Here's an inconvenient truth: Your image is important to your cricket.

Naturally, results always come first. It doesn't matter what you look like if you are scoring hundreds then bowling out the opposition top six before catching the rest at slip. But if want a chance, you absolutely have to "look and act the part".

What does looking the part mean?

It's many things. For example, think about the player who turns up early to training looking smart and eager. She puts the team before herself, but when she works she works hard. She can play in a way that looks "right" to coach, captain and selector. Often that's an elegant bowling action or a silky cover drive.

The details will vary. The reality is clear; you must look the part.

Making a choice

At this point, a lot of people will say, "but, I am my own person. I do what I need to do to be successful. I don't need to pander to anyone. I have my principles."

I agree. Principle are good. So is individuality. If you are being successful while still sticking to your principles then you don't need any help.

What if you are not getting the chance you deserve though?

We know - in this situation - how important it is to manage your image. You have a conflict between looking right and doing right. When this occurs you have two options,

1. Change your principles enough to change your image.
2. Don't change and accept that you will get fewer chances.

Is this fair? No. Does it happen every single day? Yes.

So, you need to decide how you deal with it.

Stick to your principles

Let's take an example of sticking to your principles. Imagine you are a spin bowler.

You know that to do well you need to bowl, a lot. That's all you want to do because you see how much it improves your skills. When anyone suggests fitness work, or even a bit of fielding, your heart sinks. You know it's pointless and won't do anything for you. It might even be bad for you.

You odon't like pre-game warm ups and anyway, you feel like you do better just arriving on time and having a moment to yourself before going onto the field. You see all that running about as pointless.

You never give anyone throwdowns in case you injure your shoulder. It's sore enough from all that bowling.

So, you stick to your principles. You politely decline these things and go back to bowling while the rest of the team work together on things you see as a waste of time.

You don't just make this one session, you continue to do it. And it works as you take wickets.

Then you hit a slump in form. You continue to train your way to get out of the hump but it goes on long enough for the selectors to start talking about your place in the team.

What do they say?

I've been a selector and captain many times. And I will tell you. They say things like "He's a good bowler but he is a liability in the field." they add that "he doesn't put much in for the team, he's always working on his bowling but even that is not working at the moment".

You get dropped.

Is this reasonable? I'd say it is.

If you double down on your work and start taking wickets again, the selectors will think about your place. It's still reasonable to assume they will be slower to give you another chance because they know you are not in the image they want. You'll have to be twice as good as someone with a better image to get the same chance because of the hunch that your "face doesn't fit".

If you continue on that path, you must accept these things. They are reasonable responses to your actions, even if it seems unfair from your perspective. You simply have to get on with is, knowing you will be treated differently and hoping your plan is effective.

Make a change

Your other option is to change things.

In the same scenario, imagine you bowl less and do more fitness work. You also throw yourself into improving your fielding. You're still not great but you are certainly not a liability.

You improve your technique in ways that the coach and captain approves. You also are supportive of your team-mates, happy to give throwdowns, clean up, help out and find ways to be useful (even when you don't want to).

Then you hit your slump.

Maybe it's even because you are bowling less. Or maybe it would have happened anyway. Either way, you are not performing.

This time, selectors are on your side. They say things like, "He is off form at the moment, but he'll be back, he's a key part of the team". "We just need a wicket suited to his game, until then we can carry him a bit, after all he carries so much for us."

But nevertheless, you stay off form and eventually get dropped anyway.

You know what happens next?

Everyone is looking for every excuse to get you back in the side. You only take two wickets but then you are brought back up anyway because they think it's a turner for the next game. Really, they just think you look like a cricketer.

All because you have made a change in your image to make yourself look the part.

The only choices

When it comes to what other people think and how other people treat you, you really only ever have two choices; accept it or change your actions.

You could complain about being treated unfairly, change teams or entrench your position further with strong arguments. In the end though, you either accept or change. The rest is a fruitless waste of energy.

It's not up to me to tell you which strategy is best for you. You may be a wonderful team player who can't perform, or a self-centered, technically ugly player who effortlessly does the job. Chances are you are somewhere between these extremes, but you always have to make that choice, like it or not.

So, make your choice and get back to working on your game.