The Cricket Mentoring Podcast

Mel Jones on managing working with playing at the highest level and progressing into commentary

G’day legends. Welcome to this special episode of The Cricket Mentoring Podcast.

One of the reasons I say it’s special is because of our guest, Melanie Jones who I’ll go more into in just a second.

The second reason this episode is special is because we are recording it in India. The Karnataka Institute of Cricket in Bangalore is a strange place for two Aussies to record a podcast but there’s no better setting to discuss the journey of one of Australian crickets true stars.

Mel and I are in Bangalore for different reasons -  I’m running a Cricket Mentoring Tour for young cricketers from Australia and the UK to experience India and train and play in sub-continent conditions, while Mel is here to commentate on an IPL match in a couple of nights but I didn’t want to miss to opportunity to hear the story of this legend…

Melanie or Mel Jones is a former Australian cricketer who, in recent years has turned herself into one of the best cricket commentators going around as she travels the world commentating on the major tournaments including the Big Bash, IPL and will soon be in the UK commentating on the World Cup.

Mel was an elite player. She played 5 Test matches and 61 One Day Internationals and is a member of the prestigious club of cricketers who have scored a century on Test debut – with 131 against England in the 1998 Ashes series.

Having played all her representative cricket when women’s cricket wasn’t professional, Mel has been a huge advocate for the women’s game and is incredibly happy to see the best cricketers in Australia and around the world become professionals in recent years.

Since retiring, Mel has done various things but in recent years has built her reputation in commentary boxes around the world. She not only brings a great deal of experience from playing at the highest level to the commentary box, but through her hard work and love of the game she also brings a real depth of knowledge about each and every player.

It was awesome to sit down with Mel and hear how a girl from the country has forged a very successful life in cricket both on and off the field.

In this episode we discussed:

• How she began playing cricket at her grandparents place with her older male cousins and how the circumstances in those games, shaped the player she was in international cricket
• How Peter Handscomb & Sam Harper’s fathers played a pivotal role in her cricket career
• How she was never a ‘pro’ and had to manage working bits and pieces job with playing international and domestic cricket
• How she was ‘stuffing her face with a prawn cocktail’ at the back of the room when her name was first read out as being a member of the Australian squad
• How she took a big leap to leave her steady career to pursue a career as a freelance cricket commentator and how it’s paying off in spades
• Plus a whole lot more. 

When in India anything can happen, and on cue, the power went out half way through our interview… but as all true professionals do, Mel carried on as if nothing had happened. 

No doubt you will pick up our mutual love for this beautiful country throughout the conversation.

 Mel is cricketing royalty and it was a pleasure to spend a morning with her at KIOC. Her energy and passion for the game is obvious which I’m sure you’ll hear it in her voice so lets get into this epsiode…

Gideon Haigh talks about how he became a cricket writer and his thoughts on the current game

Welcome to this episode of The Cricket Mentoring Podcast. This episode is with someone who has a very interesting insight on the game of cricket.

Gideon Haigh is without a doubt one of the most intelligent humans that I’ve ever spoken to and I was fascinated listening to his insight and views on the game. As one of the chief cricket writers for The Australian newspaper, Gideon watches international and domestic matches closely and combined with his background in things outside of cricket is regarded as one of the best cricket pundits in the country.

He is also frequently talking about the game on TV and is currently giving his expert views on channel 7 during the Test series between Australia and India.

At 52 years old he is also still playing for his beloved South Yarra cricket club in the Victorian Grade Competition and therefore truly understands the game and struggles that come with it as a player.

As someone who has read and followed Gideon’s insights for a while I was very excited to chat to him and hear his views on the game.

In this episode we discussed:

• How he got into playing cricket and how he’s reinvented himself throughout his career
• Why he travels over an hour twice a week to play at his cricket club
• Why club cricket is important to the development of players
• How some young players in the Australian system are burning out due to their workload
• How technology has changed the game over the past 10 years
• The qualities needed to perform at the highest level
• What traits the best leaders he’s seen posses
• What his advice is for any youngster wanting to pursue a career as a cricket journalist

Plus a whole lot more.

 

This was truly a fascinating chat with someone who looks at the game differently to most others. I’m sure you’ll be enthralled, just as I was by Gideon’s articulate answers and depth of knowledge of Australian cricket.

Josh Philippe on becoming a professional cricketer

Welcome to this episode of The Cricket Mentoring Podcast with WA batsman, Josh Phillipe.

Josh broke onto the scene in stunning fashion a little over a year ago when he scored 88 in the first session of a tour match against the England Test team that featured the likes of Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad. Since then he has made his First-class & List A debuts for Western Australia, Scored a Sheffield Shield Century and made his Big Bash debut for the Perth Scorchers and last week it was announced that he is joining the Sydney Sixers for this year's Big Bash.

Josh also scored a better than a run a ball 57 for the Prime Ministers XI against a South Africa side that featured Dale Steyn & Kagiso Rabada in a man of the match performance in October this year.

At just 21 years of age, Josh is one of the brightest prospects in Australian cricket and has recently come on board as a Cricket Mentoring ambassador which we’re really excited to be partnered with Josh to help him on his journey.

In this episode we discussed:

• How he got into cricket after both his mum and dad represented WA
• How he was selected as a wicket-keeping more than a batter in his junior and when his batting took over from his keeping
• How having a season in England helped him not only become the batter he is today but also find his love for the game again
• How he batted number 9 in a WA trial match and was spewing when Mitch Marsh and Marcus Stoinis got a second hit ahead of him
• How he wishes England had bowled their overs a bit quicker in the tour match so he could have scored a 100
• How he spent the winter in Brisbane at the National Performance Centre working with former Aussie opener Chris Rogers
• How being told a week before the first Big Bash game that he was playing hindered his performance

Plus a whole lot more.

We have no doubt Josh Phillippe will become a household name around the world in the future and are excited to bring you his journey thus far in today’s episode.

So lets get into this episode…

Mental Health and Suicide Prevention in cricket with Mark Boyns

Mark started Opening Up in 2014 after his cricket club was hit with tragedy with the passing of his good mate, Alex, who took his own life.

Since then, Mark has been on a campaign to raise awareness for mental health issues and suicide prevention and travels around the world teaching people how every single person can improve their ‘mental fitness’, which is something that aligns with our message as coaches and mentors to our athletes.

As the name suggests, Mark and his now team of speakers, travel around the UK and more recently Australia and New Zealand encouraging and supporting cricketers to Open Up and talk to someone if they are struggling with their mental health.

Opening Up has won the support of many of England’s best cricketers who love the message it shares.

In this episode we discussed:

• How the best teams and people in sport communicate well and why it’s important to do that on a number of levels
• How mental health exists on a continuum with good mental health on one end and bad mental health on the other
• What people can do to improve their mental conditioning to improve their performance
• How to notice a decline of your own mental health or someone else around you
• How to be a good listener to someone who has confided in you
• How Mark suffered his own mental health issues and how he’s worked to overcome them
• What gratitude is and how you can practice it and how it rewires your brain to look for the positive in things…

Plus a whole lot more.

This is a different chat to many of the others we’ve published previously but there are so many great things that you can learn from it and implement into your life and help with others around you.

Mark is a very clever guy who is changing peoples lives around the world so I’m thrilled to have sat down with him and heard more about his story. So lets get into this episode…

NSW Rookie Ryan Hackney on taking his game to the next level

Welcome to this episode of The Cricket Mentoring Podcast.

Most of you would never have heard of this episodes guest but I have no doubt you will see and hear about him in the future. a 19 year-old Ryan Hackney currently has a rookie contract for NSW and was in Perth last week for a 2^nd XI match against WA at the WACA.

Earlier this year Ryan opened the batting for the Australian under 19 team in their series against Pakistan. This was after he was left out of the Australia Under 19 world cup squad that went to New Zealand inn January this year.

In this episode we discussed:

• How he found batting at the WACA for the first time and how he had to adjust his method from playing in Sydney
• How he spent an hour shadow batting after hitting 2 balls with his new batting coach
• What it’s like to train with guys like Steve Smith, David Warner, Moises Henriques and the rest of the NSW squad
• How he realised he didn’t need to be something that he’s not before scoring a hundred for the Aussie under 19s earlier this year
• How he never really thought about becoming a professional cricketer until it happened
• How he has improved his mental game by learning to switch off

Plus a whole lot more.

This podcast is designed to give you an insight into the journey of people at different stages of their careers and Ryan gives us an excellent insight into one of the countries best young players. He is a very hard working young man with a big ambition and we have no doubt he is going to have a very successful career ahead of him. So lets get into this episode.

England sports psychologist Mike Rotheram on training under pressure

Welcome to this episode of The Cricket Mentoring Podcast. After a 3 month break I’m pumped to be back and hopefully bigger and better than ever before. I really want to make this podcast as interesting and valuable for you as it can be!

This episode, which was recorded a few months ago while I was in the UK, is with one of the England cricket teams sports psychologists, Mike Rotheram.

Mike, who is a cricketer himself, started working with the England men’s team and England Lions and is now working closely with the England women.

With 9 years of studying under his belt, Mike is extremely qualified to teach the mental skills required to perform at the highest level.

In this episode we discussed:

How he became a sports psychologist after not being good enough to make it as a player

• How he did a PHD in the Yips and what causes the yips
• What a sports psychologist does
• What the traits are of elite athletes
• How he coaches players who over analyse or overthink things
• How the coaches set up sessions to test and train their players under pressure
• The difference between people who are driven by consequences and those that are driven by rewards and how to work out who needs what.

Plus a whole lot more.

This is an awesome insight into how some of the world’s best players train and work on their mental skills. If you’re interested in getting the most out of yourself and trying the techniques that aren’t really talked about on a regular basis then this is a great episode that you will get a lot of value from, so lets get into it.

Steven Finn on focusing on the positives & using nerves to your advantage

If you’re a cricket lover then you would definitely know of Steven Finn. Finn burst onto the international stage as 20 year old in 2010 and quickly became the face of English cricket with lots of on field success and a very likeable character to go with it.

Since then he’s had his share of ups and downs. With 126 appearances for England across all formats, Finny has certainly had a successful career but had it not been for injury or a loss of form at certain times, he could have played a lot more. With raw pace and steepling bounce, Finny is one of the world’s best and most scariest bowlers when he’s at his best.

As a former teammate who admired how Finny went about his business during my time at Middlesex, it was great to sit down with him and hear his story and the journey of how he got to where he is today.

In this episode we discussed:

• How he got into cricket and who his mentors were when he was growing up
• How he managed being at school while playing professionally for Middlesex
• How he made his way into the England test side for the first time and what it was like playing with guys he had always admired and looked up to
• How he has dealt with injuries & disappointment over the course of his career
• How he handles the pressure of a big match
• What he’s seen in the world’s best players that separates them from the rest

Plus a whole lot more.

This is a great insight into someone who has been in the spotlight in international cricket for a long time and is now fighting to find a way back to the highest level.

Ben Brown on managing keeping & batting as a pro

Welcome to this episode of The Cricket Mentoring Podcast. Ben Brown or Browny as he goes by, has played first-class cricket for 11 years and is regarded as one of the best wicket-keepers in England. Having played 117 first-class matches, Browny has a huge amount of experience and at the age of just 29, he still has a very long career ahead of him.

In 2017 he took over the captaincy of Sussex County Cricket Club midway through the season and this year, 2018 was officially made the club captain 

With a first-class average of a touch under 40 and an average of over 47 this season, Browny is the ultimate all-rounder and if it wasn’t for the dominance of Jonny Bairstow & Jos Buttler, he would seriously be up there for the next in line keeper for England.

I really enjoyed doing this interview with Browny as he’s one of my best mates so it was great to hear his story and the journey of how he got to where he is today. 

In this episode we discussed: 

• How he’s born and raised in Sussex and has been a part of their system right the way through the underage groups to the senior team
• How he made his first-class debut at the age of 18 against Sri Lanka
• How he manages his preparation in terms of keeping & batting and how that’s changed throughout his career
• What it was like being Matt Prior’s understudy and learning what he learnt from him while he was at the height of his powers
• How playing grade cricket in Perth helped him both on and off the field
• What he’s working on as a leader and how he’s constantly having to audit himself.

Plus a whole lot more.

This is an excellent episode with a genuinely great bloke who is at the top of his game and will hopefully get to wear the England colours one day.

International coach Charlie Burke on coaching at an elite level

Charlie Burke had a dream of traveling the world as a professional cricketer. Unfortunately, he wasn’t good enough to make it as a player, so instead he’s become a high performance coach who travels the world with cricket.

Charlie started his cricket coaching as a community development officer for the WACA before he progressed up the ranks at the WACA. He was then head hunted to do a role in game development in the Asia region for the ICC before ultimately becoming the Head coach of Hong Kong.

In the past, Hong Kong hasn’t been known for it’s cricketing prowess but Charlie was instrumental in them getting qualified for numerous big global tournaments including the 2014 ICC T20 World Cup.

As a Cricket Australia level 3 coach, Charlie is now regarded globally as a very experienced coach with a wealth of knowledge and assists Cricket Australia with educating the next generation of high performance coaches.

In this episode we discussed:

How coaching a basketball team while in High school helped make him into the coach he is today.

How he became serious about cricket coaching after he was told he wouldn’t make it as a player.

How a chance meeting with someone during the 2010 Under 19 World Cup lead him to coach Hong Kong on the International stage for 7 years.

What the highlight of his time coaching Hong Kong was and why his team nearly had to be evacuated by a chopper after a match.

Why coaching an associate nation is like coaching a grade club in Australia.

The coaching principal that every coach should follow.

What he spoke about during his presentation at the Cricket Australia level 3 coaching course recently

Plus a whole lot more.

This is a great episode with someone with a very interesting perspective on the game that everyone will get value from, so lets get into it.

Former England star Robin Smith on his journey to Test cricket

Welcome to this episode with arguably one of England’s finest ever batsman, Robin Smith. Robin, or Judgie as he goes by, had a fantastic career that included scoring over 26,000 First class runs across a huge 426 First-class matches. Now just to put that into context, as of this interview in June 2018, Steve Smith has played 118 First-class matches, Virat Kohli has played 98 & Joe Root has played 125 matches. So that’s almost 4 times the number of matches each of them have played. That is A LOT of cricket!

Judgie also played 62 Test matches and 71 One Day Internationals and combined scored 6,655 runs with 13 centuries and before Alex Hales scored 171 against Pakistan 2 years ago, Judgie’s 167 at Edgbaston against Australia in 1993 was the Highest ever ODI score by an English batsmen.

After finishing his playing days in England, Judgie moved to Perth where he and his children now reside. He’s in the process of writing an autobiography, is studying a psychology degree, working full time and coaching junior cricketers so he’s certainly busy and active and is loving giving back to the game.

His passion and love for the game and his mates comes through in this interview which I’m sure you’re going to love.

In this episode we discussed: 

How his dad would get him out of bed at 5am every morning to practice

How he and his older brother Chris had a net in their garden which other International players like Barry Richards and Mike Proctor would come and use to practice.

How he transitioned from playing First Class cricket in South Africa to being a local player for Hampshire.

The one thing his mentor said to him before his Test debut and how that always stuck with him and how a stern word from his good mate Allan Lamb allowed him to play his natural game in his Test debut.

What his technical fundamentals are for any batter.

How he taught Matthew Hayden to visualise before every match.

Plus a whole lot more.

This is a brilliant episode with a legend of a bloke who I didn’t even realise how good of a player he was until I did my research for this interview.

So lets get into this episode.