Cricket training information

People traditionally think of cricket as a sport that requires little in the way of fitness. From overweight middle aged players rumbling aorund village greens to ungainly types reaching the test arena, cricket has certainly done its bit to encourage that image!

But these days professional cricket is mostly stocked with fit, young athletes who would hold their own against many of their fellow professionals from other sports.

Although the intermittent nature of the game, mixing brief spells of activity with long rest periods, provides plenty of recovery time, the game still places high physical demands on its players.

The most important need if you are to play full length games is endurance. The demands of a five day test match are probably unique in competitive sports, and even a limited overs match is far longer than most other games.

For bowlers, the key physical attributes are strength and endurance - strength is particularly important for fast bowlers who may be delivering the ball at up to 90 mph.

Batsmen need strength in their upper body, especially the forearms and wrists, which are often overdeveloped in test batsmen.

The other role of training is to reduce the risk of injury, always high in an asymmetrical sport such as this.