Pressure Points

At long last we can welcome back the intrigue and uncertainties that only Test cricket can offer. There is great expectation as we warm to watch and marvel at the wondrous talent that abounds in the two contesting teams. There is great anticipation to see which of the two willful combatants in South Africa and Australia will succeed in the series.

The players will be put to the ultimate test of endurance, both physically and mentally as the season goes into overdrive with an intense six Test matches. It will be 22 days of intense cricket away from home then a five ODI’s and two Pro20 matches. The return series of matches in South Africa will happen from mid-February through to April will see the same number of games that will played. It promises to be an enthralling summer with the series now being billed as the world championships. Expect no love to be lost when the 1st Test starts on December 17th in Perth.

Right now it is non-stop cricket for all Test playing nations and the modern day expectations on a cricketer are immense and ever increasing. The intense schedules are chiefly arranged to satisfy the growing demand for cricket as a television sport. The one-day version and now even the twenty-over internationals means that tours are cluttered to meet the objectives set out by rights holders and cricket boards.

What does all this do to a modern cricketer? How do they cope? What is the secret to survive at the very top and how is it all sustained in a totally professional environment?

The country’s once foremost seamer, Shaun Pollock stated as a matter-of-fact that: “Back-to-back tours are difficult.” However, he says that if a player remains fit and without niggles, then the chances to perform well are always easier. “Cricketers look at it differently, if the form is good you don’t want to stop. If there is a dip in form, then a break is welcome to address the problems,” he said.

It is quite obvious that congested programme's don’t allow for adequate recovery from injury or lack of form. As one who had his fair share of injuries during a chequered career, Pollock was pragmatic when he emphasizes that players who are engaged for a sustained period at the highest level begin to understand their bodies better.

The recovery processes for players are so advanced and with the team physio and fitness trainer ever present, they are virtually mechanically ‘fixed’ to be able to take the field. Pollock also remarked that the dreaded ‘Ice Bath’ was a fantastic addition to the recovery process; “and when you are refreshed the next morning, you know it was good for you.”

The man with perhaps the most pressure of responsibility off the field is team physio, Shane Jabbar, who offers some compelling views of fitness management. Among his most vital contribution is to prolong the shelf life, especially of the real star performers. Injuries cause selection posers and it is his brief to best alleviate a crisis. Jabbar is unequivocally critical that a proper period of recovery is under-estimated in world cricket. He stresses the need for inactivity for a player, to recover and recondition his body as the best way to handle delicate injuries.

The constraints of time, especially between matches results in risking further injury. Jabbar recalls that sending Makhaya Ntini home from Australia during their last tour, after the second Test was a tough call. The physio's decision was vindicated, as he explains; “To exacerbate matters, Andre Nel also broke down. The dilemma began when after a fortnights rest Ntini requested to rejoin the tour. Sanity prevailed and the enforced lay-off paid off hugely for Ntini as his body recovered sufficiently and he performed at a high level throughout the series back home against Australia and New Zealand.”

Jabbar and fitness trainer Grant Compton have very little rest, as they observe and monitor among many other things; eating habits, special diets - mainly due to the odd times matches finish in the loaded programme’s of ODI’s and Test’s. Players have to be well fuelled to perform at optimum level at all times. Team and individual recovery sessions are essential and supervised.

They are also responsible to ensure that bowlers and all-rounder’s do not bowl excessively at nets to be fatigued in the match and ensure that they don’t under bowl, which often results in a below par performance. “It’s a fine line,” and all this, says Jabbar; “is to give the South African team a competitive edge.”

England and Australia sent various representative teams via merchant and passenger ships until the Second World War. The tours lasted up to six months and began with a month’s voyage and a prolonged tour that also included matches against State or county teams between Tests. A far cry from today’s revolving door schedules.

Australian writer, Mike Coward writes that: “The modern professional is too pragmatic and preoccupied to harbour romantic notions about any ground. Indeed, his touring life is so frenzied that often he can scarcely distinguish one venue from another as the caravan moves inexorably between airport, hotel and cricket ground around the world.”

Goolam Rajah has his task as logistics manager fine tuned to an almost perfect science. “My job was tough in the beginning but after so many years in management I have found a way around to make everyone’s life comfortable. When we host tours, such as the present one, we are also responsible for the visitor’s logistics from the time they arrive until they leave,” he says. So are there any other pressures?

“The work load is the same for a month long tour or a two week tour, whether we are home or away. The key is that everything must be prepared well in advance to ensure the smoothness of the operation.

“I give special attention to free time to ensure that players have time to unwind, even if it’s a few hours in a day. Fatigue compounds problems for me and the players and the management of time is the key to avoid any pitfalls,” says Rajah. “Pressures?” he laughs, “only when the players are on the field!”
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