I have the pleasure of working with a talented leg-spinner every few months. He is a top little fella, only 10 years in age and growing at the same rate of knots as a sweet corn field in the middle of a perfect summer. He first tried leg spin at the age of seven on a cricketing holiday we run out in St Lucia and has persevered with the toughest skill in cricket ever since.

It’s frustrating to have your thoughts and ideas go unnoticed.

Don't you hate it when you can't stop thinking about how you got out?

You sit on the side of the pitch filled with regret and frustration. Sometimes this feeling lasts for days. You kick yourself, you dwell on what you could have done differently. You consider if it's all really worth it.

When it's really bad, you carry all these thoughts into your next innings. Instead of just reacting to the ball you are double checking your technique and tactics and getting your mind in a whirl.

It's painful.

It clutters your mind.

It lowers your batting average.

Most of us know what do do with a technical issue: Get in the nets and fix it. We also know that to get fit you train with cricket specific fitness work. But what if you want to improve the mental side of your game?

You don’t get to be a talented cricketer unless you have resilience.

Have you ever wondered how you can turn a slump in form into feeling on top of the world in one ball?

How accurate is accurate?

We all know the stories. The opposition bowler who bowls perfect line and length all day and doesn't give you a thing. The long retired former player who is spoken about in hushed tones because he only bowled one half volley in 17 summers.

We know these are myths, but we like to believe them, especially our team has collapsed, or we bowl badly. We jealousy assume there is nothing we could do. We don't have the bowlers/the batsmen didn't have a chance.

Good cricketers are tough in all situations.

You might be on top and in control, or fighting to get out of a jam. The context might change but your ability to fight out stays the same.

Some people are naturals at this mental game: they need no training to stay confident, focused and self-aware. Aside from these genetic freaks, the rest of us need a little more work. Work that no amount of time getting throwdowns or bowling at PitchVision can ever give. Work that happens in your head.

Want the good news?

This work gets real, tangible results in runs and wickets. You don't even need to be at nets, or have anyone to train with. You just need you, and your mind, and some time to think.

One of the more common frustrations we hear at PitchVision is the talented player who is not given a chance to prove his ability.

Perhaps you feel you are the victim of this bias.

The men who make the decisions somehow have it in for you or - more often - favour someone else above you for reason that are not about cricket. You can't prove that corruption is happening, but you hear things said and see lesser players chosen above you and become convinced. The coach might tell you it's because the better man was chosen, but you know politics, money or even race lie at the heart of a choice.

It's enough to dishearten the honest, hard-working and talented player.

Don't give up yet, friend. There is hope.

You are not alone. There are inspiring stories of players in your exact position that have gone on to overcome bias and become a cricketer. We can learn from the example.

Cricket doesn’t need perfect teamwork to win games, but it certainly helps and is certainly a goal worth striving for. Here are some tips.

Teamwork is a tricky thing. It’s not easy to measure or analyse. There is no direct relationship between a bonded team and success. Different approaches work for different groups. It’s messy.

There is no simple template for a great team.