Herausforderungen » pointed out that even before the Lions game, coach S

With 130 international wickets under her belt, and an imposing T20 record, Englands recently appointed vice-captain Anya Shrubsole would have been one of the first internationals selected for the Womens Big Bash League in Australia last winter. If, that is, she had chosen to make the trip.She decided against joining the best of the best in the WBBL partly to preserve her body from the rigours of a chaotic schedule, but mostly because her final university dissertation was due (imagine that in the mens game).In her thesis, the psychology student explored the relationship between perfectionism and competitive anxiety; a topic appropriate for an opening bowler, specifically one who self-describes as a little bit of a perfectionist.Shrubsole spoke to ESPNcricinfo during the Kia Super League, where she is representing Western Storm, who feature in Sundays Finals Day at Chelmsford.Part of this drives you to train and it definitely got me where I am today because I want to do everything well as I possibly can, she explains of perfectionism as it relates to her own career. But theres a fine line: if you go too far over the line almost nothing ends up being good enough because no-one is perfect.There is a relaxed self-awareness in this from a bowler once known for her grumpiness. At 24, but with eight years since her England debut, she is at once a veteran and an improving product despite her seniority. But she believes a mellowing has occurred in the process of applying her psychology learnings into her professional output.A couple of bad balls used to get into my head and it would interfere with the next couple and spiral out of control and I think as you play more thats completely detrimental to what you are trying to do, she says.By putting in place processes to control such a spiral, Shrubsole knows she has limited a weakness in her game that batsmen exploited. The influence of new national coach Mark Robinson has been a key part in this development; he has schooled Shrubsole in the art of expectation management.You want to perform the best that you can, but at the same time if your expectations become unrealistic you almost never meet up to them and are always frustrated. Shrubsoles method: an unfaltering routine to separate emotion from application.I just use the stumps as a physical line, she says. I have from the time where I stop my follow through to when I reach the stumps to think about the last ball, but once I cross that stump line and back to my mark it is to the next ball. Its no more complicated than that: making sure Im always thinking about what is coming next not whats just gone.Perhaps the best illustration of Shrubsoles mental strength happened with bat rather than ball. In last years Ashes Test at Canterbury she batted for 68 minutes and 47 balls without scoring. It was excruciating to watch, but symbolic of doing anything to turn around a dire situation.Ill never stop fighting until the game is over, I pride myself on it, she says when recalling the hand. So that innings became enjoyable and almost quite funny. I quite enjoyed it in the end.For all this, its somewhat ironic that a moment when Shrubsole was least in control provoked a career-defining change to her principle craft. At the 2013 World Cup, she was bowling to West Indies in early-morning conditions that swing bowlers dream of: dew still on the grass and moisture in the air. It was swing, not pace, that had got her to this level, yet she just couldnt get the ball to move. She takes up the story:Standing at fine leg I knew I had to get something more out of the perfect conditions, and I didnt look like getting them out she recalls. So I turned the ball around to see what would happen - and it hooped. Then the next ball absolutely hooped. I thought this was going well.It did go well, Shrubsole ending the day with the Player of the Match award, claiming 4 for 21. So she did exactly the same next time up against Australia, this time picking up 3 for 21. Ive forever bowled inswing since that day.A year later, she led all-comers in the World T20, nabbing 13 wickets at 7.53 apiece, earning the player of the tournament gong in the process.Its a pattern thats continued; her bowling average across 47 T20 internationals an altogether ridiculous 12.79. Sure enough, her reasoning for success in the shortest form evokes that familiar theme again: control.Im trying to bowl as many balls that I can to hit the stumps, so youre always in the game, Shrubsole says. This was exemplified by the final KSL group game, where she claimed a - wait for it - quadruple-wicket maiden to end the innings, bowling three opposition batsmen in her five-wicket haul.I know it sounds so simple, but it is that simple: hitting the stumps as much as I can, she says, adding a reminder that she only really bowls three balls: a stock inswinger, a slower ball and a yorker. Better to have three perfected than seven not is her theory.Shrubsole will be in Australia this winter for the WBBL for her debut in the competition, and couldnt be happier with Englands equivalent surpassing expectations in season one. But she doesnt subscribe to the idea of the T20 circuit replacing the primacy of international cricket, stating that competitions need to always fit around that.Its on that international stage where Englands women have flourished this summer, Shrubsoles first as deputy to new captain Heather Knight. The times suit her quiet authority - smart but reserved, gifted but not flashy, she fits in tidily to the Robinson regime.This summer was a brilliant illustration of how things have changed within the team since Robbo has been in charge, she says. It was the indication of a good starting point for how we want to play our cricket: full of professionalism, with a new work ethic to training.Shrubsole sees it as a product of Robinsons background as a coach from the mens game that he fundamentally expected more, challenging why they couldnt prepare as physically as the men. I think thats what we really needed, she says. Hes a brilliant coach and knows how to get the most out of people.Was the change in personnel liberating? Absolutely, Shrubsole says. It allowed everyone to have a clean slate and motivation to put best foot forward. The obvious example of this has been opener Tammy Beaumont, who broke the record the runs scored in a three-game ODI series in Englands 3-0 thrashing of Pakistan.She was on the outside; struggling to get into the squad… so for her, he came in with a fresh pair of eyes and everything before had gone; it was a new start. Shrubsole is also ready to step up if Knight is ever absent through injury. Sure enough, shes thought about it plenty, as youd expect from someone exhibiting all the traits of a quintessential cricket badger. When asked to name her favourite bowler she cites Michael Holding, who retired half a decade before she was born. She later speaks about clips shes watched of Brian Close being peppered by the Jamaican in his pomp.As with batting and bowling and fielding, you wouldnt go into a game not having practiced it and have a routine with it, so Im always keen to captain as much as I possibly can.Additional to her obsessive watching of the game, she has routinely captained teams through her career, including representative sides at youth level and her county for the last four seasons. So should that day come, Im happy and know what I am doing.Casting forward a little under a year, a home ODI World Cup rolls around. Shrubsole assesses England will be there and thereabouts in light of recent progress. She believes the collective confidence is steadily building after their faultless summer. We are going to make mistakes, but its a case of having that belief in what we are doing.Its a considerable journey from watching her dad charging in to open the bowling, trying to get the blokes to let her have a bat or a bowl or a kick of the football.Naturally enough, as a swing bowler Shrubsole wishes for more Test cricket; understandable after her performance in that Ashes Test where she decimated the Australian top order on the opening day, claiming the first four wickets.In T20 cricket you get a lot of wickets as a result of the match situation, but in Test match cricket you have to get people out, she says. I take joy in working batters out and setting them up.A quick with a thesis in competitive psychology who also revels in mind games? If opposition players werent daunted by Anya Shrubsoles capacity, they should be. Nike Air Max 90 From China . 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The Czechs pulled two back in the ninth, but Shusters team of third Jeff Isaacson, second Jared Zezel and lead John Landsteiner ended with another point to secure the last Olympic berth on offer. METAIRIE, La. -- Saints receiver Brandin Cooks sees no connection between his readiness to speak up when he was unhappy last week and the out-of-sync performance of the offense the following game.I laugh when I hear some stuff like that because that wasnt the case at all, Cooks said after practice Thursday as the Saints prepared to play at Tampa Bay this Sunday.New Orleans lack of rhythm on offense last weekend against Detroit begged the question whether there was a carry-over effect from the dissatisfaction Cooks expressed after not having a single pass thrown to him during a lopsided Week 12 triumph over Los Angeles .But Cooks had other explanations for the Saints struggles, and his teammates tended to agree with him.We werent able to get our run game going, and when our run game is going is when our offense gets lethal, Cooks said. I dont feel I disrupted (the offense) at all because if it was the other way around and I had a huge game and we won, then what are people going to say?Cooks had nine passes thrown to him against Detroit, more than any other of Drew Brees targets in that game. He caught seven for 73 yards, but New Orleans struggled to sustain drives and score points, largely because of a lack of execution on third downs and because three possessions ended with interceptions.Brees threw seven passes to tight end Coby Fleener, six to wide receiver Willie Snead and five to rookie wideout Michael Thomas, who currently leads the club in catches (69), yards (831) and touchdowns receiving (seven). Brees also threw 12 passes to running backs.Everyone had targets that game. It was not like all the balls went to me, said Cooks, a 2014 first-round draft choice who has 58 catches for 809 yards and six TDs this season. For the most part, guys were averaging their target ratio.Brees didnt necessarily take issue with the general premise that the appearance of disharmony on a team can sometimes undermine performance.That might happen other places, Brees said, but stressed, I do not feeel like that happens here.ddddddddddddI know there were some issues last week, but we dealt with that stuff very quickly and efficiently, Brees continued. There was nothing lingering from that.Snead echoed Cooks and Brees sentiments.Im in the room with the guy and I watch the film and see the stuff we did wrong and what we could have done better, Snead said. If we win the game, Cooks gets his targets, theres no story. But because we lost like that and the timing was off with the offense, it makes it look like thats the way it is.We were just in a lot of bad situations, and when we were throwing the ball, it was going to Cooks, and theres nothing wrong with that, Snead said. Thats not the reason we lost. On offense, we just werent hitting our stride like we usually do. I dont think it has anything to do with him.Cooks pointed out that even before the Lions game, coach Sean Payton told the offense that it had demonstrated a tendency to see considerable drop-offs in production in the weeks immediately following some prolific games. In Week 1, the Saints had 507 total yards, followed by 288 in Week 2. In Week 3, the Saints gained 475 yards, only to see that drop to 275 in Week 4. In Week 9, the Saints gained 571 yards, followed by 373 in Week 10. Now it has happened again, with the Saints putting up 555 yards in Week 12, followed by 369 in Week 13.Weve just got to a find a way to be consistent when we do have those big games, Cooks said.As for whether Cooks wishes hed handled his dissatisfaction differently, the receiver said, I dont regret anything. Life is about lessons.Game notes The Saints had six people sit out practice on Thursday: LT Terron Armsetad (quadriceps, knee), RB Mark Ingram (toe, knee), C Max Unger (foot), Thomas (foot), LB Craig Robertson (shoulder), TE Josh Hill (fibula).---For more NFL coverage: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '