Batsman's Temperament and Success Analysis

The provided passage describes a batsman who possesses exceptional technical skills, enough to be considered of the highest order. However, despite these skills, experts believe he is unlikely to reach his full potential due to a significant lack of temperament. The passage highlights that he often "throws away his wicket" after laying a "strong foundation," meaning he gets good starts but fails to convert them into substantial innings. His critics consistently point out that addressing this issue of temperament is essential for him to achieve consistent success at the highest level.

Analyzing Statements for Logical Validity from the Passage

Statement i) He was already a successful batsman at the highest level

• The passage explicitly states that he is "unlikely to be so" (a batsman of the highest order) and that "success at the highest level will continue to elude him."
• These phrases directly contradict the idea that he is already a successful batsman at the highest level.
• Therefore, this statement cannot be logically inferred from the passage and is invalid.

Statement ii) He has to improve his temperament in order to become a great batsman

• The passage identifies the "lack of requisite temperament" as the primary reason he is "unlikely to be a batsman of the highest order."
• It also states that "until he addressed this problem [lack of temperament], success at the highest level will continue to elude him."
• This strongly implies that improving his temperament is a necessary condition for him to achieve the status of a great batsman or reach the pinnacle of success.
• Thus, this statement is logically valid and can be inferred.

Statement iii) He failed to make many of his good starts count

• The passage mentions, "He was guilty of throwing away his wicket several times after working hard to lay a strong foundation."
• "Laying a strong foundation" refers to getting off to a good start in an innings, building a base.
• "Throwing away his wicket" means he did not convert these promising starts into larger scores, essentially failing to capitalize on or "make count" those initial efforts.
• Therefore, this statement is logically valid and directly inferable from the passage.

Statement iv) Improving his technical skills will guarantee success.

• The passage clearly states that the batsman already possesses "all the technical skills required to be a batsman of the highest order."
• The problem identified is not a lack of technical skills, but rather a deficiency in temperament.
• Improving something he already excels at would not address the fundamental issue preventing his success.
• Thus, this statement is logically invalid and cannot be inferred from the passage.

Conclusion on Valid Inferences

Based on the analysis of each statement in relation to the provided passage, only statements ii) and iii) are logically valid inferences. The passage clearly emphasizes the role of temperament in achieving success at the highest level and highlights the batsman's issue with converting good starts.

The statements that can be logically inferred are:

• ii) He has to improve his temperament in order to become a great batsman
• iii) He failed to make many of his good starts count