Having heard Brendon McCullum’s interview after England’s third Test win over New Zealand, I was very curious to know that what he did in this short span of time that has totally changed the style of play for the English team. They were more aggressive, confident and knew what their role was in the team. It looks like each of them understands exactly what the scenario is when they go out to bat or are asked to bowl, and were well prepared for everything coming their way.
After listening to ‘Baz’, I thought what a superstar he is because he made sure that he did everything he could to prepare and help this young team to play their game in tough situations with full confidence. So, the question now is that what does good preparation look like? Is it that he told them what would unfold in front of them in different situations of the game or is it that he made sure that each of them understood their game and gave them the freedom to express themselves?
As cricketers, it helps us to be to be told that what kind of situation we will have to face in cricket, but its even more impactful if we have the experience personally so that we can work on our strength and weakness which would make us perform even better. What this means is that we should know how we work as a person and what our strengths and weaknesses are as a player as opposed to being told. It includes all physical, mental, technical and tactical aspects of the game. If we know all of these things about ourselves then it makes it easy for us to refine our strengths more and try to rectify our weaknesses when we prepare for playing matches.
So how can we know all that about ourselves, especially from a young age when we started playing cricket? This is where the role of a good mentor comes in… and a coach can also be a mentor, guiding young players in the right direction from an early age. The process of mentoring starts first by understanding the players’ personality and style of game. A good mentor understands that no matter how great they were as a player, now it’s not about them. They will have to draw on their experience as a player to better equip their mentees for future challenges.
Advanced mentoring kicks in once we understand our players, have a good connection with them and have begun to learn how their personality works. We all are different human beings and by developing relationships with our players, we can work out how to motivate and push them more to achieve excellence. Great mentors have a knack of knowing their players more than the players themselves, which makes it easy for them to guide them to achieve success beyond their perceived limits.
All the best players know their game inside out, which makes it easy for them be comfortable and perform consistently even when they are under intense pressure. It also makes it easier for them to work on their strengths and weakness when they are out of form and not getting runs or wickets – and it’s a process of continual improvement. Having a long career, at whatever level, comes down to players being able to repeatedly deliver for as long as they want to play and get huge success along the way.
Players who perform consistently over long periods have a mentor (or mentors) who take them on a journey through competitive cricket, which has a lot of highs and lows. Cricket is a game of consequence and there is more failure than success, so it’s very important for players to grab their opportunities when it’s their day – a good mentor keeps their players positive and enthusiastic by giving them confidence and supporting them to believe in their ability.
Mentors can also help create a great team environment, by ensuring players work for the success of the their team more than anything else. The team will take benefit from them and the players will grow as individuals by going through those tough times with the help of their companions. They would know that they are not alone and they can all play their part for their the success – roles are clearly defined and a mentor can help them to achieve their individual goes to contribute to the team success.
Mentors can also enhance skills, competencies and behaviours that are not only restricted to cricket, but can be used in everyday life. Mentors work to make better players and better people and the deeper the connection, the more the mentee will not just be treated like a performer. Players will respond to this and will respect their advice more. It’s not just about taking the best performance out of them but to equip them with skills which they can use for the rest of their lives.