Mind over batter, art of playing away

● Murphy’s Law does not usually apply to cricket but it has contributed to South Africa’s demise on successive subcontinent tours.

The Proteas expected turners in India three years ago. They got that, and more in Mohali and Nagpur, losing the four-test series 3-0.

The surfaces at Galle and the Sinhalese Sports Club in Sri Lanka were not as spicy as India’s but they turned enough to scar the Proteas, who have lost five of their last eight tests in Asia.

The South African team has not changed much between tours except for the retirement of AB de Villiers and slight changes in players and coaches. So the challenge is more brains than batting.

Sports psychologist Garrath Rosslee said self-doubt and an inability to react to pressure away from home affect teams more than people think.

“The biggest issue in professional sports is handling pressure and being able to perform and cope with all of the expectations on you. You put more pressure on yourself because you say to yourself that the conditions are new to you, you haven’t played in them and you’re up against very good players.

“Self-doubt creeps in, and as soon as it does you restrict yourself and you don’t play with your usual confidence,” Rosslee said.

Out of comfort zones

“Home-win and away-win ratios are very different and how players adapt and win away from home is a real challenge.

“Even in sports where conditions are relatively uniform, winning away from home is difficult because you’re out of comfort zones and the happiness of familiarity.”

Former Proteas opening batsman and convener of selectors Andrew Hudson said over-thinking had become the modern-day batting killer on Asian tours.

“Sometimes you do over-think the conditions and when you get there, things become a little worse than what you really expect them to be. When conditions are tough and foreign to you, you’re already not programmed to playing your natural game because you’ve got these things that you’re thinking about.

“If you’re expecting the ball to explode off the pitch, you may not go as far forward as you normally would and shot reaction could be delayed,” Hudson said.

“If you go into those conditions where you back your skill, you’re relaxed and you know you’re good enough, you’ll play each ball on its merits as it comes.

“A big factor in cricket is when batsmen start to anticipate what’s coming before it comes and that’s something that applies to pace and spin. It leads to confidence erosion and your psychology changes the way you approach your batting.”

Rosslee said confidence played a big role in how teams approached foreign conditions and it could be a crucial determinant in the result of a match or a series.

“It’s all about confidence and doing whatever is needed to ensure confidence.”