Why do so many talented young cricketers stop enjoying the game?

And do players really need to be in a talent pathway from a young age to have a realistic chance of becoming a professional cricketer?

In this episode of The Cricket Mind Podcast, Nathan Wood and Briony Brock are joined by ECB Level 4 coach and coach developer Ben Silver for an honest conversation about talent pathways, cricket trials, player development, coaching overload, and what actually helps young cricketers improve over the long term.

Ben has worked across county cricket, England pathways, ECB Disability Cricket, and high-performance coaching — giving him a unique perspective on what coaches and selectors really look for, why some players thrive while others burn out, and how young cricketers can develop without losing their enjoyment of the game.

Alongside this, Ben also works with Cricket Mind Online as a high-performance coach, helping players optimise the quality of their training and practice routines.

In this episode:

• What selectors actually look for in cricket trials
• Why “high ceiling” players stand out
• The truth about county age-group pathways
• Whether players need early pathway selection to succeed
• Why some talented players stop enjoying cricket
• Coaching overload and social media cricket advice
• The importance of messy practice and game-based learning
• Why player development is rarely linear
• What parents should really focus on

Timestamps:

00:00 — Jimmy Anderson and the Lancashire U15 “B” team

02:05 — Introducing Ben Silver

03:17 — What coaches and selectors look for at trials

07:33 — Risk vs reward during cricket trials

11:13 — Confidence, bravery and coachability

16:35 — Do players need to be in talent pathways early?

22:57 — Why some talented players stop enjoying cricket

34:38 — Are young cricketers being over-coached?

42:42 — Long-term development vs short-term winning

55:58 — What “messy practice” actually means

🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and all major podcast platforms.

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Why do some players stay in cricket for years… while others quietly drift away?

In this episode of The Cricket Mind Podcast, Nathan Wood and Briony Brock are joined by coach Laura de Silva and player Charlotte Bernstein for a powerful conversation about confidence, pressure, enjoyment, and the environments that keep players coming back.

This episode offers a unique perspective from both sides of the same environment — a coach working to build meaningful relationships and supportive cultures, and a young player experiencing those environments firsthand.

The conversation explores girls’ cricket, but the lessons apply across the game for players, parents and coaches alike.

• Why players really drop out of cricket
• The importance of confidence and enjoyment
• Why “unlucky” is banned in Laura’s coaching environments
• Building strong coach–player relationships
• Pressure, expectations and performance
• The difference between boys’ and girls’ cricket environments
• How coaches can create environments players want to return to
• Why support matters more than frustration
• Managing cricket alongside GCSEs, school and life
• The role friendships play in long-term engagement
• Why great environments help players perform better

00:00 – Are we still losing too many players from cricket?

01:01 – Introducing Laura de Silva & Charlotte Bernstein

02:56 – What makes players want to keep turning up?

06:01 – What great coaches do differently

14:11 – What makes a strong coach–player relationship?

22:44 – Building real confidence in players

27:32 – Why “unlucky” is banned

30:06 – Pressure, expectations and performance

38:15 – Have you ever thought about quitting cricket?

45:06 – Why there still aren’t enough female coaches in cricket

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Email: info@cricketmind.online

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If you enjoyed the episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with another player, parent or coach involved in the game.

Why do so many cricketers perform well in nets… but struggle in matches?

In this episode of The Cricket Mind Podcast, Nathan Wood and Briony Brock answer listener questions around early-season performance struggles — from confidence and expectations to training that doesn’t transfer into games.

If you’ve ever felt like you’ve “gone backwards” despite a strong winter, this episode will help you understand why — and what to do about it.

• Why how you feel before batting doesn’t predict performance
• The real reason nets don’t transfer into matches
• Why early-season struggles are completely normal
• How chasing past performances can hold you back
• How to respond to a poor team performance as a coach
• Why run outs are so common early season (and how to fix it)

00:00 Intro – Are players training the wrong way?

01:13 Should you trust how you feel before batting?

03:57 Nets vs matches – why it feels different

07:30 “I’ve gone backwards after scoring a 50”

12:16 Coaching after a poor team performance

18:13 Why run outs happen early season

27:20 Outro & listener questions

Got a question for a future episode?

Send it in via:

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🌐 Website: https://www.cricketmind.online

📧 Email: nathan@cricketmind.online