The Sports Psychology Blog
This Sports Psychology blog comes as England slump to a ten-wicket defeat, against South Africa, at Headingley.
Cricket: England - Confused!
"It does look a confused selection, but the selection of one person does not lose you a Test. The collective unit lost the match. We didn't play well enough, and we didn't feel as much of a unit this week." The words of England captain, Michael Vaughan, after the ten-wicket defeat to South Africa.
Well, it is no surprise that England didn't feel as much of a unit. They have selected a player, Nottinghamshire's Darren Pattinson, who had never met any of his England colleagues before! In their desire, to find a bowler who could extract movement out of the Headingley pitch, the England selectors overlooked one of their key principles. That is the principle of continuity and team-spirit.
The England team that took the Ashes of Australia in 2005, were a very strong force. Every player knew their role in the team. It gave the team a dynamic, which proved too much for the Aussies.
A team dynamic is something which must be carefully nurtured. So, when England dropped Paul Colingwood, for the Headingley test, they were taking out a key player in their team dynamic. If that player is popular with the rest of the team, then a critical influence is going to be missing. And players have to cope with that.
But, then the inclusion of Darren Pattinson, will have affected the team dynamic even more. A stranger has come into the tight-knit group. It simply, won't have felt right to the England team. The sense of continuity has been lost. Players will then inwardly question the management team, and a vital degree of trust may be lost. The tight bonds, forged over many years, become threatened.
So, perhaps, England's ten wicket defeat, is a reflection of the morale in the two camps. England, in striving to make maximum use of the Headingley pitch, forgot to take a step back, and consider their principles.
The first of which should be, to create a tight and spirited unit, that plays for each other. In which every player knows their role. And each player feels part of the family. Where fairness prevails and all have an equal chance to succeed.
A player must be carefully brought into the team dynamic. Otherwise, a sudden inclusion of a stranger, can create a sense of shock and uncertainty, that leads to insecurity and resentment.
The crushing Headingley defeat, will provide the England management, with a lesson in selection, they will find hard to forget.
