The psychology of playing cricket in an empty ground

ALEX MILLS: After a summer of cricket behind closed doors, psychologist Jeremy Holt explains the impact of empty stadia on the world's best cricketers

The scene is set, and the scores are level. To win, England need one run, Australia one wicket.

Ben Stokes anticipates Pat Cummins' arrival at the crease as he leans on his bat at the striker's end. The crowd waits with bated breath before rising to their feet to cheer uncontrollably. They watch on as England's vice-captain smears a wayward delivery to the boundary for four.

Do you remember where you were? If you weren't in that frenzied Headingly crowd, then you were almost certainly sat in front of the TV or radio, in the same seat, for hours, and you'd daren't move for fear of single-handedly losing the Ashes for England. Looking back on that day - like many others – it felt as though the crowd played a massive part in getting England over the line.

But, now that our very different summer of English cricket has passed, do we still believe in a crowd's ability to influence a result? That question is put to psychologist Jeremy Holt to find out more about how sport behind closed doors might have affected the teams and individuals’ performances.

Fight, flight or freeze

When asked about the impact of a crowd's presence, Holt speaks of the need for players to have a strong ability to "activate" themselves. To activate yourself, you need to be motivated but also in control of your emotions.

"If you want to perform at your best. You need to be activated to focus," he says. "If you're not emotionally engaged or stimulated, then you won't be able to perform."

We see examples of this all the time. Individuals or teams can rise to the big occasion but become complacent when the stakes aren't quite as high, resulting in up-and-down levels of success. On the other hand, players can flick a switch and deliver precisely what is needed, no matter the opponent.

^{England's players have become used to playing behind closed doors}

"The secret to success is being able to focus on manufacturing those magic moments," says Holt, and as we've seen this summer, those with the right mentality do not need the fans to be up for the fight. With or without them, we've come to expect the likes of Ben Stokes to create something out of nothing or watch on as Stuart Broad blows the opposition's middle-order away in the space of three overs when you might least expect it.

In the heat of the battle, it's the ability to visualise that match-winning moment that separates the best from the rest. The mentally prepared players don't hear the fans; they only see success.

Removing uncertainty

High-pressure moments are frequent at international level. Trying to avoid edging that first ball, bowling the final over of a match, or creeping through the nervous nineties are just a few instances where a player’s mental aptitude is tested.

Players know this, of course, and Holt talks about how the best put a process in place to "remove uncertainty." Based on his experience of working with cricketers, he says that long before fans come into the equation, "players will have visualised different scenarios and moments where pressure is expected while planning how he or she might cope. This will happen many times over".

Not to say that players don't enjoy being roared on to victory by attending fans. It's completely natural to enjoy the feeling of belonging to a group or community. Holt calls this "social identity" and explains that "the feeling of belonging to a group or community is an important source of pride and self-esteem".

True as this is, social identity starts long before fans are singing your name, for many cricketers. Holt states how "creating a strong sense of togetherness" has always been a priority in his work, which drives more consistent performances. "This will often start by players focusing on the pride of wearing the badge," he says.

^{Stuart Broad was one player who spoke openly ahead of last summer about his fears of playing without fans; psychologist Jeremy Holt (right) looks on}

Controlling emotional energy

The lure of sport is its unpredictability, and cricket is no different. Hours of calm can spark into a partisan passage of play in a split-second. As fans, we know anything is possible on any given day, and the players' emotional energy drive that. Supporters love the idea that – at any moment – a team can capitulate, and yet, others will overperform and go on to achieve the seemingly impossible. 

"Where teams often underperform is when a player, or players, don't stick to the game plan – and fans can create that distraction," says Holt. Bowl to that field, hold up that end, don't go chasing that wide one. These are all examples of emotional control and replacing self-serving agendas with the team's want to succeed. 

Still, cricketers aren't robots, and it's the mental weaknesses, as much as the strengths, that make this game so captivating.

We look forward to a time when we're there to witness the drama unfold. And one thing is for sure, never again will it be taken for granted.