Date-stamped : 12 Jun96 - 02:15 12 June 1996 Botham plugs positive approach By Simon Hughes `NEGATIVE and positive paths?" the Liverpool manager Bob Paisley once exclaimed. "I thought that was something for the club electrician." He said that back in 1982 when professional team sports largely neglected mind games. Motivation in cricket equalled a pre-match rant from the captain about concentration and commit- ment, and threats of extra training sessions if the players didn`t deliver. Non-conformists were barely tolerated and performers whose exotic skills tended to be suffocated by shaky temperaments were dismissed as wasters. Negative vibes hung like a pall around the apprentices` locker room, and suppression ruled. In the Luddite world of county cricket it is heartening to report an upgrade. An influx of distinguished overseas players is radically transforming the outlook without, in most cases, block- ing the path of home-bred talent on the field. Dean Jones, Mal- colm Marshall, Desmond Haynes and Dave Gilbert, among others, have breathed enthusiasm and optimism into the hearts of their adopted teams, and first-class cricket seems like fun again, rather than some interminable pursuit that pays the bills. The core of their approach is to develop a positive environment in the dressing room, making individuals feel valuable and highlighting the plusses instead of dwelling on the minuses. In the past, well-intentioned coaches were often inclined to work for hours trying to iron out some weakness, like a ten- dency to cut balls which were too straight, when what they were actually jeopardising a batsman`s strength. Excessive use of the lofted drive was discouraged and young players with too much to say put seniors` backs up. A veritable motormouth, Jones is infuriating to play against be- cause of his incessant rabbit from slip Not any more. At the Oval, Gilbert has not only demolished physical barriers - the walls between the first and second team dressing rooms - but mental ones too. "In team meetings we open the floor up, get everyone involved. It`s important to remove the idea of a rigid pecking order, give each person a bit of responsibilty. Then they feel important and enjoy it more. On- lookers are saying they haven`t seen such a cheerful Surrey side for years." Jones, the former Australian batsman now captaining Derbyshire, is so upbeat he even has a complimentary word about the Derby ground - "Its not that bad, I quite like it" - and agrees it is crucial to encourage self-expression. "Adrian Rollins, our opening bat, is good clean striker but he was scared to hit the ball over the top. He`d been caught at mid-on a few times. I`ve told him to go play his natural game, don`t even think about failure." A veritable motormouth, Jones is infuriating to play against be- cause of his incessant rabbit from slip, but it is just a way of sustaining his concentration as well as everyone else`s. "It`s really important to enjoy fielding, to show off and be proud of it. If you can throw the ball 90 yards, show every- one when you get the chance - hurl it in as hard as you can, put on an exhibition." Marshall and Haynes subscribe to the positive school of thinking, the former giving aggression free rein, the latter urging batsmen to pay more attention to enhancing their best strokes and less to attempting to patch up their worst. A number of great batsmen, Graeme Pollock, Len Hutton and Geoff Boycott for instance, kept the art simple by limiting them- selves to three or four main shots and honing them to perfec- tion. With this subtle change of focus, a litany of county batsmen could have avoided falling down the jack-of-all- trades-and-master-of-none drain. Botham`s employment as a Sky commentator means he is easy to track down, watches the game intently and even dresses smartly enough to be admitted to the pavilion, none of which was the case in the past. Because of the stature of these players, their influence is powerful. When Jones booms "That`s a top effort, big man," even someone as self-confident as Dominic Cork is visibly uplifted. If Malcolm Marshall tinkers with your run-up, you don`t re- bel against the idea. When Haynes suggests a new tactic, you be- lieve in it. This is the strongest argument for getting Ian Botham more in- volved in the England set-up. His name features far more regu- larly than any other under the `players most admired` heading in the Cricketers` Who`s Who. A genuine compliment from him is worth a thousand from anyone else. He has already delivered a dynamic motivational speech to Hampshire, and his input would be invaluable the night before a Test match. He is, after all, a winner and we do not have many of those. "I`d love to be involved on the motivational side," he said. "Work on self-belief, talk about strategy, take the lads away to play golf or war games to build up team spirit. Quite a lot of the England boys come to me privately already." Including David Lloyd as it happens. Botham`s employment as a Sky commentator means he is easy to track down, watches the game intently and even dresses smartly enough to be admitted to the pavilion, none of which was the case in the past. Yet the boss doesn`t want him. Talk about looking a gift horse in the mouth. The positive outlook fostered by Lloyd has already made a big impression. The video clips of players smoting sixes or splatter- ing stumps set to music, the slogans, the Churchillian speeches, all conspired to spark England`s ignition. With an in- jection from Botham they might just accelerate out of sight. Source :: Electronic Telegraph (http.//www.telegraph.co.uk) Contributed by Shash (shs2@*.cwru.edu)