GEORGETOWN, Guyana – Assad Fudadin said he will be looking to use the upcoming series between West Indies-A and Sri Lanka-A to bring a new approach to his batting.
Assad Fudadin. Photo: Brooks La Touche Photography/WindiesCricket.com
Fudadin was chosen in a 13-member squad for the first four-day “Test” between the two sides, starting this coming Wednesday at Warner Park in St. Kitts.
He was disappointed with his returns in the Regional 4-Day Tournament which ended last month and had spent plenty of time reviewing his performance.
“To be honest, I think I did everything [that I could] during the season to be successful,” the 27-year-old from Rose Hall in the Guyanese county of Berbice, told WICB Media.
“I trained hard. I practised hard. I looked up bowlers. I prepared well for the season. I focussed a lot on the game. But it just did not happen for me during the regional season and I kept finding a way to get out.”
He added: “I’ve spent a few weeks home alone and I had a chance to sit back, relax and review the season – and I think it simply came down to a lack of focus for me.
“I thought going into the regional season that I was focussed, but it is clear to me that maybe I was not enough on the job.”
Fudadin said he has spent the last few weeks doing something he enjoys a great deal – reading.
He reckoned this will help him to condition his mind for the A-Team series and it did not hurt some of the books included stories about other personalities that had overcome various setbacks.
“I have done a lot of reading and spending time with my family in between training hard again to prepare for this series,” said the left-handed batsman, who occasionally bowls right-arm medium pace. “The fitter you are, the better the mind works.
“But I do a lot of reading to keep my mind clear and help me to focus. I have been reading a number of inspirational stories about past athletes and their struggles and what they did to overcome those periods when they were performing below their optimum standard.”
Fudadin said this has helped him to set smaller goals, although they still seem challenging on the surface.
“I just want to bat,” he said. “I don’t want to set myself goals in terms of runs anymore – about getting 100 or 200 runs in a game.
“My new approach will be to think about batting for a day or two sessions or for a period and constantly reset the mark at breaks in the game.
“Previously, when I tried to set my goals in terms of runs, it did not work for me and I put myself under too much pressure, so I am going to try this new approach and I am going to be changing up a few things.”
Fudadin concluded that his ultimate goal was to perform and secure a regular place in the West Indies team.