AGENCIES
Test great Shane Warne says sports science is overcomplicating cricket, calling on the governing body to let cricketers think for themselves. Famous for his lack of enthusiasm for fitness training during his playing career, Warne said the Sheffield Shield cannot afford to be taken over by non-cricket decisions.
"There are a few things creeping into Shield cricket I don't like, and (one) is pulling people out of games," he told SEN radio. "I don't like that. You either play or you don't. I think the sports science in all sports these days, we've got to make sure that’s not running the show. That should be a secondary matter... I don't like people getting pulled out because they might get injured."
Warne heaped praise on left-arm bowler Mitchell Starc, who suffered a painful leg injury in September but recovered to play all three Tests against South Africa and Sunday's one-day international against New Zealand. "He got better and better as the Test matches went on because he kept bowling and bowling rather than ‘that’s six overs in the nets, that’s enough, stop now’ or getting pulled out of Shield games," he said.
Starc did, however, play half a Shield game in late October, replaced by Doug Bollinger after bowling 19 overs in the first innings against Queensland. Still, Warne remains frustrated that cricketers must go through numerous channels prior to playing.
"The biggest thing for me is there’s too many people telling the players what to do and they’re not thinking for themselves,” he said. "You go into a dressing room now, whether it be Shield cricket or whatever, there's 10-15 people around the players telling them what to do. I'd like the players to think a little bit more for themselves, so that needs to be addressed."
In Starc's case, though, the status quo may have aided his recovery. "You're speaking to the bowler first and foremost as well, if the player's uncomfortable they'll tell us, tell the medical staff first and then the selectors. That's how open we are," Australian coach Darren Lehmann said prior to the Hobart Test in early November.
Lehmann said at the time that he trusts the medical staff to strike the right balance between recuperating and training. "I would only have a problem if our blokes aren't bowling and their skill level is not good enough," he said.
