I have a very good friend who has a background in professional golf, having played on the European Tour and Challenge Tour. Oddly, it got me thinking about cricket.

My friend asked me to imagine that I was 150 yards from the green, he asked me what club I would take that would put me within a few feet of the hole. I said my 9 iron. He asked would I be able to do it 90% of the time with my 9 iron?

My answer was no.

Thinking this through means you should then go to the next club down. Turns out that my 7 iron is the club that I would be most confident in hitting the green and putting the ball close from 150 out 90% of the time.

He explained how this simple thought process increases confidence in the stroke you are about to play.

You have put yourself in a position whereby you feel comfortable and confident that you will succeed 90% of the time. The thought process has gone from “I will have to nail this one to get it close” to “I know that 90% of the time I can get this right, so just relax keep calm and commit to my stroke, then it will happen for me.

The Golfing mentality in modern day cricket

We hear of modern day batsmen talk about pre-empting their shots, giving themselves options before the bowler bowls and making those shots easy by getting into good positions.

Similarly we hear of bowlers standing at the back of their mark, knowing which ball to bowl and having a back up option if they need to change mid-delivery.

However in pressure situations we always see the proverbial brain fade from the batsmen. They try something completely out of character because their thought process has become scattered.

An example would be a great power hitter suddenly trying to scoop the ball. Imagine Chris Gayle trying!

Like golf, it is critical that you stick to what you are good at, and what you are comfortable and confident doing.

It starts in practice or in the nets.

As a batter look at your numbers when you look to attack and find the boundary. Which areas are you hitting 9 times out of 10 off certain bowling and which ones are you not?

For example if you can scoop the yorker over short fine leg 90% of your time, make this your go to shot. Similarly when you bowl in the nets, work out which balls you are most successful hitting when death bowling. If you are bowling your off cutter and nailing it 90% of the time, once again this is your go to.

This preparation in the nets allows clearer, more confident thinking in high pressure situations during games.

So when the run rate is up at 13 an over and bowler is nailing yorkers, you feel comfortable that 90% of the time you can get down and scoop the ball over short fine leg and find the boundary ropes.

You avoid your out of nature moose over mid wicket (because 90% of the time it will result in you holing out or getting bowled).

Similarly when you have the ball at the back of your mark, you will be able to clear your mind and very quickly. In practice yesterday you realised your off cutter saw a dot ball or single 90% of the time. This stops over analysis and gives you a clear mind when running in.

Going back to golf, you have selected the “right club”.

Using the above processes will result in you feeling far more confident under pressure, you will feel comfortable in what you’re doing and limit the self doubt that you have.

You will be 90% sure what you are going to do is correct

You will be and 90% sure that you are going to nail it.

This means you have a very clear mind and a very clear plan.

What is key, however, is to ensure that you numbers and stats are correct in training. Use PitchVision to help you mine the data for the facts.

That way you will give yourself that high chance of being successful, which is all a coach and a captain can ask for.

Jordan Finney is a cricket coach and sport psychology student.