Go to a cricket training session anywhere in the world and you will see the usual things: Batting, bowling and fielding. All very sensible.

But if you want the edge - if you want a chance at making it as a cricketer - you need to do more than the basics really well. You need an edge. You need to spend time on some of the following things.

The criteria is simple; the following seven training tricks are not directly related to cricket, but all have been proven to enhance your game. All you have to do is try them for a few weeks. If each one boosts your run scoring and wicket taking by just 1% then you will be 5% better in two or three weeks. That's an awesome return on your investment.

So let's get started!

1. Meditation

Good cricketers have many of the traits of good meditation practice: You are able to filter out distractions. You can concentrate and focus. You respond to stress without panicking. You can practice meditation any time you don't need to focus on something specific. It's simple and it works as you walk out to bat or get ready to bowl the last over in a cup final.

Sadly, meditation also has a bad image for sporty types like you and me. We tend to assume we need chakras, yoga pants and incense to become at one with the universe, man. This is untrue. Meditation is a practical skill.

So, take 20 minutes a day to sit and be mindful. There is a guide here. And see what difference it makes.

2. Protein powder

When I started writing on PitchVision Academy in 2006, protein powder was seen as a bodybuilding aid. Research was just starting to come into the public domain about the benefits of protein to sport performance, but the powders were still shunned by cricketers.

Nowadays you can't see a professional cricketer without a shaker bottle in hand, getting their drink in. Science has proven beyond doubt that higher protein diets work for both short and long term aims in cricket: better endurance, more strength and power, reduced body fat and a stronger immune system. Protein powder is a cheap and convenient way to get these benefits.

So, if you feel your diet is good, try topping up with a shake - or bar - a day for two weeks and monitor what happens. I'm willing to bet you start losing fat without changing weight, an indicator of improved health.

3. Visualisation

Yes, imagining doing well, helps you do well. You can call it visualisation, self-talk or just positivity, but however you sell it to yourself it works. That;s why you see opening batsmen at Test matches standing in the middle with a bat thinking through their innings before play.

The trick is to spend time thinking about playing well rather than trying to forget about playing badly. The more time you spend remembering your good performances - or even imagining good ones to come - the more you program your instincts to play better.

And of course, the real power of this method is that you only need time and yourself to do it. So, if you can't have a net this can be just as powerful for your game. What's stopping you from trying?

4. Luck

If you think you can't train luck, you're wrong.

Researchers have looked into luck for years and they have found that lucky people do certain things to make them lucky. It's not down to sheer chance at all. It all comes back to the old adage that "the harder I work, the luckier I get".

And while hard work is a prerequisite to be lucky, you can also switch your mindset easily and instantly become more lucky. Want an example? Say you are a swing bowler and you get a lot of balls passing the edge with few nicking off. If you blame luck you will get nowhere. If you switch and bowl wider on the crease, changing the angle, you bring both edges and LBW or bowled into things. Your luck stays exactly the same but you get more wickets.

So, by expecting to be lucky and expecting that you can make a change to turn bad luck around you are making yourself luckier. Another 1% is yours.

5. Sudoku

OK, I will admit the evidence for sudoku helping your cricket is slim, but there is certainly some so I reckon it's worth a go.

In one study, batsmen played the ancient puzzle game while waiting to bat. The batsmen then batted while researchers studied their brain waves and found that the mind had a decrease in right temporal cortical alpha power. That means you can more quicly pick line and length when in this state of mind. You feel more relaxed and alert.

One one study does not offer conclusive proof, if you have a puzzle book and pencil and you are waiting to bat, you could try it out and track you performance over time. Are you better at the start of your innings after a quick puzzle? Try it and find out.

Most of all, have some fun once you have the basic training in place. You will no doubt at least find one trick that helps you get better.