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Aussie fitness ace for MRF Academy

Senior coach and fitness expert of the Australian Cricket Academy Richard Done has prescribed a four point therapy for fast bowlers training at the MRF Pace Foundation.

The programme includes screening, physical preparation, work load control and technique, and practical instruction in these matters will be handed over to the trainees during his one week stint at the foundation.

Done is here to prepare the trainees for coping with the demands of modern day cricket. Briefing the media, Done said that the players would first be screened on the basis of their physique, strength and action, then put through a physical examination and preparation designed to improve their endurance, strength and flexibility.

"Their workload will then be controlled so as to ensure they bowl the minimum number of overs per spell, depending on their own strength and skills," Done said.

T A Shekhar, the former Tamil Nadu and India fast bowler who is now in charge of the Foundation, said Done will make annual visits and update the staff on the latest coaching and training methods.

Done pointed out that the methods being introduced at the MRF Foundation were on par with those used at the Australian Cricket Academy, which has produced the likes of Greg Blewett, Michael Bevan, Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie.

"The main aim of the course will be to prevent injuries curtailing the careers of fast bowlers, and also to enable bowlers to recover quickly from injuries they may sustain in course of their play," Done said.