Why is a thermos flask like the DRS?

I used to get in a terrible stress in the morning if something distracted me at breakfast time and I had to rush out of the house without having had time to drink my tea in peace. Having to start my day without a cup of tea was always sure to put me in a bad mood, convinced that no good could come of the day.

This has all changed since I acquired a thermos flask. No more outpourings of grief; I simply decant from mug to flask in one smooth movement and sip contentedly in the U-Bahn.

The key difference this makes is not so much about the tea itself, of course. It is that is removes an obsessive mental block that made me believe I wasn’t able to start the day without my tea. I mean, I do still believe this – this is therapy, not cure – but I no longer have the rush-inflicted bad mood, nor the excuse that if anything goes wrong with the day, it was scarcely to be imagined it could have turned out much better in such inauspicious circumstances.

Mulling this over as I sat in my rehearsal, filled with the kind of ruminative insight that only sharp tannins and caffeine can inspire, it reminded me of something I’d been thinking about the video review systems that have come into cricket, tennis and other sports in recent years. It isn’t really that getting a couple more decisions right is that crucial to the outcome or fairness of the game. Think back to Frank Lampard’s goal that never was against Germany in the 2010 World Cup. I was furious at the time, but did England actually play better, deserve to win and only lose because of that moment? Hardly. Somehow it always feels like with one more decision going your way everything could have been different – it would have given the team new confidence, they could have turned things around... All possible. But most games are won by the better side.

No, what makes a bad decision hurt is that from the moment it happens, the players on the receiving end of it are cursed with the belief that it isn’t all their fault. Believing you’re being unfairly treated is much more demoralising than knowing you need to do better. If you’re playing badly and something goes against you then you start to question whether it’s even worth the effort to play better – why take wickets if they’re going to be disallowed anyway? And all the energy you should be focusing on improving your performance is wasted on resentment. This energy is what is freed up by decision review systems.

It’s a bit like how you can look for your keys in a drawer for ten minutes and not find them if you believe your housemate may have moved them, but if he tells you he hasn’t touched them and he just saw them in the drawer earlier you find them in ten seconds. Having a scapegoat for your misfortunes is the biggest impediment to performing at your peak.