When things are not going as planned, the great captains often have a proposal to resolve the situation.

Brian Ashton calls this "and now for something completely different" or "what if" planning.

Brian is one of the world's leading Rugby Union coaches, an incredible thinker and I am lucky to count him as a mentor. He has spoken to me about how great leaders find a way to create order out of chaos.

What does he mean by this?

Imagine you are playing a one day game where your plan is to bowl seamers through powerplay 1. However, the opposition score freely at 9 an over.

You think quickly and change to a spinner with a pre-planned field, key people in key positions and this plan practiced - both physically and mentally - in sessions leading into the match.

And this is not just for when you are in the field. One of the teams that I coached last year had a lower order batter who was excellent at batting against spin. We had a rule that when the spinner warmed up then he would get his pads on and go in next wicket down. He had a free rein and the existing batter knew that they would get off strike to maximize the impact of the "floating" batter.

It's important to note here: Any plan that is not pre-planned and communicated can have devastating impact. The batter who is pushed into action might not be prepared; the batter waiting to go in who is usurped in the order becomes demotivated and loses focus.

Quick thinking takes preparation

If you want to develop your own "what if" plans, then run through them in practice and in team meetings.

This enables you to test their effectiveness and communicate widely. In my experience, this gives the plan the best chance of leading to a successful outcome.

BUt remember, it is not just down to the captain to make these plans.

Andrew Strauss, as England skipper, found this personally tricky so he would use Stuart Broad as the author of the teams "what if" planning. Use what you have available!

What are your "what if" plans?

Leave a comment in the box and let us know what scenarios you have put a plan into action. It would be great to hear of your own examples of successful "what if" planning where you or your captain has created order out of chaos.

Brian Ashton's website is here.