Camp Diary: Survive or Succumb

Sat, Dec 11, '04

 

from MICHELLE McDONALD in Barbados

It's a lazy Saturday here in Beautiful Barbados, but only for me, the birds and the visitors. For the West Indies squad involved in a preparatory camp at the 3 W's Oval, it's an energy sapping day and the blazing sun is compounding the effects of the rigorous paces that Bennett King and his coaching team are putting the players through.

I got to the practice session at 1:50 in the afternoon (I did say it was a lazy Saturday didn't I ? and I'm a visitor so I'm allowed). Deighton Butler was just on his way to the indoor nets where he would join Pedro Collins, Mervyn Dillon and Narsingh Deonarine working in pairs using two bowling machines.

Eighteen players were in groups of three's on the field in catching practice drills. One man stood in the middle of the other two and took turns catching the ball from either end. The balls came high, low, to the left, to the right...that sounds like a soca tune init?

But there was no time to dance or lime for the troops. Marshalled by Assistant Coach David Moore, West Indies Coaching Manager Darren Holder and Physiotherapist Stephen Partridge, the cricketers responded to chants such as "work hard, come on, keep wanting to do more, you don't want to stand around doing nothing". Pretty soon, you could hear the players shouting similar phrases to their team mates. "Jump higher, come on Morton, jump higher" as the ball careened over Runako's head.

I've accounted for 22 players so far. What about the other three? Wicketkeeper Courtney Browne was in the pavilion, resting his left ankle which was later strapped. I asked Partridge what had happened. "He rolled it yesterday morning. It's no big deal so the strapping is just precautionary."

Dwayne Bravo kept Browne's company until he departed with Manager Tony Howard. Bravo, along with Brian Lara had been excused by prior arrangement with the team's management to attend to some other matters away from the ground. Both had been present prior to my arrival. That's the 25 players accounted for then.

It was lots of batting practice for the bowlers today. Reon King replaced Collins, the tall fast bowler Dwight Washington had his turn, then Darren Sammy practised with the machine that looks very much like an Unidentified Flying Object.

Collins immediately got to tackle flying objects after his indoor net session. There was literally no rest for each of the players as they finished their stint indoors. It was in the dressing room to remove their batting gear, perhaps grab a bottle of water if their body called for it, and out onto the field to join in the drills.

The players' stamina was tested in an exercise simulating the shuttle run that forms a part of the battery of fitness tests they are accustomed to. Each player in the middle of two had to run from one player to the next who was about a pitch's length away, for a certain time period. You could see their bodies winding down as the time progressed. One player was so relieved when his turn was over, he hugged one of his team mates to celebrate the completion of the drill.

This same player, a countryman of mine, to whom I had remarked on Wednesday that he seemed smaller, hailed me up and issued an invite. "What's happening Michelle? You want to come and train with us?" Sure. I want to be as small as you. Bring it on.

I told you the sun was hot right? Evidence of that was the dozens of empty water bottles that littered the field. On an occasion when Coach King was rejoining the players on the field after checking on the wards in the indoor nets, he grabbed three bottles of water and shared them with the group he joined. Water the horses and they will run longer.

The day's activities ended at 3:15 p.m.

What did I miss earlier? Bennett filled me in. "The bowlers were doing their work individually in the nets on the field. I had batters all day in an out through the nets doing technical. The batters worked during the morning. Then we did diving technique and short catching and then this afternoon we did some physical work with balls as well, so everything we do physically we make sure we do a skill with it."

Same kind of thing for tomorrow? "Yeah probably a bit harder than today". Eeegad, you're going to kill them! "No man. I thought that's what you wanted?" King chuckles. Yes of course, because we want them back to their rightful place as El Numero Uno.

I better send the players a memo. "Be prepared for a more taxing day tomorrow. It won't be a day of rest as Sunday typically is in the Caribbean...unless it rains and even then you'll be sure that the coach will find some work for you all to do indoors as has been the case on previous rainy days in the camp."

Welcome to Bennett King's camp. Survive or succumb. What will it be guys?

* Click here to view Michelle McDonald's training camp photo album.