Team Green: Shrink your fear

Pakistani cricketers glove victories after being counselled to tackle fear on the pitch.

Pakistani cricketers have been programmed to deliver victory. Optimistic and determined to succeed, they dismiss fear each time they play on the winning pitch prepared by Maqbool Babri. The hypnotherapist is convinced that the cricketers ‘will’ keep taking wickets and scoring boundaries till the time they believe that they ‘can’.

After attending Babri’s workshops, the team ended its global tournament winning drought of 17 years, by bagging the 2009 World Twenty20 trophy in England. “The players were receptive and totally supported their transformation,” Babri, a clinical hypnotherapist and psychotherapist, recalls four years later. “They felt that they could associate with me as I was speaking their language, helping them get rid of their fears, anger and guilt.”



Although the 62-year-old has previously worked with Pakistani golfers and accompanied them on foreign tours, his entry into the cricketing world wasn’t quite as easy. Babri had to initially persuade Ijaz Butt, the former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, of his credentials. But after assisting the team in bagging several wins, he is now a familiar figure in the cricket fraternity.

Popularly known as Max, the shrink has a clear mantra in life — if one desires success they need to get rid of their fears and inherent insecurities, have a clear vision and push themselves to the limit. The same applies to competitive sports. As a motivator and healer, Babri aims to get rid of the scarring that usually holds back battered minds.

However, there is no such thing as a winning formula he claims, “I consider myself a healer.” According to Babri, most players can relate to him because like themselves, he had very humble beginnings. “I could relate to their troubles, their fears, the scarring from critics and the failure[s] on the cricket ground,” he says. Babri makes them visualise their best moments and believe in their potential so that they can deliver their best during the match.



Although effective, Babri was not hired for a long term stint with the senior team. However, after the spot-fixing scandal of 2010, he was asked to conduct sessions with Muhammad Aamir and Zulqarnain Haider. “Muhammad Aamir is trying to rebuild his life after the horrifying scandal [and] the good thing is that he has accepted his guilt,” he says with a strong belief that it is important to accept guilt and to forgive oneself and the ones who have offended you. “Zulqarnain, it seems is preoccupied with negative thoughts, but like Aamir he wants to focus on cricket now.”

Babri’s longest association with the men in green was during the India tour last December. He was asked by the then PCB chairman, Zaka Ashraf, to accompany the team for the hastily arranged, high voltage series. “We are the best, we can do it and we will do it,” Babri reminds the team. The 2009 slogan was used once again to steer the team towards another victory. “There was a conscious effort to [replace] ‘can’ with ‘will’,” he says. “This way they take ownership of the task, their thoughts are clear [and] when the slogan is shouted [out loud], each member of the team end[s] up producing powerful and extremely positive vibes.”

During the tour Babri conducted individual and team sessions with every member of the squad. “Group exercises included ‘break in break out’ and ‘rock and roll sessions’. The two exercises are designed to create a sense of teamwork and an ‘all for one and one for all’ concept, since trust and camaraderie are the key components of a successful team,” he explains. Although the two-match T20 series resulted in a tie, the Pakistan team pocketed the ODI series with wins in the first two matches in Chennai and Kolkata.

The winning spree however slowed down when players started taking their success for granted, and some refused to undergo sessions on account of certain personal beliefs. “They are not inclined towards hypnosis or the training methods I employ. I tried to reason with them, but at the end of the day it is an individual’s choice.” But while some players are opposed to Babri’s methods, others welcome it with open arms. Misbahul Haq and Dav Whatmore are particularly receptive, Babri claims, “[They] feel that every step that helps in building team spirit should be taken. Whatmore in particular is open to ideas and sensitive to players’ needs; he subscribes to every tool that can help gel the team.”

Having endured a love-hate relationship with fans due to his inconsistent performance, Kamran Akmal was a prime candidate for a confidence boost from Babri. “Max was a tremendous influence on me. I think there is a real need [for] psychologists and motivational speakers [and] all cricket teams are focusing on this aspect,” says Akmal.

Babri also has a friendly advice for the T20 captain Mohammad Hafeez who was ‘Steyn-ed’ regularly in the series against South Africa. “More than anything Hafeez needs to be heard, the constant ridiculing has taken its toll on him. It seems that every time he faces Dale Steyn, he is under pressure and fears getting dismissed,” says Babri, explaining that the fear is so great that it takes over Hafeez who ends up getting dismissed.

Despite his recent successes and efforts, the PCB has not offered Babri a long term contract. “Hiring him is a costly affair; we have used him in short bursts and whenever we think that the team or an individual player needs counselling,” remarks a board official. “At present, entering into a long term contract with him doesn’t seem [to be] a financially viable option for the PCB.” The reason is dispelled by Babri who wants to continue grooming the team and claims that he offered his services at a discounted rate and wouldn’t hesitate to do so again.

The hypnotherapist is not only optimistic and patriotic, but also very pragmatic. Along with a proper infrastructure for sports in Pakistan, Babri feels, “It is equally important for the office bearers to have a positive mindset. They need to believe that they can pursue the interests of the country at international forums like the ICC.” To remain on the squad, it looks like Babri will have to do more than just convince the players of his unconventional methods.

Emmad Hameed heads the sports desk at The Express Tribune.
He tweets @Emmad81 

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, December 22^nd, 2013.