Associate fitness must be top priority says ICC High Performance Manager

ICC High Performance Manager Richard Done has stressed Associate countries must make fitness a top priority if they want to be competitive in the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2007.

Done was echoing the comments of Scotland coach Andy Moles, currently working as head coach at the ICC's Winter Training Camp (WTC) in Pretoria, who said that players have to become fit to play cricket rather than getting fit by playing cricket.*

"The first six weeks of the WTC, together with the finals of the ICC Intercontinental Cup, have shown that although Associate countries are making solid progress in terms of fitness, it is still an area that requires a high level of attention," said Done.

"It really is vital that all players with aspirations to play in the ICC Cricket World Cup increase their base levels of fitness because that will allow them to realise their potential.

"It will allow them to maintain their level of performance for longer, increasing their concentration and endurance, and that is something each player will have to do if they want to do themselves justice on the world's biggest cricketing stage."

Done said that the on-going WTC in Pretoria, where 23 players from the six Associate countries taking part in the ICC Cricket World Cup are honing their skills, is a vital part of the push to increase fitness and performance levels.

"Now there are standards to follow from the WTC we will be using the same testing protocols to ensure the national squad players in each of these countries reach and then maintain suitable fitness levels over the next 17 months during their build-up to the World Cup," he said.

Done said that with the WTC now at its halfway point the focus will shift from foundation fitness and skills into more game-orientated scenarios.

Matches will form a key part of that shift so that the players are being challenged to put into practice the skill development work they have been doing.

"The 23 players will be selected into two teams on the basis of fitness, ability and performance through the match period - no different to the expectations of being picked for any team," said Done.

"This means the players will need to challenge themselves to keep performing if either they want to stay in the "A" Team or perform well to force their way up from the "B" team.

"The expectation is that there is no free ride and players need to earn their positions in the top team," he added.

Bermuda - Jekon Edness, Jim West, Stephen Outerbridge & Azeem Pitcher

Canada - Qaiser Ali, Umar Bhatti, Kenneth Carto & Henry Osinde (plus John Davison, who is filling a coaching role)

Ireland - Trevor Britton, Kenneth Carroll & Eoin Morgan

Kenya - Nehemiah Odhiambo Ngoche, Alfred Luseno & Kalpesh Patel

Netherlands - Tom de Grooth

Scotland - Richard Berrington, Kasim Farid, Gordon Goudie, Ross Lyons, Dewald Nel, Qasim Sheikh, Fraser Watts & Sean Weeraratna