UCBSA response to leaked fitness report

The contents of reports compiled for the UCBSA by the Fitness Trainer and Psychologist of the South African cricket team which competed in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 have appeared in the media today.

Members of team management and specialists routinely compile reports after tours and tournaments to assist in assessing and improving the team's performance and preparation. Their reports are regarded as confidential and are circulated only to members of the relevant committees of the UCBSA. These reports were received after the World Cup and - in particular that of Fitness Trainer Andrew Gray - have been discussed at the meeting on April 15 of the UCBSA's Medical Committee. They are also due to be discussed at the next meeting of the National Cricket Committee scheduled for the end of this month.

"We are concerned about the issues mentioned in Andrew Gray's report in particular and they are being addressed as part of an ongoing process to improve the team's performance. Andrew's own work with the team is also ongoing and we receive regular reports from him. He has already raised some of these concerns in a verbal report to the NCC at its last meeting on 27 March 2003. Following that verbal report, the NCC recommended to the General Council on 29 March 2003 that all player contracts should stipulate specific fitness requirements and this will be addressed by the Board of Directors of Cricket SA (Pty) Ltd which governs professional cricket," said UCBSA CEO Gerald Majola.

"In addition, certain players missed out on selection for the team's current tour because they did not reach the required fitness level. Other players were put on strict fitness regimes on Andrew Gray's advice," Majola said.

"Andrew's written report and the details contained in it are still to be discussed by the NCC. Our discussions are informed by a range of documents and opinions, including the team management and specialist reports, and are aimed at ensuring a frank and honest assessment of our squad's strengths and weaknesses. We will obviously also be looking at building on the current tour to Bangladesh, one of the hallmarks of which has been the new spirit which has begun to emerge in the side," Majola added.

"I am concerned that reports containing confidential medical information about players have been leaked to the media, particularly as they have not yet been fully discussed by the UCB," Majola stated.

Fitness Trainer Andrew Gray, who is currently with the team in Bangladesh, said: "My observations about diet and lifestyle mentioned in my report were not made in the immediate run-up to the World Cup. I made observations through 2002 and those observations were contained in letters to each player when the World Cup squad was announced at the end of December 2002. All the players in the squad reached their required fitness levels in advance of the World Cup."

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