Coping with the cold

Tue, May 22, '07

 

from MICHELLE McDONALD in London

Television coverage showed mostly clear blue skies over Lord's during the 1st Test match between the West Indies and England. Don't be fooled into thinking that the weather was great.

"Today (Saturday), the forecast was for sunshine, but it was windy and the breeze was very very cold. So guys have to do whatever they have to do to get warm," explained all rounder Darren Sammy who sat out this Test match.

The West Indies cricketers are accustomed to warmer climes, so how do they cope with having to play in that kind of weather?

"We are well prepared in terms of clothing. We have two sweaters and long sleeve shirts," said Sylvester Joseph who played one season with league club Shaw up north in Manchester. Joseph was 12th man for the first Test and so escaped much of the cold, crisp weather by being mostly indoors.

Captain Ramnaresh Sarwan tries to wear as many T-shirts under his cricket gear as can fit. His introduction to the famous British weather was during the 2000 series. It proved something of a shock since, unlike many cricketers from the West Indies, he had no experience playing league cricket in England.

"I found it very difficult," he said, but despite that, Sarwan ended up with an average of 40.75 for the three matches he played back then. Not bad for someone who was uncomfortable being in the cold weather.

The right handed batsman spent a few weeks in Gloucestershire in 2005. "At one stage, I wore three pants and seven shirts! It was funny to my team mates, but that was the way I felt most comfortable and would perform my best," he explained.

With all of that clothing, if a batsman is running many singles and twos, wouldn't he get too hot and have to strip off the layers? "No, not really. You would actually want to perspire rather than be cold, so we keep it on to stay warm," Sarwan said. Sometimes there is no perspiration. "If it's really cold, you don't really sweat," said Joseph, who added that if the team is fielding, depending on which position the player is in, he can remove one sweater and play in the short sleeved one.

Hand warmers also assist in keeping the extremities from freezing. These are not worn on the hands however. Instead, they are made to be kept in the pocket of the cricketers' flannels. Not all the cricketers use them. Sylvester Joseph prefers the old time method of rubbing his hands together.

Darren Sammy is more pragmatic. "You can't change the fact that it's cold. You might be shivering, but you just have to be mentally prepared," he said matter-of-factly. His method is to manipulate the mind. He said "I try to keep my mind off of it, and motivate myself to go out there and face the challenge."

The West Indies all rounder, who got his first call up while involved with the MCC Young Cricketers programme, says that after five seasons here, he has pretty much got accustomed to the British weather.

According to him, cricket is played whether it is cold or sunny. He said "the wind will be blowing, it will be breezy and you just have to adapt and be mentally strong. My method first of all, is to be mentally prepared, and then once your mind gets over it, I think the rest should come easy."