The extra time out at the Spanish resort for the bowlers, designed to improve their resilience, is among the tweaks made to their fitness and strength & conditioning programme this winter – and bowling coach Graeme Welch is delighted with the way things are shaping up.
Coming out here a little bit earlier than the rest of the squad is a great idea,” he said. “It enables us to increase the bowlers’ workloads gradually so there isn’t a big spike when we get to the start of the season.
Graeme Welch
“Coming out here a little bit earlier than the rest of the squad is a great idea,” he said. “It enables us to increase the bowlers’ workloads gradually so there isn’t a big spike when we get to the start of the season.
“Our physio Gerhard Mostert and S&C coach Jack Murfin have done outstandingly well this winter. They have put a lot of thought into how we can make the players more resilient and robust and the bowlers are looking in fantastic shape.
“There is never a guarantee that you won’t get injuries but, at the moment, the guys are looking great and champing at the bit to get outdoors after a long winter in the gym and indoor centre.
“Before the rest of the squad arrives, the bowlers are getting in some overs but there is a lot of gym time and a lot of recovery. Then when the rest of the lads arrive there will be some emphasis placed on bowling to left-handers and tail-enders.
“I want the bowlers to hunt as a pack next season. Last season, they couldn’t, because due to all the injuries we didn’t have a pack – except for Jeets who is a one-man pack! But the guys have worked really hard and well in the last few months and watching them has just reminded me what a strong unit we have here and that makes me feel very excited about the coming season.”