash. Neither fulfilled their potential at the highest level - so what stopped them?

Mark Ramprakash scored only two hundreds in 52 Tests

Ramprakash reveals how he was constantly battling crippling nerves shortly into his England career, while Hick admits he never quite felt at home in the dressing room at the early stage of his international career.

We also speak to a number of former players - including Marcus Trescothick, Nasser Hussain, and Steve Waugh - who share their experiences about what it takes to thrive in the Test environment.

Plus, Broad stresses the importance of having a switch-off button and Anderson reflects on why mental strength can help banish self-doubt.