I can't seem to get the South African first Test recovery out of my head. Most comments have been negative: That old fashioned defensive cricket does no good in this big hitting, big money world.

But batting out two full days for a draw requires almost superhuman concentration.

No batter should be without that skill, no matter what the situation they are in. Great innings from T20 to Test are built on the bedrock of solid character.

Why concentration?

The skill of concentration is a cornerstone of run scoring.

Anyone can throw the bat and sometimes they will get lucky. Anyone can defend every ball and try to stick around too, but being able to play each ball with sureness of mind and body is part of the success of great batting.

Even in short format games. You may play evening cricket where you have to get on with it, or afternoon games where you can't hang about too much if you want to put up a decent score.

Unless you have total carte blanch to hit everything, you still have to pick you battles.

• What is the bowler trying to do?
• Where are the gaps in the field?
• What is the match situation?
• What has happened this over so far?

The situation is constantly changing in the middle. It's certainly more complex than just hitting the bad balls and defending the good ones (or hitting out).

As a batsman your job is to know the answer to these questions at any given moment and act on them in exactly the right way.

For example, if you need a boundary to get back on track, where is it coming from? Are you able to wait for the half volley or do you have to move down the wicket to make a good length ball into one?

Another simple tactic is deciding what to do after hitting a boundary. In most cases its push a single into a gap to make five from two balls. But not always, which is why you always need to be thinking in the middle.

Defeating distraction

While all this is going on in your head, you need to not let it distract you.

If you lose concentration even for one ball you may well be heading back to pavilion. Unlike the bowler, you don't get another chance next ball.

When you have made your tactical decisions, you need to switch your focus onto the next delivery again.

This is easier said than done. Our brains have great ways of distracting us. The wrong negative thought at the wrong moment, or letting your mind wander back to tactics (or other things) as the bowler hits their delivery stride is a recipe for a poor shot and a soft dismissal.

Use your triggers to get into a bubble of concentration (after having decided the best tactic) and stay there until it's safe to relax again.

Trust your technique and learn to concentrate.

Simply getting good at this technique is enough to boost your concentration to Neil McKenzie style heights. Then you will make fewer mistakes, be at the crease for longer and get more runs.

Photo credit: clairet707