Discipline is a word that is used a lot in sport and in this article I will explore how I think discipline applies to cricket.
 
Cricket is a game full of challenges.  Every time we go out onto the field we face skilful opponents in a range of challenging conditions.  For every ball you are out on the field you face tough competitors whose main interest is to stop you doing well!  As a batsman you have 11 members of the fielding team aspiring to take your wicket for as few runs a possible and as a bowler you have batsmen aiming to make sure you don’t get any wickets and that they score lots of runs from your bowling!
 
In other words, as a cricketer there is something at stake every ball. There are risks in that something can go wrong for you at every stage of your performance.
 
Discipline is a critical weapon for you as a cricketer to ensure you combat the risks you face to the best of your ability.  By this I mean having the discipline to do what it takes to succeed in an innings is critical in establishing a good performance. Having the discipline to do what it takes over a season and a career is the key to strong and consistent performances in the long term. 

The discipline to succeed comes from  your desire to succeed, as this desire will drive you to do what is necessary to succeed.  Remember that this is not an easy road to travel, but nothing worthwhile (including runs and wickets) comes easy.  However, making the effort to have the discipline to do what it takes will be worthwhile if you really wish to achieve your goals.
 
For example, the major risk a batsman faces is getting out.  The most likely forms of dismissal statistically speaking are bowled, lbw and caught behind the wicket.  These forms of dismissal occur from balls that are challenging the stumps in terms of line and length.  A batsman can take a major step toward managing this risk by playing straight, that is hitting the ball on the line of the stumps straight back down the pitch with the full face of the bat, as this will maximise the surface area contact with the ball while significantly reducing the possibility of missing the ball (bowled and lbw) or an edge behind.  This is a simple tactical concept, however the real challenge after you understand the tactics involved is to have the discipline to carry out this process ball after ball over an innings, game, season or career.
 
Consistent actions lead to consistent results, so if you have a plan, your tactics are good and you have the technique to back them up (you should have!), maybe an area you should explore is your discipline. 
 
Have you got the discipline to do what it takes to succeed ball after ball and season after season?
 
Good luck

Mark