Alex Carey joined us recently as apart of our Junior Cricket Wellbeing and Activity Program and was so forthcoming with information and advice that we thought we'd put it all into a blog for all you budding cricketers out there, both young and old!

AFL VS CRICKET 

Alex is well-positioned as a multi-sport disciplined athlete to talk on the vigours of professional setups and the pressure that comes along with that.  We asked Alex his thoughts on this;

"When playing multiple sports and the commitments that come along with that, communication is key. Know who you trust and utilise that support network. Don’t be pigeonholed, do as much as you can. Don’t put pressure on yourself either. Just enjoy the different aspects of the games and challenge yourself with the differing skills. Sport is awesome and gives you a lot of life values, I still hold my junior days close to my heart and have a lot of fond memories."

Below we go into more detail about his mentality on the different disciplines within cricket.

‘When juggling a lot of commitments, be honest and talk to your coaches and staff members, speak about your situation and know what you're trying to achieve and people will support you wherever you go, always willing to assist.'

 

WICKET-KEEPING MENTALITY

"When keeping you have to be super focused and concentrated.  You also need to have good balance and be relaxed. When missing opportunities, you’ve got to be prepared to put them aside, assess them and move onto the next ball. Hard work and training is key! Glutes need to be super strong, high intensity because you’re squatting so much."

"White ball cricket is a little different compared to red ball.  You don't take as many balls, but when you do it’s usually a chance - so be alert and upbeat and bring the energy to every contest. Work is done in training to sort out performance!"

Alex answers a question to do specifically with keeping to spinners;

"It differs between hard wicket and playing on turf. Be wary of the bounce you’ll need to deal with on synthetic pitches. Stay nice and low, in a strong position and ready for the ball to get up around your ears sometimes. Watch that ball and more often than not you'll be able to take that chance whether it’s a stumping or catch. Turf will spin more, be more variable and stay a bit lower. The main point is being in a great position and set up when the ball is released. You also need to be able to trust your instincts and have your head in line with the ball when it bounces."

'We are human and you are going to feel those emotions of disappointment. Worry about the next opportunity instead. Good players are judged on their learnings from their setbacks. It’s a normal feeling, but try and make sure you don’t make those same mistakes twice. Keep a smile on your face and go around again!'

 

BATTING MENTALITY

Alex discusses his own batting technique:

"I’m still chasing perfection and always developing my batting technique. Don’t change things just to please people and coaches, setbacks will make you a better player and you’ll start to understand who you trust and what works for your game. You always need to be searching to be a better player. Whether it’s mentally or technically you need to be in whatever position is comfortable that helps you get the best out of yourself. Try different things but don’t just do something because someone tells you to or reckons you should. It may be something as simple as changing your stance on the crease, it may be the really little things that help you the most! There’ll always be an element of failure in your batting, even the pros are tinkering with their techniques, so keep working at it!"

Some key points around his mindest when chasing a score whilst batting:

"Don’t be too worried about the outcome. Have the target or chase in mind, but you can only react to what the bowler bowls. Don’t just try and score one side of the field, if you’re in a good frame of mind you’ll be able to utilise your technique to access different parts of the ground. Remember to stay calm throughout. When you’re in a run chase you can get ahead of yourself, you can be rushed and worry about things that are out of your control. Take a deep breath and understand what the bowler is trying to bowl with the field they set.  That should keep you away from those frantic thoughts. It’s a big part of my game to calm my thoughts, not everything will come off, so be it! Calm yourself and trust that you and your batting mate out in the middle will get the job done."

'If it’s technical or something that needs attention, get to training and try and work on it as much as you can.'

 

KEY ADVICE

Alex regularly captains his state and is the vice-captain of Australia's shorter form teams. His take on being a leader on-field;

"Captain while the ball is not being bowled. Meaning - make your decisions, have your fielders in the right place and then switch back onto catching that ball. Simplify it as much as possible and make sure you’ve got a good helper out there, whether it’s a mate or a vice-captain to bounce off of. You need to be able to communicate with a teammate. But when it comes to it, watch the ball and not the field."

Alex continues when asked about on-field banter;

"I don’t bother with chirping too much, I like to focus on taking the ball and doing my job and the rest should sort itself out. The better players normally welcome the challenge so you have to be wary of what you’re saying."

And finally his advice on training;

"You certainly have to train across all three facets of the game. Not just batting and bowling, but fielding is essential too. This will help make you a vital team member and a really valuable asset, to be able to take the ball when needed or step up with the bat when required. I think on a personal note, I give everything I have and never have any regrets. When you leave your day at training just know you’ve done everything you can to achieve what you needed to."

For the full interview head to our Facebook page by clicking here