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In this extract from his new book, the former Australia allrounder looks at sides that allowed players to thrive and those that hung a fear of failure over their heads

Shane Watson05-Nov-2022Winning The Inner BattleThere are environments where the leaders talk about how big this game is, how important this game is, and say, “If we lose this game we are out.” I have been in plenty of these team environments. There are also environments where leaders talk about how performance in this game will dictate selection, and that underperformance might lead to players getting dropped. I have heard from leaders of a number of teams that I have played in say things like, “Spots are up for grabs in the game” or “If you don’t perform, you will get dropped.”So guess what people are thinking in those environments? “Don’t lose. I really need to perform today. I need to score runs. We need to win. Don’t get out. Don’t bowl badly. Don’t stuff up, otherwise I might be gone.” All of these focus on results and fear of failure.These environments can work for a shorter period of time, where fear of failure can drive individuals to be ready to lock in for one very important game. But these environments are not sustainable at all as stress and anxiety builds up to a point where the whole team implodes and I have been a part of these environments on a few occasions too. The telltale signs are that everyone starts to only play for themselves, for their individual spots, and as long as they do enough to get picked for the next game, they are happy. This always leads to an incredibly toxic team environment where the enjoyment factor of playing the game that you love evaporates and it turns into every person for themselves. We should be doing all that we can to do the opposite of this, as the best and most successful team environments always have a fun and enjoyment aspect to them as a very important undercurrent to all that they do.Other environments I have been a part of are ones where there is a clear focus on the process and leaders ask the players to just bring the best version of themselves every time and to do it over and over again. They reiterate that if we all do this, we give ourselves the best chance of coming out on top. This is exactly what a championship mindset looks like!This is what made Ricky Ponting such a good captain. He always said to the team in the lead-up to big games that the team whose individuals do the basics better and for longer will be the team that will come out on top. It focused our minds on the process, on doing the basics, controlling the A factors.

After the retirement of Ponting and Hussey, the Australian team drifted significantly. Players, myself included, began to look over our shoulders. I wasn’t able to direct my thoughts to consistently bring the best version of myself into every performance

Paddy Upton for Rajasthan Royals built a process-driven environment that took all of the anxiety and stress out of a very pressurised tournament where performance and results were so important. The other team environment where this was done incredibly well was at Chennai Super Kings in the IPL under captain MS Dhoni and coach Stephen Fleming. I never heard either of them say, “We need to win this game today”, or “If you don’t score runs today or take wickets, you will be getting dropped.”My second year with CSK really stuck with me. There was no chopping and changing in selection. In other teams I had been with, players were turned over constantly. If a player didn’t perform for a couple of games, selectors would think he wasn’t good enough and would replace him immediately. This meant that everyone started looking over their shoulders and thinking, “Gosh, if I don’t perform in a couple of games, then I could be gone too.”No matter who we are, we are always going to have times in our lives where we are in a “results-focused” environment. By understanding the mental-skills framework in this book, we know that this is the opposite of where we want to be mentally for us to be at our best both individually and collectively. We need to listen to what is being said by the leaders in this environment and we need to redirect their words ourselves to say, “I am not going to let their results focus influence the correct mindset I need for me to be at my best.” This can be much easier said than done when players are being chopped and changed from one game to the next without any rhyme or reason, apart from someone not performing in one game. But understanding this will be a powerful tool for you to use throughout your life to ensure a negative environment doesn’t infiltrate your thinking and pull you out of your high-performance mindset.I’ve been a victim of a negative team environment. After the retirement of Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey, the Australian team drifted significantly. Pressure to perform began to affect confidence and consistency. Players, myself included, began to look over our shoulders. I didn’t have knowledge of the mental skills I needed to redirect my thoughts to the right things at the right times to consistently bring the best version of myself into every performance, instead of being overcome with fear and overwhelmed by a need for results, which saw my performances go downhill throughout that time. And this was all at a time where I was in my prime, performing really well in the IPL in an incredibly enjoyable, process-driven team environment. But as soon as I went back into this other environment, my kryptonite, my performances started to tank again and the enjoyment factor of playing the game that I loved evaporated very quickly.When Watson was able to let go of the negative mindset that gripped the team, he was able to play with freedom and the results automatically followed•Craig Golding/AFP/Getty ImagesMy last three months with the Australia T20 team from early January 2016 through to the T20 World Cup in India was another example of one of those environments. We played India in a three-match T20 International series, where the selectors picked a really big squad and chopped and changed the team significantly from game to game, and then this flowed on to a T20 series in South Africa before we headed to India for the T20 World Cup. The conversations and actions around the group from the leaders – that being the coach, captain, selectors – were consistent messaging like, “All spots are up for grabs if you want to play in the T20 World Cup” and “You need to perform in this game as you might only have one opportunity to press your claim.”As soon as I heard and saw this, I immediately acknowledged in my own mind what this ridiculous situation was creating. This time I opted out. I knew the importance of preparation and focus. The result was that I bowled as well as I had in T20 cricket for Australia, played one of the games of my life at the SCG as captain, and retired at the end of the T20 World Cup as the No. 1 T20I allrounder in the world.Surprise surprise, we lost to India in the quarter final knockout game. We left a few runs on the table and didn’t execute that well with the ball against an Indian team that had barely changed their XI from the first game that we played against them during the series in Australia, three months before.But the attitudes I saw in that T20 World Cup are everywhere. I saw it recently in a game of junior cricket. The result of the match was important as a place in the grand final was riding on it. A number of the parents had really built this game up as being a knockout game and had stressed to the kids how important it was to win to make the final. Then one of the calmest kids in the team went out to bat with two overs to go and one of the parents said, “Don’t get out, otherwise we will lose” as he walked out to bat. And guess what happened. This poor young kid ended up getting out, and because of all of the build-up of importance for this game by the parents and kids around him, the calmest child on the field lost the plot, throwing their gear everywhere in disappointment of letting the team down. It was so sad to see and something that should never happen if the parents around the team simply understood the fundamentals of how to create the optimal environment. Reinforcement of the correct mindset would then filter down to all of the young kids.It is so easy to allow the “live or die by results” environment to infiltrate your mindset and start to corrupt it. It is easy to start to move your thinking to fear of failure and how important it is to perform and get the results. But by understanding all of the mental skills in this book, you will be armed with all that you need to be mentally tough enough to create a super-strong cocoon around yourself, to just direct your thoughts to continually creating your optimal mental environment to bring the best version of you, no matter what team environment that you are in.We need to do all that we can in our power to help with creating the best team environment possible, so that individuals don’t have to feel like they are rebelling against the team leadership just to stay process-driven, to bring their best A game possible, game in game out. I’m convinced that more and more teams should be open to allowing players to manage their own mental and physical preparation. Everyone is different; everyone comes to know what best suits them; just as a lot of cricket is individual, so should a lot of the preparation be too. Understanding this will create so many more high-performing team environments, higher-performing individuals and most importantly, much more enjoyable team environments too, so that we never lose the fun and joy that we get playing the game that we love.Alex Malcolm, an associate editor at ESPNcricinfo, was involved in the editing of the book.

Pre-season preparations get underway on Monday, although the transfer train has ground to a halt as far as Manchester United are concerned, with Matheus Cunha still the only senior addition this summer – excluding £7m teenager, Diego Leon.

A key crux of the issue appears to be the club’s inability to shift the ‘deadwood’, with manager Ruben Amorim reportedly frustrated at the failure to sell United’s exiled stars, namely Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho, Antony and Marcus Rashford.

That quartet, alongside Tyrell Malacia, have been granted permission to enjoy an extended break, rather than link up with the rest of the squad, with all parties still hopeful of sealing an exit ahead of next season.

Bridges appear to have been burned with almost all of those high-profile figures, none more so than Rashford, with the Englishman still seemingly dreaming of sealing a summer switch to Barcelona.

Should those raft of forwards – including the 27-year-old academy graduate – all be shipped off, it would only further heighten the need for replacements. With that in mind, a potential opening has presented itself to director of football, Jason Wilcox.

The latest on Man Utd's search for a striker

A new name emerged this week amid United’s centre-forward search, with reports indicating that contact has been made regarding a possible move for Aston Villa talisman, Ollie Watkins.

Reportedly available for £60m, the 29-year-old would prove a ready-made solution for the Red Devils, having hit double figures for goals in each of his five Premier League seasons at Villa Park.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

As reported by The Mirror, however, the England international isn’t the only option on Wilcox’s striker shortlist, with the club also considering a move for Chelsea’s Christopher Nkunku.

According to the report, United have been offered the chance to sign the 27-year-old for a knock-down price of £35m, with the former RB Leipzig man deemed to be surplus to requirements, amid the signings of Liam Delap and Joao Pedro at Stamford Bridge.

As the piece also notes, the prospect of a swap deal involving the aforementioned Garnacho had been floated, although the Blues are more likely to consider a straight sale instead as they seek to balance the books.

Why Nkunku could be another Rashford for Amorim

If United were targeting the Nkunku of two years ago, there would be undoubted excitement at Old Trafford, with the Frenchman having joined the west Londoners after registering 126 goal involvements in just 172 games at Leipzig.

The man who once hit 35 goals in all competitions in 2021/22 hasn’t been seen in English football, however, with the one-time Paris Saint-Germain man having been unable to recover from an injury-hit start to life at the Bridge.

Struck down with a knee issue during pre-season in the summer of 2023, Nkunku has since gone on to start just 11 Premier League games across the last two campaigns combined, scoring just six top-flight goals in total in that time.

A particular issue has been his inability to nail down a consistent role for himself under Mauricio Pochettino and Enzo Maresca, having operated off the left, as a number ten or as a central striker to date – all with little success.

That question mark over whether he is best out wide or centrally is one that has also plagued Rashford, with the United outcast recently stating that he is finding it “more natural” to play as a number nine, despite Amorim’s prior claim that such a role “is not the best one for him”.

2024/25*

24

7

3

2023/24

43

8

6

2022/23

56

30

11

2021/22

32

5

2

2020/21

57

21

18

Rashford is currently out in the cold under the Portuguese coach, having not featured for the Old Trafford side since sitting out the Manchester Derby back in December, with his 30-goal heroics in 2022/23 now looking like a distant memory.

Amorim, and those at United, are seemingly in need of a fresh start without the £300k-per-week man onboard, with there likely to be concern that Nkunku could provide a similarly expensive problem, considering his own £195k-per-week salary.

Interestingly too, Rashford and Nkunku were noted as statistically similar players in the Premier League in 2024/25, as per FBref, with that likeness perhaps a key reason why such a move should be avoided.

Yes, the Nkunku of 2023 would be a worthy Watkins alternative, but the same could very much be said of the Rashford of 2023, in contrast to the one of the present. For both men, it looks like their best days could already be behind them.

Worth more than Gyokeres: Man Utd face Elanga 2.0 as terms agreed for exit

Manchester United look set to offload a player who has failed to impress at Old Trafford.

ByEthan Lamb Jul 4, 2025

Sikandar Raza became the country’s first T20I centurion, reaching the mark in 33 balls

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Oct-2024Zimbabwe shattered the record for the highest total in T20 cricket on Wednesday when they ran up 344 for 4 against Gambia in the men’s T20 World Cup Africa sub-regional qualifier tournament. Sikandar Raza spearheaded the effort with a century – Zimbabwe’s first one ever in the format – off just 33 balls. He eventually finished unbeaten on 133, with 15 sixes. His team-mates hit 12 more to set that record as well. Until now, Nepal had been the holders of the highest total (314) and the most sixes hit in an innings (26). Gambia in return were bundled out for 54 as Zimbabwe also posted the biggest-ever win (in terms of runs) in T20s.The Ruaraka Sports Club Ground in Nairobi witnessed history on Wednesday with Zimbabwe showing great intent right from the first ball they faced. They brought up fifty in 3.2 overs. Tadiwanashe Marumani brought his up quicker, in just 13 balls. The team hundred was up before the powerplay was done and from there on it was an exercise of how far they could send the ball into the stands. There were 57 boundaries in the innings overall – which is also a T20 record – with four Zimbabwe batters contributing fifty-plus scores – another record. Brian Bennett made 50 of 26 and Clive Mandande got to 53 off 17 by hitting the final ball of the innings for six.ESPNcricinfo LtdRaza, though, was the star of the show. He came into bat at the end of the seventh over, after the fielding restrictions had been relaxed, but it made no difference. He struck the third ball he faced for six and went on a run-scoring spree that made him the owner of the second-fastest century in T20I cricket. His 33-ball effort equalled Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton’s, for Namibia against Nepal in February 2024.Related

T20I record holders you have (probably) not heard of

Gambia, which is the smallest country in continental Africa, located to the west, could do very little to stop the run flow. Musa Jorbateh conceded the most runs by a bowler in a T20, his four overs going for 93. He was one of five bowlers to go for over 50 runs or more in their spell. The team is still looking for its first win in the Africa sub-regional qualifier so far, having given walkovers to their opponents Rwanda and Seychelles in the first two games, while Zimbabwe have already picked up four from four.

MatériaMais Notícias

da gbg bet： O Santos enfrenta o Vasco neste domingo (1), às 16h, na Vila Belmiro, em confronto direto válido pela 25ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro. A expectativa é que o interino Marcelo Fernandes repita a equipe que venceu o Bahia, de virada, na última rodada. Dessa forma, o lateral Dodô, que foi peça importante no setor defensivo do Peixe no último jogo, deve ser improvisado mais uma vez na zaga, decisão aprovada pelo próprio jogador.

RelacionadasSantosConselho do Santos adia votação do novo centro de treinamento para a base e questiona projetoSantos26/09/2023SantosPresidente do Conselho do Santos atualiza situação do acordo com a WTorre sobre a nova Vila BelmiroSantos26/09/2023SantosQual é o valor de mercado de Marcos Leonardo, atacante do Santos?Santos26/09/2023

da leao： + Confira a tabela completa do Brasileirão-2023

– Foi decisão do professor (Marcelo Fernandes). Conversamos durante a semana para experimentar esse novo formato contra o Bahia e deu certo. Estou feliz e à disposição. Já havia atuado assim algumas vezes, mas começar o jogo nessa posição foi uma das primeiras vezes – disse Dodô.

+ Garanta a sua vaga no curso que formou craques como Pet, Dante e Léo Moura! Cupom: LANCE1000

“Comprando” a luta do time contra o rebaixamento, a torcida do Santos esgotou os ingressos para a “decisão” contra o Vasco em poucas horas após o início das vendas. Em mais uma “final”, o Peixe conta com a Vila Belmiro lotada para ir em busca dos três pontos, contra um adversário direto, que podem, enfim, tirar o Peixe da zona de rebaixamento. Dodô enalteceu a confiança da equipe para o confronto decisivo deste domingo.

– Jogo importante e grande oportunidade para nós dentro de casa. Estamos trabalhando bastante e estamos confiantes em fazer um grande jogo – completou o jogador.

Um dos reforços do Santos na última janela de transferências, Dodô foi titular em sua posição de origem em todas as partidas, totalizando dez jogos nesta temporada. Em sua segunda passagem pelo clube, o jogador totaliza 63 duelos com a camisa santista. Com a saída de Diego Aguirre, o interino Marcelo Fernandes optou por improvisá-lo como zagueiro aberto pela esquerda contra o Tricolor de Aço, o que deve se repetir diante dos cariocas.

+ Conselho do Santos adia votação do novo centro de treinamento para a base e questiona projeto

Com a vitória do Vasco contra o América-MG na segunda-feira (25), o Peixe caiu para a 18ª posição do Brasileirão com 24 pontos, dois a menos que o Goiás, primeiro time fora do Z4. Um eventual triunfo diante do Cruz-Maltino pode fazer com que o Santos finalmente saia da zona após quase dois meses e ultrapasse a equipe carioca na tabela.

Para dar ainda mais o ar de “decisão” para a partida e atrair seus torcedores, o Santos realizará um treino aberto no dia anterior, no sábado (30), à torcida e imprensa, na Vila Belmiro. A abertura dos portões será às 9h, e o treino terá início às 10h. O clube disponibilizará mais informações sobre o evento ao longo desta semana.

Unbeaten 53 seals victory in rollercoaster clash with Essex after James Wharton, Shan Masood fifties

ECB Reporters Network06-Aug-2024A nerveless List A career best of 53 not out from Dom Bess guided Yorkshire to a crucial win in a rollercoaster Metro Bank One-Day Cup clash with Essex as they chased 244 to win by three wickets at Scarborough and maintain their qualification hopes.Both sides encountered batting problems in an enthralling contest played on a competitive pitch.The Vikings fell from 102 for 2 to 184 for 7, losing Shan Masood for 58 and James Wharton for a career-best 71 off 89 balls. Seamer Shane Snater impressed with three wickets for Essex, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a fourth defeat in five matches in Group B.After losing three early wickets having been inserted, Robin Das and Luc Benkenstein made 67 off 92 balls and 68 off 94 respectively in Essex’s 243 for 9, which saw new-ball pair Ben Cliff and Ben Coad claim three wickets apiece for Yorkshire, who have now won three from five.Coad also contributed 26 not out in an eighth-wicket stand of 60 inside nine overs with Bess, who hit six fours in 55 balls.Essex opener Feroze Khushi played on to Cliff in the fourth over to start this contest before further wickets fell shortly afterwards as Essex fell to 27 for 3.Nick Browne miscued Coad to midwicket and captain Tom Westley slashed Cliff to point.Das and Benkenstein rebuilt with caution, though Das pulled Matthew Revis for six and ramped Cliff for four over the wicketkeeper’s head.Das reached his fifty off 67 balls, and by the time Benkenstein followed him to the same milestone, off 71, Essex were 150 for 3 in the 32nd over.But, in the following over, Das picked out deep cover off the seam of Revis, ending a fourth-wicket partnership of 125.The good work of Das and Benkenstein would be undone by the loss of four wickets for only five runs in 12 balls as left-arm spinner Dan Moriarty, Coad and Cliff all struck.Benkenstein’s departure came in a damaging spell which saw Essex crumble to 190 for 8 in the 42nd over.Moriarty had a reverse-sweeping Noah Thain brilliantly caught by a diving Wharton at deep backward point before Coad had Benkenstein caught at wide mid-on in that collapse.Ben Allison’s useful unbeaten 27 gave Essex something to work with, and he was one of four batters to post career-best scores alongside Benkenstein, Das and Simon Fernandes with 18.Essex’s hopes were raised when Yorkshire slipped to 18 for 2 inside seven overs of their reply. Snater claimed both wickets – Harry Duke smartly caught at second slip above his head by Thain and Fin Bean caught at mid-on.Masood and Wharton then shared 84 in similar fashion to the earlier Benkenstein-Das alliance – composed but not becalmed.Masood’s 46-ball fifty was his third in succession in this campaign, while Wharton pulled Aaron Beard’s seam for six to reverse the pressure.But the pendulum was about to swing again, as the Vikings lost four wickets for 21, including Masood, to slip to be 123 for 6 in the 31st over.Westley’s off-spin accounted for Masood lbw and Will Luxton caught at cover before Snater returned to bowl George Hill with an angled-in beauty and Richards removed Revis.Wharton pulled a couple of sixes in his 79-ball fifty to keep home hopes alive. But when he was brilliantly caught at mid-on by a leaping Browne off Thain’s medium pace, the Vikings were 184 for 7 in the 40th over and under the cosh.But, in keeping with the day’s flow, the game wasn’t over.Bess, having shared 61 with Wharton, played the guiding hand in partnership with Coad. He worked the ball expertly – to delight the majority of a 3,113 crowd – and reached his fifty with the winning hit off Allison.