Sometimes the simplest of cues can put even the most experienced players in the right frame of mind.
For England, we have seen Jos Buttler's scribbled expletive on the top of his bat handle and the "focus" and "reset" bracelets Lauren Bell checks at the top of her mark.
To Australia allrounder Ash Gardner, it "sounds really silly" but she hit on a formula which took her from feeling ordinary in the nets to hammering the ball around the picturesque Arundel Castle Cricket Ground in a warm-up match against South Africa on Thursday featuring Super Over simulations.
"I really tried to focus on the ball today," Gardner told ESPNcricinfo in Arundel after striking 66 off 38 balls to help Australia to 212 for 6 off 20 overs. South Africa finished 127 for 2 in reply.
The realisation came immediately after a discussion with captain Sophie Molineux, Tahlia McGrath, Gardner's co-vice-captain, and the team psychologist.
"We've done a lot of work off the field as a group," Gardner said. "One of the things that really resonated with me was cricket's so outcome-focused… Making sure that I was thinking really small to then have a big outcome, potentially, subconsciously, I was thinking about that [today].
"But I was probably just a little bit clearer in my thoughts in comparison to worrying about what I did two games ago or things like that. Getting off the mark early always helps, but for me, it's just being really clear in my thinking more than anything."
The psychology session was part of a wider bank of work being done by the squad - "trying to find an edge wherever we can," as Gardner put it - to prepare for the T20 World Cup, with Australia set to play their first game, against South Africa, on June 13.
"When you've played as long as I have, you tend to focus on the negative," Gardner said. "For me, it's making sure that I'm focusing on the positive because cricket can be a pretty humbling sport at times. You do well and then you're always turning to things that you can do better. The older I get, the more self-aware I get. I'm not going to change overnight. So, whether I have a bad game or a good game, the preparation is still the same.
"Being able to trust that, that's what I've learnt later in my career, just trusting what I've already done. I'm the same cricketer, whether it's game one or game two, so just having the belief in that is probably sometimes the hardest thing to do."
Australia go into this World Cup with nothing to defend and perhaps as more of an unknown quantity than the team which won six of the eight T20 titles up to 2024. That year, they lost their semi-final to South Africa, who were eventual runners up to New Zealand. They also relinquished the 50-over title when they lost in the semi-finals to India, who went on to win the trophy at home last year.
"We're not the reigning champions so I guess the pressure's not on us," Gardner said. "It's on New Zealand to be able to back up. But for us, we're always striving to be the greatest team. That's what our language is. Coming into a tournament where we don't have that silverware, there's no denying that we, of course, want it. It's not something that we necessarily always speak about because I think everyone has that awareness that that's what we want."
Australia have lost Alyssa Healy to retirement, gained a quality top-order batter in Georgia Voll, and overlooked Darcie Brown for young left-arm seamer Lucy Hamilton. Molineux, recovered from a back injury, bolsters impressive spin-bowling stocks which also include Gardner and legspinners Georgia Wareham and Alana King. Allrounder Nicola Carey will play in her first T20 World Cup since the 2020 edition.
Molineux took 1 for 16 off three overs on Thursday, dismissing Nadine de Klerk for 13 off 16 after taking 2 for 17 off three in their earlier warm-up game at the same venue on May 31.
"It's nice having someone like Soph come back," Gardner said. "She can bowl in all phases of the game. She's a fantastic leader. There's been a lot of change throughout our group, but she's made it as seamless as possible."
South Africa have finished runners-up at the past three World Cups across formats and are facing inevitable questions over whether they can go one better this time.
New recruit Kayla Reyneke impressed during the first warm-up, scoring 45 off 35 as South Africa won by seven runs. Also in form during that game was Shabnim Ismail, who took 4 for 39 from four overs and shows no signs of slowing down after reversing her international retirement for this World Cup.
"I've faced her so much, played her in a lot of franchise cricket, so obviously know the capabilities that she has, I wasn't surprised when I saw that she was coming back," Gardner said of Ismail. "She's no doubt got a lot of fire in her belly to come back. She's the same old, she bowls fast, she's a fiery character, so no doubt we'll have to counteract that first game."
Australia will play two official warm-up games in Cardiff, against England on June 8 and West Indies on June 10. South Africa will finalise their preparation against Ireland on Saturday and New Zealand on Tuesday, both in Loughborough.