Test great Mark Waugh says next week's batting camp organised by Cricket Australia must be as much about mental preparation as addressing problems with technique.
Waugh admitted he was not exactly sure what would be involved but it was unusual for the batting unit to meet before the rest of the squad.
He said a loss of confidence was inevitable after a long run of batting collapses and Waugh claimed it was up to individual players to pep themselves up while reinforcing the self-belief of team-mates.
"They've got to forget about the collapses, each batsman has just got to worry about his own game and if you do that then you'll score well as a team," Waugh said.
"It's up to each player to probably look over their career and look over their good times and know they're good enough to succeed at this level.
"Then make a few minor adjustments to their techniques.
"Batsmen in the squad normally help each other out as well. If there's technical problems they're normally the best players to talk to the other players in the side.
"There's no magic involved, just a bit of belief in your ability and a bit of hard work."
Waugh said the Australian batsmen were going through what every struggling sports person goes through in a time of difficulty.
He predicted the experience will bring the best out of the true champions.
"You don't lose your ability overnight and Ricky (Ponting) and all those guys are pretty good players," Waugh said.
"It doesn't matter what sport you play. If a few mental doubts start creeping into your mind, then the good players just manage to keep them out and worry about keeping it simple.
"That's just part of the whole make-up of the Test match batsman.
"You've got to be able to handle the low times and the high times and obviously believe in your own ability."
AAP
Tags: cricket, sport, australia First posted December 17, 2011 22:40:56
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