Sports
Why do we have so much focus on fitness?
Sri Lanka’s fitness trainer Grant Ludon keeps a close eye as players complete the two kilometer run.
by Rex Clementine
When Sri Lanka announced Mickey Arthur as their Head Coach, it was just a matter of time that he confronted some players on their fitness. Along the way, he had dropped Dilruwan Perera, Prabath Jayasuriya, Avishka Fernando and Bhankua Rajapaksa. The first to speak against the stiff fitness regime is Rajapaksa and it can be assured that there are many others who are moaning about the two kilometer run that they are supposed to do in less than eight minutes and 30 seconds and the skin fold test.
It’s not just over as yet. The eight minute 30 seconds given for the two kilometer run is just average standard. It is supposed to get stiffer by next year where players are supposed to finish the run in less than eight minutes, like it is done in rest of the world.
Head Coach Arthur and Director of Cricket Tom Moody have got good reason to argue as well. If Sri Lanka’s fast bowling coach can finish two kilometers in less than seven minutes and 30 seconds at the age of 47, why not the players who are 20 years younger than him.
Opening batsman Avishka Fernando has learned it the hard way. One of the most promising young batsmen in international cricket, Fernando failed the skin fold test. As a result, he was sent home from Galle in January having joined the team for the two match Test series against England.
Then he failed the fitness test and was overlooked for the tours of West Indies and Bangladesh. Fernando has got his act together and has improved his fitness. He now finds himself back in the side for the tour of England. But he has missed out on a central contract. Quite harsh one may say but given the team’s poor fitness standards, there’s only one way players are going to learn.
Exciting times are ahead as we are going to see two attacking batsmen in Danushka Gunathilaka and Avishka Fernando opening the batting in England. Well, not if Gunathilaka fails a second fitness test. Both him and Dhananjaya de Silva need to finish the two kilometer run in less than eight minutes and 30 seconds if they need to be on that plane to England.
New fitness standards are going to help improve the game overall. You’ll see new energy levels on the field, better running between the wickets and more importantly batters being able to bat for long and bowlers having the stamina to go for longer spells.
Sidath Wettimuny during the Lord’s Test in 1984 had an opportunity to go onto become the first Sri Lankan to score a double hundred. It would have been quite an achievement as well as he would have become the first Sri Lankan to score a hundred, first Sri Lankan to 150 mark and then the double hundred. But he was dismissed for 190 on the third day of the Test match having batted for two full days. Wettimuny always says that if he had the fitness levels of the current players he would have achieved much more.
For the longest time, they were inseparable at the top of the order for Pakistan in T20Is. Then, with questions about strike rates and maximising powerplay value cropping up, the team management tried putting some distance between them in the batting order. They found their way back up, together. But now, with just under a year to go for the next T20 World Cup, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are out altogether.
This signifies a shift in approach for Pakistan, perhaps triggered by the failure to make an impact at their own Champions Trophy, though that was an ODI contest.
Pakistan have opted for three dashers at the top. With Saim Ayub still unavailable, Pakistan have a likely top three of Mohammad Haris, Omair Yousuf and the uncapped Hasan Nawaz – all three have a reputation of being aggressive batters.
Salman Agha, Pakistan’s new T20I captain, has emphasised the need to improve their intent and approach and the need to play “fearless” and “high-risk cricket”, saying that the squad has players that have displayed that brand of cricket in domestic games.
The new-look Pakistan line-up will start off facing a difficult test against a strong New Zealand outfit, even though they are missing key players who are away on IPL duty. There is a formidable bowling attack, with Will O’Rourke, Ben Sears, Kyle Jamieson, Ish Sodhi and Jacob Duffy all set to test Pakistan’s inexperience.
Key batters are missing, too, in the team led by Michael Bracewell, one of New Zealand’s best performers in their run to the title round at the Champions Trophy. But Finn Allen is back, as are Tim Seifert and Jimmy Neesham. Daryl Mitchell hasn’t gone anywhere. And Mitchell Hay, Mark Chapman and Tim Robinson are hardly pushovers. At home, they will think of themselves as favourites, with or without a Rachin Ravindra or a Devon Conway or a Glenn Phillips. If anything, the changes will give them a better idea of the make-up of the World Cup squad next year.
Since his 137 against Pakistan in January 2024, Finn Allen has failed to cross 50 in nine T20Is. In fact, he crossed 25 only twice in this period, with a high score of 32. He turned out for Perth Scorchers in the BBL, but his form there was also indifferent, as he got just 181 runs from ten innings. Allen, despite not being centrally contracted, wants to play the T20 World Cup next year, but he knows he must turn his form around and marry his explosiveness with consistency. Last year, he scored 275 runs in the five-match T20I series against Pakistan, so there may not be a better team for him to face to get going again.
Omair Yousuf has played just six T20Is – three in the Asian Games and three in Zimbabwe. Hasan Nawaz has only three PSL games under his belt, and didn’t get a game last season. That makes Mohammad Haris the most experienced player in Pakistan’s new-look top three and the onus will be on him to break the shackles and play the new aggressive brand of cricket the team management is aiming for. It’s also a comeback series for Haris, whose last international game was in September 2023.
Neesham, Seifert and Allen are back in New Zealand’s squad, and Neesham and Allen are likely to start. Sears and O’Rourke are expected to lead the fast-bowling attack, along with Jacob Duffy, who was the highest wicket-taker in New Zealand’s last T20I series, against Sri Lanka.
Apart from Nawaz, Pakistan might also hand a debut to Abdul Samad, who was picked despite having no PSL experience. Shadab Khan is back in the side and should lead the spin attack alongside Abrar Ahmed.
New Zealand (probable): Finn Allen, Tim Robinson, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Hay (wk), Michael Bracewell (capt), Ben Sears, Ish Sodhi, Will O’Rourke, Jacob Duffy
Pakistan (probable): Mohammad Haris (wk), Omair Yousuf, Hasan Nawaz, Salman Agha (capt), Abdul Samad, Irfan Khan, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed, Abbas Afridi
[Cricinfo]
Royal College defeated S. Thomas’ College by four wickets in the 48th Mustangs Trophy cricket encounter played at the SSC today [15]
Scores:
S. Thomas’ 220 in 49.1 overs
Royal 223/6 in 46.4 overs
Is it 2023 again ? Mumbai Indians [MI] and Delhi Capitals [DC], two consistently good teams with all-star line-ups, meet again in the WPL final. While DC have breezed into the final this season, MI are coming in battle-hardened, having had to take the circuitous route by playing three matches in four days to get there.
DC have been strong in most departments, and have got their selection calls right throughout the season. Their captain Meg Lanning hit form late in the tournament, Shafali Verma has continued to churn out the runs at the top of the other, and the move to promote Jess Jonassen to No. 3 has paid off. But for DC to look more threatening, they’d want their middle order to step up further. Their middle order (Nos. 4 to 7) collectively averages 17.50, the lowest this season, and have struck at 116.66, which is the second-lowest among all teams.
MI’s line-up also drips with power and strength. Powerplay bowling has been one of DC’s strongest suits, but only MI have bettered that. DC’s bowlers have taken 50 wickets at 23.84 in this phase, while MI have 61 wickets at 22.68.
For MI,Nat Sciver-Brunt has been at her brutal best, Hayley Matthews has delivered with both bat and ball, and captain Harmanpreet Kaur has hit high tempo. The rest of the line-up, though, has blown hot and cold.
But MI will be playing at their home ground – a venue where they’ve lost just once in seven games – and that tilts the scales in their favour. DC, though, have had a good seven days break, and will be coming in without the pressure of having had to scramble for a place in the final. Two heartbreaking finals later, will third time be the charm for them?
MI had promoted Amelia Kerr to the opening slot, and pushed Yastika Bhatia down the order for a couple of games. While Yastika was able to make quick runs from her new position, Kerr, who hasn’t been in the best of form with the bat, wasn’t able to capitalise on her starts. The order went back to what it was in the Eliminator against Gujarat Giants (GG), but neither player made an impact. Will MI switch their positions again to get the best out of Yastika?
MI had also brought in left-arm spinner Saika Ishaque in place of Parunika Sisodia for the Eliminator. Will they pick Ishaque again for the final after she bowled just one over against GG?
DC, who were last in action on March 7, are unlikely to make any changes to their line-up.
Mumbai Indians (probable): Hayley Matthews, Amelia Kerr, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Amanjot Kaur, Yastika Bhatia (wk), S Sajana, G Kamalini, Sanskriti Gupta, Shabnim Ismail, Saika Ishaque
Delhi Capitals (probable): Meg Lanning (capt), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Annabel Sutherland, Marizanne Kapp, Jess Jonassen, Sarah Bryce (wk), Niki Prasad, Minnu Mani, Shikha Pandey, Titas Sadhu
[Cricinfo]
Pakistan face patchwork New Zealand in first test of their new T20 era
Royal defeat S.Thomas’ by 4 wickets in 48th Mustangs Trophy encounter
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