There are two types of cricketers: rivers and frozen rope. Which are you?

 You should care, because knowing about this part of your game will help you. You can play to your strengths and better hide your weaknesses. You can even take a lesson or two from the other side.

If you keep an open mind.

So let’s find out what you are and how to make the most of it.

The frozen rope

Frozen rope is about as straight as you can get. You have a way of playing and you know it well. It works for you and you see no reason to change anything.

When you are out of form, you double down on your method. You check with the coach for evidence that you are straying from the true path. Perhaps you even read up on proper technique to reassure yourself. You hit the nets hard to do the things you do and go through your carefully honed routines.

You are not keen to make changes or additions to your game.

Your strength is your confidence in your cricket. This allows you to have shallow troughs in form and be a reliable and self-reliant cricketer.

Your best approach to training is to focus on being the best version of you that you can be. Establish your routines and work hard to do them consistently. Be prepared to challenge anyone who tries to break these routines.

On the field, keep up your personal routines and play the role that you are most confident.

Your weakness is your fear of failure when trying something new or different. This slows your improvement as a cricketer, meaning the highs of form are also shallow. You also tend to be quick to question your talent in hard times, which gives you less determination.

On the field, you are super comfortable in well-rehearsed situations. You are not adaptable to different situations where you have less skill or experience (for example, you are a 50 over anchor opening batsman and you are asked to bat at four in a Twenty20).

These issues can be dealt with in two ways:

1. Avoid them. Try to stay away from unfamiliar training, routines and match situations. Tell people who question this, that your job is to be the best you can be, not change the way you play.
2. Manage them. When you can’t avoid it, embrace the situation and tell yourself that although you can’t be at your best, you can still put in your strongest effort.

The river

Rivers meander through the countryside. They go any way they feel like going, especially when they come up against obstacles. Your cricket is the same.

You love to try new things, experiment and tinker. You are never happier than when you have come up with a new trick or method that will boost your game further. You try it a few times and are happy to abandon it when the next new shiny thing comes along. You think routines are for those with OCD rather than good players.

The best way for you to train is to experiment: Try out different methods and keep going even when they fail. You need to get good at deciding if a failing method should be dropped, or you need to persevere because you might need it sometime.

You also need to be careful to get some basics in too. You might feel like they are fine, but there is no harm in revisiting the things that have made you good in the past (from time to time).

You are also happy to try something new in the middle of a game. This comes from confidence and joy in experimenting. This can be a strength, when it works you are a hero. It can also be a weakness when it fails as you are considered a zero by your frustrated team mates and coaches.

Solve this by preparing people for the possibility as much as you can beforehand. Then make a rule that you will practice something a couple of times in nets before you unleash it in a match. You might feel like you don’t need to, but it will help others - espcially the ropes - to understand your madness/common sense!

When you are out of form you look for a new way to boost your game and get back to your best. You think that if you do what you always did, you get what you always got, and that’s not good enough for you. This is a great strength.

As a result of this, your form will fluctuate more than the rope’s form. Your lows will be lower, but your highs will be higher and you have a better chance of stepping up a level because you are looking to develop rather than maintain. Be prepared for the hard times because they hit you harder.

Who’s right?

Actually, neither the river or the frozen rope is right all the time (or wrong all the time).

Your personality dictates which side you prefer. Even then, personality can subtly shift through different times and you might find some things are more rope and other things more river.

You will know which behaviour style is most comfortable for you, and you can play to these strengths.

But also remember that you can occasionally go the other way. Ropes can try something new from time to time to see if it can be added to their routine and skill set. Rivers can work on the basics without complaining it’s too easy or boring as it will make them more reliable on the cricket pitch.

So, which are you, and how ill it change your preparation and tactics when you know?