We all agree that good players are also mentally strong players. Yet despite the reams of coaching materials on technique and fitness, there is no system for developing confident cricketers.

You may, like me, have found yourself frustrated with players.

Despite your best efforts individuals are unable to maintain standards throughout the summer. Form is erratic and tails off at the back end of the season just when it’s most needed.

What I didn’t realise was that the training plan was the problem.

 Fast bowlers are supposed to snarl and prowl. So what do you do if you have the physical attributes but not the mean, glaring attitude?

English fast bowler Chris Tremlett knows it’s not enough to be able to bowl with pace and accuracy. Fast bowling is also about putting the batsman in two minds.

You need to make the batsman think, “Does he really want to hurt me?”

When he has that doubt in his mind he plays nervously and you get a wicket through poor footwork.

The captain scratched his head as he examined the team sheet. He had 8 names written on it.

“Who can we find to play?” he muttered to himself, scrolling through his phone contacts.

He was already coming up with creative ideas like asking Fred if his brother still fancied a game because he “played a bit in school” and expressed some interest a couple of seasons ago.

Have you ever arrived at a party late and it’s already jumping?

If you have, you know that it’s difficult to jump right in and start having fun. That’s because everyone at the party have had enough time to get into the food, music, drink and atmosphere.

Imagine that at the party you sit in the corner refusing to speak to anyone because you might say the wrong thing.

 If I’m being very kind, the standard of midweek league cricket in this part of the world is “mixed”. Despite that, my experience in a recent game showed me that playing bad cricket in poor conditions will help you improve.

It was the first game of the new season; a twenty over slog squeezed in before the sun went down; no umpires, no sightscreens. I was playing for a new team and two guys turned up in shorts and black trainers.

Black trainers are a solid indicator that general standards will be poor.

Former England batsman Graeme Gooch is known for advising players to score “daddy” hundreds: When you get your eye in, take the chance and score very big.

It’s sound advice that as a coach you have no doubt given to players. Yet the way we practice is the opposite of the way we score big runs. It’s no wonder player’s score a pretty 25 and get out to a lazy shot.

It doesn’t matter what sort of cricket you play: Clubs the world over face the same problems and are looking for solutions.

Take Watsonian; the PitchVision Academy adopted club. The side are the top of the league cricket tree. They have aspiring professionals and play at well maintained grounds. Yet when I visited the club I discovered that they have as many problems to handle as anyone else.

How many times in your matches have you played a rash stroke and regretted it later?

In our early days as cricketers our flamboyant side will have the better of us. It’s no surprise because fast paced games have encouraged youngsters to be glitzy.

But even in Twenty20, if you want to become a serious cricketer, temperament is a must-have.

Do you want to become the bowling spearhead of your team?

I can understand the feeling. I had the same one but things weren’t working out for me. Then something happened which made me into the strike bowler and the pace spearhead of my team. Read on, learn from my experiences and help yourself to become a strike bowler too.

A couple of years ago I was a fast bowler with decent (not furious) pace. I used to open the bowling and take wickets swinging the new ball.

Cricket is supremely unpredictable. It’s the players who can take responsibility under pressure that turn difficult situations into measured wins. These players are the true leaders of a side, whether they are captain or not.