Nobody can ride two horses at once.

That’s an old cowboy saying, and it’s equally true when it comes to your cricket. It means to get good at something, you need to focus on that one thing.

In cricket, there are ten types of dismissal. As bowler, you will take any of them in a game. As a net bowler, you need to pick one and focus relentlessly on how to acheive it until you are as masterful at wickets as a cowboy is at riding horses.

So at your next net session, focus only on bowling batters out.

Forget the one the batsman edges, or hits up in the air, or get hit on the pads. Today they mean nothing.

The only thing that counts is the “death rattle”.

This single dismissal is your only focus.

Because we know how powerful a single focus is on helping you take wickets.

Focus means wickets

Most cricket nets don’t have this focus. We argue over shots in the air that might have been caught. We celebrate everything with equal joy.

But the fact is we will never know if a fielder was there and the catch was taken cleanly. So, let’s focus on something we can know for sure instead.

You know when a batsman is bowled. You even know when you bowl a ball that would have hit the stumps (and if you are unsure, ask PitchVision).

With focus, you can measure your success.

Over a session you can see how many balls were hitting the stumps. You can see how many times you hit them and you can see how often the batsman put them away.

You can formulate a plan to get wickets by hitting the stumps. Then you can go about honing that plan so by the time you play a game you know exactly what gives you the best chance of getting someone bowled out.

When you look at it like that, you begin to wonder why you try and spilt your focus at practice.

Of course, bowled is only one example. You can pick any type of dismissal that suits your game.

Then, do whatever it takes: line and length, yorkers, variations and find the pace and deviation you need. Be relentless in your effort. Be ready to fail, learn and try again.

Then, as you approach cricket mastery through focus, you will be confident, successful and a wicket taker.