The Cricket Mentoring Podcast

Aiden Blizzard on Opening the Batting with Sachin Tendulkar

In this interview I sat down with a very interesting and exciting cricketer who has recently announced his retirement from professional cricket – Aiden Blizzard. In the intro I didn’t mention who he plays for like I have done in other episodes as he’s had a number of different teams which we discussed in the interview. 

Blizzard started his career at Victoria before moving to South Australia and finishing off with Tasmania. In this time he also represented the Adelaide Strikers, Hobart Hurricanes and most recently the Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash while also spending three seasons with the Mumbai Indians in the IPl where he opened the batting with Sachin Tendulkar. 

In the last few years he has transitioned into coaching and was the High-Performance Manager of ACT cricket while still playing in the Big Bash.

In this episode we discussed: 

• How he transitioned from junior cricket in country Victoria to grade cricket in Melbourne
• How he progressed from grade cricket to the Victorian squad and what it was like debuting with and against some of the biggest names in Australian cricket at the time.
• What it was like to walk onto the ground at Eden Gardens in Mumbai with Sachin Tendulkar to open the batting in an IPL match.
• How Mike Hussey & Jacques Kallis operated for the Sydney Thunder when they won the BBL in 2016
• What the transition has been like from playing to coaching and what’s next in his life plus a whole lot more

This is a cracking episode with a great bloke who I learned a lot from and no doubt you will as well so let's get into it.

The Surge of Women’s Cricket with India’s Future Stars Vanitha VR & Likhitha VG

Women's cricket is on the rise around the world. When I was in Bangalore, India a couple of weeks ago, myself and Andrew Walton sat down and spoke to two women cricketers, Vanitha VR and Likhitha VG about their story and the future of women's cricket.

Vanitha has had some success on the International stage having represented India while Likhitha has lead a domestic team to a title so they both are very good cricketers in their own right.

In this interview we asked: 

1. Introduction and background.

2. How did you arrive at KIOC?

3. What are your first memories of being here?

4. How has the experience at KIOC helped you as a cricketer and a person?

5. How would you describe your cricketing dreams?

6. Where do you believe women’s cricket in India is heading?

7. We have learned so much from you both in this trip, would there be anything that you have learned from us?

 

This is a different format to normal but I hope you enjoy the insight from these two great cricketers.

Ashton Turner on Self Belief and Playing with Freedom

Ashton Turner has played T20 International Cricket for Australia and over the last few years has become one of the best batters in Australia across both first-class and T20 cricket. In this years Big Bash he was man of the match on 3 occasions after match-winning innings and was second only to player of the tournament, Darcy Short for the most number of sixes hit in the tournament. 

He also became vice-captain of the Western Australian team this season and captained the team in the absence of Mitch Marsh. Had it not been for injury he would know doubt have played for Australia this summer and would probably be at the IPL right now.

In this episode we discussed: 

How he followed the pathway set out by the WACA & Cricket Australia from the age of 10

How he never felt like he was good enough when playing in under age representative teams

How he made his first-class debut for Australia under unusual circumstances. 

How getting clear in his game plans was the spark that took his game to the next level.

How disappointed he was that a shoulder injury ruled him out for Australian selection and the IPL this year.

How hard it was captaining Western Australia for the first time this year. 

How he went from fearing bug crowds to loving playing in front of big crowds.

Plus a whole lot more

Hilton Cartwright on Keeping up with Mitch Marsh

Hilton Cartwright has played Test Cricket & One Day Internationals for Australia and has a unique story of how he got there. Born in Zimbabwe and living there until he was 11 years old he isn’t your typical Australian player.

While he’s dominated Australian domestic cricket at times he’s also had his share or struggles and gives us a great insight into that as well as the good times in his career. 

In this episode we discussed: 

How he hit a six in his first match and why it means he now wears the number 35 on his back when he plays for WA & the Perth Scorchers.

How cricket gave him friends when he first moved from Zimbabwe to Perth.

How he idolised Mitch Marsh at school and tried to keep up with his power hitting in their school days.

How he became such a brilliant fielder without even trying to be.

How he found out he was selected for Australia and the funny story behind that. 

What he was feeling and thinking as the bowler was running in to bowl the first ball he faced in Test cricket.

How he uses visualization and plans thoroughly the night before he plays

The simple mental process he recently changed to get back into form 

Why he enjoys to get out into the ocean for a surf plus a whole lot more.

Former South-African Cricketer Hylton Ackermann on Smashing Fear

Hylton or HD Ackermann is at a different stage of his life than many of our other guests. 

Ackermann played Test cricket for South Africa in the late 1990s and since retiring from professional cricket in 2009 has had a stint in the media and high-performance coaching in South Africa. He then relocated his family to Perth and has been the head of cricket at a private boys school here in Perth for the past 2 years. 

It’s great to have him on at this point in time when Australia is currently in South Africa battling away in the Test Series. He gave us a unique insight into what it’s like to play in Cape Town – the venue for the third and extremely controversial Test.

Sam Whiteman on fighting back from disappointment

This is a great interview with Sam Whiteman as it’s another interesting story and as a wicket-keeper Whitey gives you another perspective on the game.

 Whiteman was a very good young cricketer who progressed through the ranks in WA cricket to make his first-class debut as an opening batsman at the age of 20. After having a brilliant season for WA 2013-14 Whiteman was selected for Australia A where he went on to score a century against India A And was touted as the next Australia wicket-keeper which he may well be right if it wasn’t for a cruel run of injuries over the past few seasons.

In this episode we discussed: 

• Making his 1st-grade debut at a young age
• How he made the transition from the country to the city as a teenager
• How thinking about higher honours caused him to go backwards
• How he dealt with multiple injury setbacks
• How he manages his preparation for both keeping and batting
• What his process and routines are like before matches
• How he deals with the pressure of big matches
• Plus a lot more

I hope you enjoy this chat with with a highly skilled cricketer and great bloke.

Sports Psychologist Martin Hagger on the mindset of Elite Athletes

Martin Hagger is a Professor, psychologist, sports psychologist, lecturer, speaker, author, researcher and athlete himself who travels the world researching the mind and human behaviour. 

It’s a change-up for us in this interview as I step away from cricketers and instead interview a sports psychologist. I’m pumped about this interview with Martin Hagger as there’s so many practical mental conditioning tips and techniques that the world’s best athletes use that you can use yourself. 

In this episode we discussed: 

• The mindset that separates the absolute best from those that aren’t quite as good
• Why teams or individuals choke
• How to deal with anxiety and fear
• How to shut out mental distractions while competing
• How people can motivate themselves by setting goals
• How people can build confidence into their games and lives

While Martin isn't a cricketer like our normal guest, we hope you see the value in what he has to share and can implement some of his teachings into your own life on and off the field.

Nathan Coulter-Nile on dealing with injuries & setbacks

This episode of The Cricket Mentoring podcast is with Australian fast-bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile. I’m really excited about this interview with Nathan Coulter-Nile as I think it gives you guys a huge amount of value.

Coulter-Nile has played T20 & ODI cricket for Australia and has starred in the IPL over the past few years but his successes haven’t come easy. He’s been injured for a huge part of his career and has had to continually pick himself up and start again.

In this episode we discussed:

• How he found out he had a rookie contract with Western Australia
• The conversation that sparked something within him to change how he went about his cricket.
• How he’s dealt with all the injury setbacks over the years.
• What it’s like to play in the IPL
• What he does to switch off and get away from the game
• What his routine is like in between balls
• Plus a whole lot more. 

I hope you enjoy this episode and insight into Nathan.

Adam Voges on Leadership, Mindset & building a successful culture

Adam Voges will go down as statistically one of the best Test batsmen of all time but for a huge part of his career, it didn’t look like he would even play a single Test match.

Voges is a very clever and thoughtful cricketer & person who has a wealth of knowledge to share with you guys.

He’s played all 3 forms of cricket for Australia, as well as playing in the IPL and numerous years of county cricket and has been a brilliant and successful captain and leader in the later parts of his career.

In this episode we discussed:

• What his younger years looked like and how often he trained
• What changes he made to take his game to a new level
• How he bounced back from a difficult period of Test cricket
• What his mental routine is between balls
• What characteristics and similarities he’s seen in the world’s best players he’s played with and against.
• What traits a good leader should have

It’s a story of perseverance, resilience and deep belief as well as meticulous preparation!

I hope you enjoy this episode with Vogesy.

Dawid Malan on his preparation for the ASHES

Everyone dreams of being successful and achieving their goals, but not everyone actually does achieve them. How do successful people overcome the hurdles they face and come out the other side?

Dawid Malan has had to overcome a lot of frustration and tough times but has come out on top to have the success that he’s now having on the international stage. Hopefully this gives you some inspiration to work through your tough times and realise how good it could be….

Dawid is an English international cricketer who is at the top of his game right now. He has just finished a very successful Ashes campaign in Australia and a T20 series in New Zealand and in this episode he shares his journey.