Injuries

JULY 14, 2014

England cricket

Down with flat pitches

England's quicks have been the most overworked in the past year, and they were given little respite at Trent Bridge when India were welcomed with a pitch that wouldn't have looked out of place in Nagpur or Rajkot. Simon Hughes, in the Telegraph, questions the quality of Test cricket on such decks and the ensuing impact on fast bowlers.

Neither of England's opening bowlers, James Anderson and Stuart Broad, will be fully fit for Lords. They cannot be. Anderson bowled 59 overs in this match and Broad 54. That is more than 300 deliveries per man. Each ball they charge in 20 yards, jump into their action and land at the crease, putting a force six times their body weight through their knees and ankles. You cannot recover from that in three days. Your body aches for a week after effort of this intensity. Never was it more obvious that bowlers are seen as cricket's expendable labourers.

MARCH 17, 2014

Takes a licking, keeps on ticking

Stuart Wark: A look at some brave efforts from injured batsmen who managed to return to the field to resume the fight

FEBRUARY 11, 2014

Modern injury-prevention techniques are not working

Michael Jeh: It might be time to go back to more traditional methods of preparation: long periods of batting and bowling in place of hours spent in the gym, in ice baths, and on the massage table

FEBRUARY 02, 2014

Do support staff really make a difference?

Michael Jeh: If it ultimately comes down to the athlete's skill, then maybe it's time to dispense with the big crews that accompany teams these days

NOVEMBER 26, 2013

New Zealand cricket

Vettori did right in delaying comeback

Daniel Vettori's performances in domestic cricket following surgery on his Achilles tendon had showed promising signs, but he was unwilling to put his body through the rigours of Test cricket until he was absolutely certain of handling the strain. David Leggat, in the New Zealand Herald, appreciates the former New Zealand captain's maturity and believes it will end up benefiting both him and the team.

"My Achilles is feeling really good but every part of my body is reacting to being used again," Vettori said. "I don't want to come back, get injured and go through the roller coaster of being in and out of the team. I really want to be 100 percent fit and have a number of games under my belt before I feel I can put my hand up for selection." Vettori is aware that the sight of him coming in and out of the national team, perhaps unable to perform at his best, would not be a good look, either for the team or himself