Don’t have inhibitions, England need to stick with positive mindset
It didn't work out for England in their opening one-day international against Pakistan yesterday but it is so important that individuals within that side do not retreat into their shell on the back of personal disappointment.
At times over the past decade, if some guys got a couple of low scores they would be panicking and thinking ‘I need to get a 50 to stay in the side’ and perhaps play in the wrong way for the team in order to prioritise their own personal success.
That attitude doesn’t seem to exist any more. The modern day set-up seems to focus solely on the XI getting towards and beyond the 300-run mark because unless they do they won’t have much chance of winning.
There are going to blips along the way, like yesterday’s result, especially in overseas conditions, but it is crucial that the team as a whole stays true to the approach which served them so well in the summer.
New guys have come into the one-day side since England’s dismal group-stage exit at the World Cup in March and it is clear that they have a different attitude towards limited-overs cricket and it is very healthy.
They showed glimpses of brilliance in the summer against New Zealand and Australia and that was largely down to playing attack-minded cricket and hopefully they can continue to do that.
It is inevitable that the more these guys play, the more expectation and pressure will be heaped on their shoulders to perform. Take Jos Butter, for instance. When he came into the side he wasn’t under much pressure at all and it showed in his game. He just went out there and played with a no-fear attitude.
In fact, Buttler holds the record for England’s two quickest one-day centuries, taking just 61 balls to reach three figures against Sri Lanka at Lord’s last year and 66 versus New Zealand at Edgbaston in June.
He is going through a rough patch now and people are asking questions of him. He is a class act and I’m sure he will come through it by playing his natural game and not being weighed down by inhibitions.
My old Surrey team-mate Jason Roy is another who has gone out there and played with freedom, getting some good scores under his belt against Australia in the summer.
The quicker he can put the thought of yesterday’s duck to the back of his mind and forget about it the better. Despite that failure, he has to retain his positive mindset, a bit like New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum would do in such circumstances.