I know you don't like to think about it - nobody does - but there will be times where your innings has collapsed and you are at the crease. If you have the right approach, you can see this as your moment to shine.

Picture the scene in your mind: The let's say the score is 140-7 in 40 overs.

There are 10 to go and you are batting first. You know a winning score on this ground is close to 230. Numbers nine, 10 and 11 are all tail-enders who can hang about but are not going to score a match winning innings.

You have two options.

Option #1: Use up the overs

Tradition dictates that you bat all the way through to 50 overs.

There is no doubt that playing defensively, keeping the weaker batsman off strike and somehow getting through to the last ball has an influence on game results. According to ODI data - a reasonable place to extrapolate into non-professional cricket - you win one in five games that you bat first and are bowled out.

So, dig in and don't get bowled out.

How do you do this?

First, put the collapse out of your mind.

If you use the phrase "don't get bowled out" you go into your shell. You imagine the pitch and bowling must be unplayable and you dot up. This mentality is very common yet is known to be self-destructive.

Instead, think tactically about what you can do.

This will depend on the conditions and the opposition bowling, but as an experienced player you will be able to quickly spot where you can create some runs and where you need to play with caution. There is always a weaker fielder who can give a run away. You have rotation options. There are "team runs" that can be pre-planned.

A handy mantra to tell yourself here is to just bat.

It's not quite having a net, because in nets you get to play all your big shots and never worry about the nuances of strike rotation. However, you are playing each ball based on how you know you can play. Even number 11 can do that.

Option #2: Go for broke

A newer theory has emerged that gives you another option.

Hit out.

And, it turns out that this theory also has merit. Using a bit of statistical jiggery pokery we learn:

"The approach of maximising the length of the innings can be expected to yield a total in the range of 180-184; although there is, say, a 20% possibility that they will be bowled out, despite their best efforts, for 160-164.

"The long-handle method could take them to a healthier 210-214, accepting that about half the time they would swing and miss and fold for 150-154."

It's a bigger risk, but it has a better reward. Statistically speaking, it's slightly better. So how do you go for it?

First, it's important to remember you don't have to swing at every ball. 10 overs is still 60 balls and you can score 50 runs just with strike rotation if you get it right. The classic error is to try and rotate, face three dots and then swing from the laces in desperation. The long handle approach is not licence to do such a thing.

I recommend targeting the first ball of an over to play a big shot.

If it comes off, you can try rotation for the rest of the over and even if it goes wrong you have got four or six. Or, you can keep swinging and try and make it a huge over. Remember to keep your cool because the bowler might lose his head after a couple of boundaries and give you something easy to hit with no premeditation.

So, pick your target area and go for it.

Mindset is all important here. Imagine yourself as a calculating player, simply picking the best option of hitting a boundary. That way you resist the urge to go fully bonkers and swing hard with no plan at all. Even when you are going for broke, you need a method.

And if you need some technical tips on big hitting, click here.

Which option is better?

That is up to you to decide. You may be better at hitting boundaries than strike rotation. The pitch may favour the bowlers or the par score could be lower or higher than the examples given. Be flexible but practice both options so you can go either way based on the day.

Here's a brilliant batting drill based on a TV show.

First the back story: I ran a session this week with four cricketers from school who haven't played a great deal over the summer holidays. One of the players in the session has made huge progress this year.

He has gone from being a member of the B team in 2014 into a key player for the A team in 2015. He is the type of player who scores vital runs when they are most required and catches anything that comes near him.

It was evident in the early days of working with Toby that the only thing that was stopping him was himself.

Toby was a perfectionist.

If he didn't do something perfectly then he would berate himself, strike his pad with his bat or occasionally would whack his stumps over. Over the season we worked hard on managing his frustrations and built realistic expectations around his batting and fielding. Soon, Toby was in charge of his emotions and his performances started to fly.

Toby hadn't played for a month and came into the practice on Tuesday cold. He was struggling to make good connections and his movements were rusty. His old behaviours started to reappear. Rather than tell him off I came up with a game based on Simon Cowell's 'Britains got Talent' show.

Got Talent drill

In that show each hopeful contestant performs their act in front of the judging panel. Each Judge has a button in front of them which is linked to a big Red Cross above their heads. When all crosses are lit, the contestant is shown the door.

Toby's judges were his team mates.

If a judge felt that Toby was displaying poor body language, berating himself or hitting his pad after a poor shot then they would cross their arms in an 'X'. If all 3 judges have their arms crossed then Toby loses a point.

He started with 3 points and I told Toby that his net session would finish when all 3 points are lost.

So what happened for the remainder of Toby's net?

Toby lost a point within 3 balls. He displayed some poor body language and all 3 judges were quick to make their crosses.

Then Toby started to manage his thoughts, his emotions and his behaviours even when he played a poor shot.

However, Toby was caught and bowled on ball #29 and hit himself on the pad with his bat. Another 3 crosses and Toby lost a second point.

Then Toby got back into his routines and batted for the rest of the session without losing his last point. Toby made better and better contacts as the session went on and started to dominate the bowlers who previously had him on toast.

Toby's talent was shining through because he was managing himself effectively.

If you are a perfectionist yourself (like me) or are coaching someone who is then the 'Britain's got Talent' game is a brilliant one.

The other players have fun being judges and the perfectionist opens up performance rather than slipping down their usual self-imploding slide.