Adrian McInman: “You also know that the more mentally tough they were, the better they would have handled their situations”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
I asked Cricket Psychologist Adrian McInman to sum up what he told me about “pressure,” “stress,” perception, and mental toughness in the first four interviews for this 5-article series using the Khushdil Shah fan altercation as an example.
Adrian McInman: “It is inconceivable to think that the Pakistan men’s team don’t have more mental toughness than the average individual”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
After the Pakistan team’s loss to England in the Multan Test, captain Shan Masood was asked in a press conference if the team was mentally weak.
Adrian McInman: “What Rashid really should have said was, ‘Babar’s poor performances are due to dysfunctional thinking, especially fear, not technical matters’. Babar should think more positively”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
In yesterday’s article with Cricket Psychologist Adrian McInman, we discussed a comment by Pakistan ODI captain Mohammad Rizwan about “pressure.” Adrian suggested we should focus on perceptions and change them when necessary rather than focusing on “pressure”. Additionally, he suggested strenuous and consistent mental skills training, especially around matches, is needed for the Pakistan national men’s team to stop perceiving “pressure situations” and instead view them as “fantastic opportunities.”
Adrian McInman on Mohammad Rizwan: “If I trained Mohammad, I would probably sit down with him and simply ask him: ‘What is pressure?’ If I gave him enough time, he’d probably say, ‘I don’t know. I can’t define it'”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
After the 2025 Champions Trophy match against India, Pakistan ODI captain Mohammad Rizwan said: “Our middle order maybe couldn’t take the pressure.”
