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AS part of efforts to end the national men’s cricket team’s poor form, Zimbabwe Cricket has hired a mental coach.
South African Christo Spies began working with both the Chevrons and Zimbabwe A last week and he says he has already noticed some changes in the way the lads are going about their business.
“They are all willing to learn and grow. I have seen there is new energy, there is joy and that’s part of the mental part we focus on.
They are very keen, some of them have said they are applying what they are learning and it’s working,” he said.
Zimbabwean teams have failed to handle pressure situations on several occasions in recent years.
During the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup, Zimbabwe had South Africa reeling at 83-4 after 20 overs but somehow allowed the Proteas to find a way back into the game and post a 339-run total.
The Chevrons fell five runs short in their chase of Ireland’s 331 at the same World Cup, and recently against Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe crumbled under pressure.
Spies said, “The example I always use is if you think how many times you got yourself out and how many times the bowler gets you out; many times it’s all about your head running all over the place.
If you can control the head space your game will improve. My idea is to hold the players accountable to their thinking processes.
“Each one has to focus on their own skills and together they is enough skill here.
There are good youngsters coming up from the A side and the U19s, if they keep coming through and put pressure on the guys in the national side in 2019 for the World Cup we will have a winning Zimbabwe team.”
Spies is a motivational speaker and works with the Free State Eagles cricket and Free State Cheetahs rugby teams.
Online Reporter