The reading habit

Just how important is education in a sportsman's career? Brian Moore writes in the Telegraph, writes that better educated athletes are easier to coach, understand quicker and have a longer attention span. They make better team players and leaders. He gives the example of the controversial run-out of Grant Elliott at the Oval, when several England players failed to think sensibly and alert Paul Collingwood to reconsider his decision to continue appealing. Education teaches you to think independently, but unfortunately it wasn't evident that day.

One of the reasons why the Australian Institute of Sport has been phenomenally successful is that it insists on its athletes studying properly alongside their training regimes. They have no difficulty ensuring athletes study because it is a captive market; all the athlete wants to do is play sport and they are prepared to do whatever is required of them; including reading books.

In the Times, Stuart Broad says he loves Test cricket, despite his friends telling him all the time that it's boring. He also talks about his formative years and relationship with his parents.

“To be fair, my mum's been the one who watched most of my cricket when I was younger. She is the one who carted me around the country. She'd be sat there in a deckchair all day watching and then drive me home. So she's the one who has always watched my development.”