Batting camp must address mental preparation: Mark Waugh

Former Australia Test opener Mark Waugh has said that next week's batting camp organised by Cricket Australia (CA) for the national team should address the mental preparation as much as technique.

Waugh said loss of confidence in batsmen was inevitable after a long run of batting collapses. He said it was up to individual players to pep themselves up while reinforcing the self-belief of teammates.

"They've got to forget about the collapses, each batsman has just got to worry about his own game and if you do that, then you'll score well as a team," Waugh was quoted as saying by The Age.

"It's up to each player to probably look over their career and look over their good times and know they're good enough to succeed at this level, then make a few minor adjustments to their techniques. Batsmen in the squad normally help each other out as well. If there are technical problems, they're normally the best players to talk to - the other players in the side.

"There's no magic involved, just a bit of belief in your ability and a bit of hard work," he said.

Waugh said the Australian batsmen were going through what every sports person goes through in a time of difficulty, but feels the experience would bring out the best in the true champions.

"You don't lose your ability overnight and Ricky (Ponting) and all those guys are pretty good players. It doesn't matter what sport you play. If a few mental doubts start creeping into your mind, then the good players just manage to keep them out and worry about keeping it simple.

"That's just part of the whole make-up of the Test match batsman. You've got to be able to handle the low times and the high times and obviously believe in your own ability," he said.