Australia knuckle down in Ashes preparation

Australia are using the latest fitness techniques to get an edge over England in next month's Ashes series. Most of Australia's cricketers are over 30 and face a tough season, including five Tests against England in seven weeks, and the side have implemented GPS satellite tracking systems and accelerometers to measure their physical activity.

Justin Cordy, Australia's strength and conditioning coach, has devised fitness programs for each player and they have returned in excellent shape from a four-month winter break. "Skinfolds is what we are focused on ... overall as a team there's been a 15 percent change in all players," Cordy told Brisbane's Courier-Mail. "Over the last four or five months, I've really seen these guys knuckle down with the Ashes and World Cup on the table. It's about making them more athletic and getting excess weight off, so we can really focus on power and speed of movement. From my perspective, it was a matter of building on their [fitness] base and taking them to another level."

GPS devices are regularly fitted to players - Nathan Bracken agreed to wear one on his wrist during a one-day international final in Brisbane last season - as Australia seeks an advantage over England.

"The GPS satellite tracking devices give you an idea of what distance the players cover and at what speeds," Cordy said. "For instance, it showed that Bracken covered 15 kilometres [nine miles] out in the field in Brisbane. One of the things that came out of the technology was that there was a significant difference in training heart-rates versus playing heart-rates. It has highlighted the need at training to work harder because of the intensity of matches."