Characteristics of the Sport

Overview

Cricket is not just a game of skill, but involves extended periods of time spent playing, often in very challenging, hot conditions.  Teams include specialist batsmen and bowlers, a wicket keeper and possibly some all-rounders.  Theoretically, all team members get to bat and field, while only the specialist bowlers and all-rounders are required to bowl.  Competition is structured as either Twenty20 fixtures, which involve one innnings (maximum 20 overs) per side, limited over (one-day) games, which also involve one innings (maximum 50 overs) per side, or 4-5 day games, which involve 2innings per side.  Today's elite level cricketers are fully professional and training is demanding like most elite level sports.

Training

Cricket is primarily a summer sport, with the season running from October to April in Australia.  At the international level, cricketers play nearly all year round.  International tours occur throughout the year, and many players choose to play in the national cricket season of countries in the opposite hemisphere during the Australian winter.  For example, county cricket in England.  Recreational cricketers are generally inactive throughout the off-season unless they participate in another sport, or undertake their own fitness training.

At first-grade level, pre-season training begins around June with general fitness work.  Skill work becomes a priority as the season approaches.  Training sessions typically run for 2-2½ hours.  Weights and aerobic sessions such as running or swimming are also included in the training week.

Competition

District cricket is played on weekends and may be in the form of 2-day fixtures or one-day competition. At the  state level, male cricketers play in the Pura Cup which involves4 day matches, the Ford Ranger  Cup , which is a limited over (50 over) one day series and the KFC Twenty20  BigBash, the state Twenty20 competition. Female cricketers play in the Women’s  National League.

The International cricket season in Australia involves a one-day series and a test series (5 day matches).  Players may be involved in one or both types of competition.  Players usually return to play in their state competition when not required for International commitments.

The physical requirements of a cricket game vary with the format of the match (one day versus multi-day) and the player's position in the team.  For example, a batsman may be batting in the heat all day or he may get out first ball and sit in the pavilion all day.  A bowler could bowl as many as 30 overs in a day's play, or could sit around for 2 days whilst his teammates bat.  Test matches are played during the day (usually 11am - 6pm). Limited overs matches  are played either as day or day/night matches under lights, while Twenty20 matches are played as either day  or night fixtures,  and usually last ~3 hours. Being a summer sport, most matches are typically played under hot  conditions.

Common Nutrition Issues

Training Nutrition

Elite cricketers can have a busy training schedule with multiple sessions throughout the day.  The intensity of sessions can range from low to very high.  Cricketers therefore need to base their intake on a balance of nutrient-dense foods such as cereals, fruit, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, lean meat/poultry/fish or vegetarian alternatives.  Food intake needs to be well timed to help with recovery between sessions.  Intake may need to be adjusted to match the activity level of each day with extra snacks being included on heavier days.

Body Fat Levels

Unless regular conditioning sessions are included in training, cricket can involve long hours of low intensity activity.  Players can often find themselves gaining unwanted weight, particularly when enjoying the social side of cricket.  Cricketers wanting to lose body fat need to assess their training load.  It may be necessary to undertake some aerobic activity in addition to scheduled training sessions.  Long-term changes need to be made to food intake.  Key areas to target are fat and alcohol intake.

Pre-Match Nutrition

Cricketers do not know whether they will be batting or bowling on the first day of a match until approximately 45 minutes prior to start time.  Consequently, they need to prepare for a match assuming they will be involved in their capacity on the first day.  Pre-hydration is extremely important to ensure cricketers begin the match in a well hydrated state.  They ideally should begin increasing their fluid intake the day before the game, so only moderate amounts of fluid are needed on match day to complete adequate hydration. 

Match Day Nutrition

Cricketers need to stay fuelled and hydrated throughout a game.  Ideally, a meal that is based on carbohydrate and includes some protein, vitamins, minerals and small amounts of fat should be consumed before a cricket match.  Good choices include cereal, yoghurt, sandwiches, pasta and fruit.  The timing of the meal can be difficult, especially when the team bats first, and players have no idea when they will be required to participate.  Ideally, players should eat 2-4 hours before the game begins and include snacks such as fruit, cereal bars, yoghurt and sandwiches every 1-3 hours whilst waiting to bat.

Matches usually include breaks for lunch and tea.  Depending on the level of competition, meals may be formally catered, provided by the social club, assembled by asking players to 'bring a plate' or consist of individual packed lunches.  The nutritional quality of meals at the elite level is generally good, however occasionally high-fat, lower carbohydrate foods such as casseroles, cold cuts, fried foods and cakes can still feature.  Ideally, meals consumed during a cricket match should provide carbohydrate to keep blood glucose levels topped up, provide a variety of other nutrients such as protein, vitamins and minerals, be low in fat and easy to digest.  Good examples include sandwiches and rolls with lean meat, low-fat cheese and salad, home made pizza, tomato based pasta dishes, fruit salad, low-fat muffins, yoghurt, fruit and smoothies.

Drink breaks are generally scheduled every hour, however at some lower levels of cricket this could be less frequent.  Combating dehydration is an important issue, and cricketers should drink at least 250-500 ml of fluid at each drink break to replace sweat losses.  For active players such as batsmen, bowlers and the wicket keeper, additional drinks may be required and can be provided on the boundary line or brought onto the field by the 12th man.  The use of sports drinks is recommended when cricketers are particularly active e.g. fast bowlers etc.

In multi-day games, recovery is a primary concern.  At the end of the day, players need to replace fluid and carbohydrate.  For active players, a carbohydrate based meal or snack such as sandwiches, fruit, yoghurt, milk drinks or cereal bars should be consumed in conjunction with fluids such as sports drinks, cordial, juice and water within 30-60 minutes of the completion of the day's play.

Alcohol Intake

Alcohol intake is heavily interwoven into the cricketer's lifestyle.  Alcohol increases urinary fluid loss and can also interfere with the recovery of the body's carbohydrate stores.  If you plan to have a few drinks post-match, make sure you have adequately rehydrated yourself before consuming alcohol.  Alcohol should definitely be avoided 24 hours pre-match, and will only hinder recovery during a 4 or 5-day match.

Travelling on Tour or Abroad

Elite cricket involves regular international travel.  This can pose a number of challenges to meeting nutritional needs.  Unusual foods, different standards of food hygiene, limited food availability and interference with usual routines can see athletes either gaining weight or failing to meet their nutritional requirements.  The following tips may help:

• be clear about your nutritional goals and stay committed while travelling
• do some investigation to find out what to expect at your destination
• plan your accommodation with meals in mind.  Organising an apartment with cooking facilities gives you more control over your meals and can keep food costs down.  If you choose not to cook, make sure your accommodation is conveniently located near shops and restaurants.
• take a supply of snacks with you so you always have access to something suitable.  Cereal bars, low-fat 2-minute noodles, sports drinks, breakfast cereal and rice cakes are good options to pack.
• make good choices in restaurants.  Beware of hidden fat in restaurant meals.  Add carbohydrates to meals with bread, rice noodles, fruit or juice if necessary.

Case Study

Fergus is an opening bowler who is having problems with energy levels when he bowls during 4 day Pura Cup games.  Fergus can generally get through about 7-8 overs in his first bowling spell, before he begins to fatigue. His main problem however, is when he needs to bowl a second or third spell in the same day, as he frequently feels extremely lethargic whilst trying to bowl his usual 15-25 overs throughout the day.

Fergus enlisted the assistance of a sports dietitian to see whether his diet was a contributing factor.  It was!  Fergus was not eating a sufficiently high enough carbohydrate intake in the 36-48 hours leading up to his matches.  Hence, his glycogen stores were probably not fully loaded for day 1 of the match.  Fergus simply increased the amount of fruit, juice, pasta and rice he was eating to boost his overall carbohydrate intake to an appropriate level.

Fergus was also eating very little during the day whilst he was bowling.  He was drinking good amounts of water and sports drink before, during and after a day's play as he was very aware of the risk of dehydration.  However at the lunch and tea break, Fergus was only eating a few lollies and a piece of fruit as he thought food would make him feel heavy whilst he was bowling.

The sports dietitian recommended Fergus have a fruit smoothie and a small plateful of sandwiches, pasta or noodles at the lunch and tea breaks.  Fergus decided to give this a go and he could not believe the difference to his performance.  By adequately fuelling up before matches and by eating a small snack and a smoothie during the day, Fergus was able to complete his bowling spells with much greater ease due to his improved energy levels.  He found he could bowl more overs each day, but more importantly, could bowl the majority of them at top pace as he was not so fatigued as before.