A sound basic technique allows you to be consistent against the best bowlers in the world at Test level. Let's look at some current England players for examples:

The new England batter performed well in the high Ashes pressure situation and did not look phased by it at all. He batted like an England player who had been in the side for a number of years with many matches under his belt. He has real presence at the crease and looked highly focused while been cool calm and collected. He bats like a 'good old fashioned' Test player:

Jonathan plays straight very well and has his basics in order. He looks to keep it simple and play straight with good technique while demonstrating high intensity levels of concentration.

From a coaches point of view I would say that he has the level of technique to make him a successful test player.

• Alignment
• Balance
• Completion of shot with high leading left elbow with enables him to play straight effectively.

Jonathan strikes me as being a tough character. This coupled with his simple game plan and solid technique means that he has all the qualities of becoming a great player in the future.

Jonathan just needs to monitor and maintain the efficient and effective technique that he currently has and he will do well.

Ravi Bopara and Alastair Cook

The difference between Trott and Bopara is that Trott has found out the best technique that will work at Test level. Bopara is still tinkering and fine tuning trying to get his technique up to scratch.

On the other hand Cook has great potential but his technique has stayed the same and recently it has been proved that it will not work consistently at Test level.

A good technical coach with the right corrections, drills and practices will be able to solve these issues. So my questions to any young player having technical issues like Cook are these:

• Do you know what technical changes you need to make?
• Are you prepared to accept change?

Player like Cook with technical faults needs a coach. If he is left to work it out for himself he through trial and error he could end up taking too long and therefore being dropped. He needs the correct intervention and now.

image credit: gingerchrismc

It's a systematic process of fittings, measurements and adjustments to get the perfect fit to your shape. It's a method that has worked to produce the finest suits in existence and it's one you can adapt to improve your cricket.

Just like a tailor, you can maximise your training and preparation so it becomes perfect for you. Also like making a suit, there is no simple way to reach perfection right way. It takes time, effort and attention to detail.

And just like a great suit, the results will last you for years. Let's look at how you do it.

The first part is to start with a good basic template. In cricketing terms this falls into:

• Diet
• Fitness
• Training
• Mental preparation

You might also include recovery.

It doesn't matter what template you pick initially as long as it is something that has been proven to work and you can stick with for 2-4 weeks.

2. Follow the plan for 2-4 weeks

It's important to stick with the plan you choose for at least 2 weeks. Any less than this and it's hard to see any results. You also need to make sure that during this time you don't stray from the plan. If you do then the results will not be correct and you can't properly assess its effectiveness.

You don't need to do a battery of testing every couple of weeks to see results but you do need something to measure. Steer clear of directly relating runs/wickets to any changes you make as factors out of your control also have an influence on sports performance (such as the form of the opposition or the quality of the wickets).

• Diet: Amount of weight lost/gained.
• Fitness: Amount of weight lifted, distance run and speed over 22 yards. Visual evidence (do you look better).
• Training: Coaches assessment of your technical improvements, your own training journal.
• Mental preparation: Use a journal to record after a game how confident you felt, how much negative thinking was in your game, how well you concentrated and anything else of importance to your mental game.

Be creative about it and work out some direct measures to properly assess what is working and what is failing. It's certainly worth keeping a training/playing log at all times. This will allow you to go back over the training you did before a good performance. If you see a trend you can stick with it. Your log might include anything worth recording: What you ate, how much you slept, what type of training you did at nets, what fitness work you are doing and even how you feel.

If everything is going according to plan and you are making progress then carry on doing what you are doing. It's working.

If no positive changes are happening you need to tweak your plan to make it better. If you are trying to lose weight you need to reduce the amount you eat slightly. If you are trying to develop a perfect yorker you need to increase the amount you practice it.

5. Go back to step 2 and continue

As your plan becomes more tailored you can continue through the loop. Keep going back, trying, testing and reviewing. Keep doing this until you reach your goal.

For most people this tailor-like systematic work, test and review plan takes the guesswork out of cricket. Form is no longer something mysterious and fleeting. You can work out what brings you into form and what takes you out of it. That sense of control can only work wonders for your game.