It sometimes pains me to see that the usual Rx is handed out to our team: batting coach, bowling coach, fileding coach. "Fitness" is given a passing mention. Fitness is the ability to do a task. The Australians and the Proteas have upped the levels of "fitness" dramatically in all measureable parameters....strength, power, conditioning and agility. Look at any of their players on the field and then look at ours. You'll see what I mean.
Take look at international players form any field sport(incl. cricket) and compare them to players from the same sport 15 years ago. The physical transformtions are astounding. Do you think our current players look any different from the earlier ones? Have we evolved?
We need to have not just a fitness coach, we need fitness standards. Measureable standards in all the earlier mentioned parameters (strength, power, conditioning, agility)...and then some. That's not going to be possible in our politicised "let's try to please everyone" environment. I have a very strong feeling that MOST (if not NONE) of our current players (read: GODS) would measure up to the rigourous standards applicable in modern sport.
How to develop the standards? Look beyond cricket. There's a huge universe of sports out there. Take what useful and reject the rest. Unfortunately, I don't think this is going to happen...it'll only please the fans and paying public, and who wants to please them anyway!
