JUSTIN LANGER: My advice for Marnus Labuschagne ahead of defining Test match in Adelaide

When you are searching for runs, distractions cloud your mind.

The simplicity of your thinking when you are in form starkly contrasts to the sinister snake pit of complexity when you’re not.

Ultimately, form is the mindset of simplicity compared to the death trap of complexity when underperforming.

One of the main distractors is the curse of listening to or reading the views of the media or, in today’s market, the opinions of the masses.

It’s easy to say, “just don’t listen to it”, and this is the best advice you can ever heed, but the curious mind tends to forget common sense approaches in times of pressure.

The other disturbance to your mindset is thinking of technical issues in your game that may or may not disrupt your flow when making runs. This is often known as paralysis by analysis.

You have so many thoughts running through your mind as the bowler runs in to bowl, that you forget to simplify the process of seeing the ball out of their hand and watching that red Kookaburra like a hawk.

When you are in this state, it feels like the game is running in fast forward; everything feels rushed, and your chances of success are minimised.

Conversely, in the peaceful state of following simple, clear processes, the ball feels like it is coming to you in slow motion, and your body moves into the correct positions accordingly.

The final interference to success, as I experienced, was worrying about what your teammates, coaches or selectors were thinking about your performances.

For the first part of my career, I worried about what Mark Taylor and Mark Waugh thought of my game. Basically, in my mind, I thought they thought I was rubbish.

What I learned was that the game is tough enough as it is. Worrying about other people’s opinions, especially those within your camp, was performance suicide. On the other hand, when I knew my teammates, especially my captain and coach, had my back, I felt like Superman.

Unsurprisingly, my best results in the baggy green cap were when I played with guys such as Ricky Ponting, Matty Hayden, and Adam Gilchrist, and I knew my captain, Steve Waugh, and coach, John Buchanan, were in my corner.

Presently, the heat is on Marnus Labuschagne, and to a lesser extent Steve Smith. But let’s clarify one thing: this Australian cricket team needs them both to fire on all cylinders.

Remind yourself that you are a Test match star who needs to prove nothing to anyone because you have done it so many times before.

These two are outstanding cricketers. They work harder than anyone else in world cricket. They get energy from each other. The team receives energy from them when they are playing well.

Both understand that no player has a God-given right to be selected and that runs are the only commodity of value to any batsman.

They also know how to make runs, mountains of them. They are masters at the art of run-making.

If I was talking to Marnus this is what I would tell him: “Trust your mercurial cover drive and that audacious whip through mid-wicket. When the ball is short, trust your instincts. Get your feet dancing, play with a sound mind, and the freedom we saw when you first entered the Test arena. Finally, remind yourself that you are a Test match star who needs to prove nothing to anyone because you have done it so many times before.”

This mindset will take courage, especially when you have been a bit lean of late, but that’s his best way forward.

I am sure Pat Cummins and Andrew McDonald will be getting around him, as will his teammates, because they know, as I know, that Australian cricket needs not only his runs but also his extraordinary energy on the field and his infectious personality.

There aren’t many like him, and that’s why he has been so good for this team for the past 51 Tests, at a time when the Australian team has been the best in the world.

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