Funny thing is, it is probably the same mantra the batsman is muttering to himself over and over.
Agent, you see, is there to adjudicate, not clip the ball to the boundary. The 52-year-old took up umpiring 11 years ago and has been promoted to the elite panel this summer.
For the past "three or four years", he has been on the A panel and has officiated in first-class games. But his elevation means he will be a lot busier this summer.
It is a dream job but it is also seasonal, and he has not quite figured out how it will work in with his current job in hospitality.
"I'm not sure how this job is going to fit in with the umpiring," Agent said.
"But I just love the game of cricket, mate. It's the reason you umpire. I'm not doing it for the money."
Umpires on the elite panel receive a retainer and are paid match fees. It is a good income during the summer months.
Agent's goal is to cement a place on the elite panel and "give it a good crack for two or three seasons".
"Who knows what comes along? I don't know what opportunities there are going to be in two or three years."
Agent's Burwood home was destroyed in the September 2010 earthquake that rocked Christchurch. He moved to Dunedin just before the Rugby World Cup last year to manage the Ocean Beach Hotel.
It was meant to be a brief stint but a year later he is still working at the hotel and has no plans to leave Dunedin anytime soon. He has met a lovely "Dunedin lady" and his umpiring career has taken off. Life is sweet.
And every day out in the middle is a good day - even those days out in the middle at the cricket ground in Ocean Grove.
"My first day here was at Ocean Grove and, my God, I had thermals, two shirts, two jerseys and a jacket. I've never been so cold in my life but it came down to the last over and was still a good game."
Agent played senior cricket in North Canterbury and those experiences helped shape his umpiring philosophy. As a player he just wanted consistency, and as an umpire that is exactly what he strives to deliver.
He is constantly brushing up on the laws of cricket and in the past two months has read a few chapters of the rule book each week.
"The better your knowledge of the rules are, the more confident you are and the more confidence players have in you."
Conflict is part of the deal when you are an umpire. Defending decisions in an emotionally charged arena is par for the course. But if you are "firm, fair and consistent", the challenging times are manageable, he said.
"You can't be a good umpire unless you realise it is impossible to get it 100% right. If you are passionate about cricket, the players will pick up on that and all they ask for is consistency.
"You are always looking to improve. If I make a mistake, I try and work out why I didn't get it right and look at the process and what led up to that decision."
Otago's Chris Gaffaney and Derek Walker are also on the nine-strong elite panel which means the region accounts for a third of the country's leading umpires.
Fellow umpire Tim Parlane is also reported to be transferring to the region soon, which will bolster Otago's representation further.
