“It was lonely” - Mental strength and dealing with the challenges of cricket

Some of those we successfully overcome. Some we don’t. A bad trot with the bat, the loss of confidence with the ball, these are all challenges that cricket throws at most of us at some point. Those who can handle that and pull through have usually had to use their own mental strength, as well as physical attributes, to do so. One of the reasons why cricket is often called character building.

As a professional cricketer with Yorkshire, Kevin Sharp was similarly challenged and recalls how difficult it was for him, having sailed through his formative years untroubled. The former left-hander still clearly recalls how much focus and concentration can suffer due to outside influences.