The West Indies team needs a sports psychologist

Dear Editor,

One would have thought the need for psychological help for the WI team obvious because of the extreme stress involved in international cricket. Since there has been great resistance from management to the inclusion of a sports psychologist in the team`s support staff, I will once again try to make what, I think, is the important case.

I was surprised to read that Leon Johnson, a new Test player, in an interview in South Africa, identified the mental challenges faced by international cricketers, but felt they were required to sort them out themselves. He gave no reasons for his belief in self-help exclusively. I fear he may have got that viewpoint from within the organization. I think he needs to ask himself and others why other teams that are higher in the rankings use psychologists, and why help is needed for physical, but not mental challenges.

Almost all the lower order batsmen, who are not without talent, tend to bat with extreme aggression and without patience. Few batsmen throw away their wickets with such frequency as do WI batsmen. Few teams give away strong positions as frequently as does the WI. Psychologist Rudy Webster has referred to that latter tendency as “the fear of winning.” What happened on the fourth day in Cape Town has now become so common that the opposition have come to expect it and plan for it. These problems are all mental and require mental solutions.

Many West Indians understandably believe the solution lies in replacing the current players. I have no personal attachment to those players, but I doubt that would be a sensible solution. Can the board not experiment for a period by adding a psychologist to the support staff and see if there is some improvement. After all, Sports Psychology is a recognized profession.

Yours faithfully,

Romain Pitt