Let's play psychologist

[akilana]

G smith soft? FAIL

 

[ankitj]

Mentally suspect : South Africa

 

[Spark]

AWTA. The importance of "mental toughness" is, in general, vastly overstated in sports IMHO.

Still,

Mentally tough :
VVS Laxman

Mentally suspect :
Sreesanth

I wouldn't say it's "overrated", it's bloody important. I just think that we, sitting here, watching from afar, viewing only what are effectively brief compressed snapshots of a player with _____-tinted glasses and selective memories (and subject to all kinds of other variables, the most obvious of which is "are they any good in the first place"), are generally not very good judges of it.

Unless it's really painfully obvious like SA in knockouts.

 

[Howe_zat]

Mitchell Jonson is one of the most mentally fragile cricketers I've ever seen.

Paul Collingwood, less so.

 

[Daemon]

Mentally tough albeit mildy ********:

Yuvraj Singh

 

[Son Of Coco]

Meh, can understand why McGrath is there. I wouldn't call him mentally weak, but the mere fact that he responded the way he did in the Sarwan incident shows you're able to get inside his head.

Poontang though, lol.

I think the reaction to Sarwan was more a result of the circumstances at the time rather than an indication you could get inside his head. I doubt McGrath would've reacted in anywhere near the same fashion if his wife wasn't so sick. Doesn't sound like Sarwan was deliberately attempting to get to him anywhere near as much as he did either.

Although his reaction at times when he was copping a bit of a battering (on the rare occasions that happened) suggest he didn't handle it as well as someone like Warne, who always seemed to be indicating to the batsman a wicket was just around the corner. Whether he'd just gone for a couple of sixes or bowled a few maiden overs in a row.

 

[Son Of Coco]

Perfect example of why this armchair psychology is so horribly flawed.

Be as "mentally tough" as you like but if you have as many deep technical flaws as he does, it won't help too much.

I wouldn't call Marcus North 'mentally tough' though. You wouldn't stand him next to Allan Border and try to convince someone they were cut from the same cloth, based on their respective careers. North was flaky at best.

And I think it only becomes armchair psychology when it's applied poorly, with badly thought out criteria. I believe the concept of mental toughness definitely exists in sports. Someone else mentioned Steve Waugh, and
I agree. If he didn't have the grit and determination to get where he did then he would have never been anywhere near as successful.

Exhibit A - someone who is about as tough as a 3 year old biscuit dipped in tea when under the pump:

Then you look at golf...if you're mentally fragile playing that sport then you might as well forget about it.

 

[benchmark00]

I think the reaction to Sarwan was more a result of the circumstances at the time rather than an indication you could get inside his head. I doubt McGrath would've reacted in anywhere near the same fashion if his wife wasn't so sick. Doesn't sound like Sarwan was deliberately attempting to get to him anywhere near as much as he did either.

Although his reaction at times when he was copping a bit of a battering (on the rare occasions that happened) suggest he didn't handle it as well as someone like Warne, who always seemed to be indicating to the batsman a wicket was just around the corner. Whether he'd just gone for a couple of sixes or bowled a few maiden overs in a row.

I understand the reaction and what it was about, and I'm not even saying it was unwarranted, but a more mentally tough character would have ignored it and channeled the rage into doing the job.

And yes, as you say McGrath became frustrated more easily than others.

 

[Son Of Coco]

I understand the reaction and what it was about, and I'm not even saying it was unwarranted, but a more mentally tough character would have ignored it and channeled the rage into doing the job.

And yes, as you say McGrath became frustrated more easily than others.

I dunno, it would take someone incredibly tough in those circumstances...or someone like Warne, who would've had another 3 on the go anyway.

 

[Spark]

I wouldn't call Marcus North 'mentally tough' though. You wouldn't stand him next to Allan Border and try to convince someone they were cut from the same cloth, based on their respective careers. North was flaky at best.

And I think it only becomes armchair psychology when it's applied poorly, with badly thought out criteria. I believe the concept of mental toughness definitely exists in sports. Someone else mentioned Steve Waugh, and
I agree. If he didn't have the grit and determination to get where he did then he would have never been anywhere near as successful.

Exhibit A - someone who is about as tough as a 3 year old biscuit dipped in tea when under the pump:

Then you look at golf...if you're mentally fragile playing that sport then you might as well forget about it.

Read my last post

 

[Son Of Coco]

Read my last post

I agree

 

[SamSawnoff]

uh mj

I wouldn't have Johnson in either list. He'd be in the 'complete flake' list. As would Marcus North. And I suspect that like North, Johnson has been like that his entire career.

I'd put Sreesanth in the 'flake' list too.

 

[Agent Nationaux]

Mentally Tough:

Younis
Misbah
Trott
Strauss
Hussey
Swann
Tendulkar
Gayle
Bravo
Ghambir
McCullum brothers
Vettori
Steyn
Amla

Mentally Weak:

Gul
Umar Akmal
Riaz
Sehwag
Indian Bowlers
Most South Africans
Broad
Clarke
Watson

 

[DickSmall]

At international level Graeme Hick stands out a mile as mentally suspect.

 

[ankitj]

a more mentally tough character would have ignored it and channeled the rage into doing the job

Which springs up this image in my mind:

Ambrose is a good example of a mentally tough bowler?

 

[GotSpin]

I don't think aggression necessarily indicates that he's mentally weak

 

[ankitj]

Mentally Weak:

Sehwag

Don't consider myself any good at reading psychology, but I am not sure if Sehwag can be classified mentally weak. He is not even mentally strong IMO, he is plain immune to all mental phenomena.

 

[Howe_zat]

Definately Ambrose.

Sharing how he never felt the need to sledge, Ambrose said, "I didn't need to, man. I knew how to bowl."

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Ian Bell is an interesting case, early in his career would definitely be a candidate for mentally weak particularly when faced with Australia but it appears he has now matured and gained the mental toughness needed to go with his undoubted talent.

 

[Spark]

Mentally Tough:

Younis
Misbah
Trott
Strauss
Hussey
Swann
Tendulkar
Gayle
Bravo
Ghambir
McCullum brothers
Vettori
Steyn
Amla

Mentally Weak:

Gul
Umar Akmal
Riaz
Sehwag
Indian Bowlers
Most South Africans
Broad
Clarke
Watson

Think the majority of the "mentally weak" list is rubbish, tbh.