This summer (2005) large crowds in England and Australia have been following the 5 match Test series between England and Australia. The teams are evenly matched and have played some of the most exciting cricket in years. Whether you play cricket or not, you will find great lessons of success in this series of matches.

The first lesson in success is that you and I shouldn’t dwell on our mistakes, however humiliating. We have to be tough-minded and focus on the next ball to throw or the next project of our lives.

Cricket is a team game, but there are only 11 players on the field (bowling and catching) and they are spread out over a large field. Any mistake you make is immediately seen by your teammates and the public. Errors on the batting side are also clearly visible as only two people are batting at a time.

England’s up-and-coming batsman Kevin Pietersen dropped two catches in the first Test when he was fielding but then went on to play the innings of a good batsman. One commentator commented that he must have a strong mind to get over the disappointment of dropping catches enough to allow him to hit well.

Geraint Jones, the wicket keeper, had also lost two catches and again a commentator commented that you can try to forget about your mistakes, but it’s not that easy. The memory keeps replaying. However, Jones beat well despite the memory that he must have chased him. Later in the drive, he also made some terrific catches to make up for the ones he’d dropped.

Both captains, Michael Vaughan and Ricky Ponting, beat badly in the first two tests and were heavily criticized in the newspapers. However, in the third test match both captains batted remarkably well. Both showed the fighting spirit to overcome the depression they must have felt after the first and second games and the criticism they received daily.

A second key lesson for success is that you shouldn’t be distracted from your goal of scoring runs or anything else by mental or physical pain. In ordinary life, many painful things can happen that can demoralize you unless you are determined enough to carry on through the pain. Stay focused on your goals and dreams no matter what.

Those who have not played cricket may not realize how hard a cricket ball is. It is especially hard and bouncy when new. Fast bowlers are usually given the new ball so they can bounce high and hit batsmen on the head, throat, ribs or hands.

Once batsmen are distracted by pain in the head or hands, they will be vulnerable to the next ball and do something foolish like hitting a catch or failing to protect their wicket (the three stumps or sticks sticking out of the ground) from being hit by the ball.

Brett Lee, the Australian fast bowler, was exhausted when he hesitated before running. He wanted to wave his hand to get rid of the pain. His index finger and then his thumb had been hit by fastballs. Later, however, in another game, he redeemed himself by hitting well despite taking a heavy blow to the head and arm.

On the second day of the first Test England were bowling the Australians who were having their second innings (chance to beat).

However, the England bowlers were not harassing the batsmen enough. Boycott, the former great England batsman, commented that the ball should be whistling in the batsmen’s ears and hitting their gloves:

“The ball is new and hard. Now is the time to hit the batsmen before the ball gets too soft. Once the batsmen get too comfortable, they’ll start thinking, ‘I’d like to hit a hundred.'”

Even tailenders or weaker batsmen batting last have to suffer. Bowlers can’t let them stay too long. The boycott continues:

“Bowlers have to hit tailenders in the ribs or hand before they get too comfortable. That’s what you have to do as a fast bowler. You have to hurt the opposition tailenders. The tailenders they are fine if there is no chance of getting hurt.They are not too brave.

On Saturday, the third day of the test, the Australian tails were beating. Gillespie, one of the tailenders, was hit in the stomach near the navel. He winced. A few balls later, a ball from Harmison hit him in the groin and he doubled over in pain. The ball was traveling at about 90 miles per hour. The crowd erupted in laughter. Harmison had been aiming for the throat and the toes and the crown jewels.

It can take a good over (6 balls from the same bowler) or two to focus after being hurt. But Gillespie is a brave player and he practices his hitting a lot. He realizes that it’s important for a running back to score runs or at least stay in. He struck out bravely.

The courageous performance of the Australian tailenders had a lot to do with the Australian success in the first Test match of the Ashes series. They had learned to overcome acute physical pain and regain concentration quickly.

We all need to learn to accept the fact that we will suffer mental and physical pain at some point in order to achieve our goals. The secret is to forget about the pain as quickly as possible and focus on doing what we have to do.

More success lessons came from the third test match. One of them is that sometimes it is better not to listen to critics, whether they are outside or inside your own head.

Australia had won the first test match and then England won the second test on August 7, 2005, a date that will go down in history as the date of one of the greatest cricket matches ever played.

England won the match by just 2 runs, a surprisingly narrow margin. Much of the success was due to England captain Michael Vaughan, but Vaughan had not scored enough runs in this Test or the first. He could guarantee that the newspapers would attack him in a big way. His solution was simple. He didn’t read the newspapers.

On Thursday, England went in to beat. Michael Vaughan was in third and was under great pressure to perform. This is where his policy of not reading the newspapers paid off. He scored his first century of the series. The audience was up and out of their seats applauding when he made it. He had scored 13 fours (limit shots).

A captain who scores runs can lead by example. It is important that you are in good shape as actions speak much louder than words. In the end, he made a grand total of 166 runs with around 20 fours and at least one six (one stroke over the limit).

He told an interviewer that before batting he had spoken to the young man who was England’s mascot that day. The boy had already had three heart operations by pass. This made Vaughan feel less of a strain as he realized that, at the age of thirty, he had a lot to be thankful for and that scoring or not scoring runs wasn’t all that important in the overall scheme of things.

She also decided to beat her intuition and not think too much. He had already done his thinking and practice of it. Once he was up against some of the best bowlers in the world, he wouldn’t have time to think. His plan worked and he smashed the ball all over the place.

However, in the end Australia held out for a draw. They were mainly saved by rain, which meant England had less time than necessary to get them out.

So: move on even if you make embarrassing mistakes in the public eye. Regain your focus on your goals, even if you’ve been hit with physical or mental pain. Even the great Jim Rohn lost a million dollars after signing a form without realizing the liabilities involved. He soon regained his focus and lost money. Refuse to fill your mind with the opinions of your critics and keep your life in perspective thinking about those millions of people who are much worse off than you are. Finally, once you have thought, act wholeheartedly without worrying about the results.