SPORTS
Newsday reporter
In their last tour to Australia last November/December, the West Indies bowlers suffered multiple injuries. This is not acceptable in any game of cricket, but especially in Test cricket, where one’s players are called upon to carry a heavy workload.
This is not an easy one, in which a bowler may be called upon to bowl just four or ten overs, depending on the length of the game.
Test cricket tests the cricketer’s ability to bowl or bat for hours, apart from giving his all on the field. And this can be for a period of five days, when playing up to 30 times a day is clearly possible. Fast bowlers suffer more from their actions because they put everything into their runs of more than 20 yards that they would find hitting their front feet on the ground at the bowling crease, coming down from a height behind a powerful back. landing
Fast bowlers being injured badly enough to miss a series here and a series there have weakened the WI bowling seriously enough to undermine the breakthrough considerably. And it has been bad enough to make me wonder why, in this day and age, WI bowlers are struggling with fitness issues. Not that bowlers can’t get injured, however, it has happened far too often for WI bowlers compared to others on the international cricket scene.
It appears that the WI training camp which is supposed to include a team doctor, massage therapists, strength and conditioning professionals, all the fitness experts who need to build a fit team ready to inflict critical damage on their opponents, is failing in their duty. It is the responsibility of the teams coaches to ensure that the players portray a level of fitness in order to be at the best of their game on match day.
The Test side has suffered player losses through Shannon Gabriel, Kemar Roach, Alzarri Joseph and Jayden Seales, who is the youngest and most affected. I have to agree with Tony Gray, former WI fast bowler, coach and cricket critic. He calls for better management for Seales. He was singling out the young Trinidadian for his age and inexperience, but I know his words of wisdom are meant for all fast bowlers.
I quote Gray: “Jayden Seales needs to work on strengthening his body. It should be managed in the right way. At this stage of his life he has to play regional four-day cricket, test cricket and county cricket. I would like to see him not play franchise T20 cricket because it destroys his power as a fast bowler because he tries so many different things. If Seales can consistently hit 90 miles per hour, he will be an asset to WI.
He goes on to say that Seales is only 21 and, at that age, the stress is greater when playing international cricket. It reminded me of the late great Sir Fred Trueman who once said that the best and most crucial years of a fast bowler’s development are between the ages of 22 and 26.
Gray makes so many salient points about fast bowlers. Having experienced fast bowling at international level, knowing exactly what it entails plus what it takes to develop, improve and protect the fragile nature of one who is subjected to ball after ball, long after long, match after match, management of fastballs is of the utmost importance, that they know when to throw and how to pace themselves in order to be most effective.
However, there may be problems with too much rest and learning to carry out the training program. It should not be left to the coach or trainer alone, although both should play their part. However, it is the player who carries the load factor and must know himself and his stress levels and how he feels on any given day. Players should only look to their coaches for guidance.
Many years ago, when I was playing county cricket, I remember talking to England’s great fast bowler at the time, John Snow. I asked him how he managed to play fast for an entire season playing 24 three-day games, 16 40-over games plus 60 Gillette Cup games (this was a knockout competition, so the number of games varied), all played within four months. His answer stayed with me.
I pace myself. I would play according to the needs of my team.
I feel sure Gray did the same in Surrey.
