Cricket South Africa last week concluded the latest phase of its elite fast-bowling group camp.
The two-day session saw 10 members of the men’s high-performance training squad assembled at the organisation’s Centre of Excellence where CSA bowling lead and high-performance manager, Vincent Barnes presided.
The main objective of the bowling camps was to determine bowling action optimisation, injury resolution, injury prevention, physical conditioning, and overall fast-tracking of the identified bowlers’ development.
The testing initially included musculoskeletal screening, strength, speed, and fitness testing. This is an area that franchise strength and conditioning coaches (S&Cs) and physiotherapists will continue to monitor and attend to once the players have returned to their teams.
The main area of focus for the current camps is the baseline video analysis. CSA’s high-performance department is in the advanced stages of building a database of the bowlers’ characteristics which will enable more effective player management in the future.
“Since March, we have tested 17 bowlers. The initial focus earlier in the year was on bowlers returning from serious injuries and the causes thereof. Those bowlers included Lungi Ngidi, Wiaan Mulder, Junior Dala, Lifa Ntanzi, Sisanda Magala, Lutho Sipamla, and Thando Ntini. Once we got the biomechanical analysis reports, we gathered all the role players (coaches, S&Cs, and physios) that would be involved with the bowler for feedback,” Barnes said.
“Covid-19 delayed the testing of more players as we were looking to test the IPL bowlers before they left. We will do that when they return. In the past couple of days, we tested 10 of our top fast bowlers, and next week we will be testing the rest of the men’s fast bowlers and begin our work with the women,” he noted.
Men’s high-performance squad for this week’s elite bowlers camp: Dwaine Pretorius (Imperial Lions), Beuran Hendricks (Imperial Lions), Andile Phehlukwayo (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Darryn Dupavillon (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Geral Coetzee (VKB Knights), Okuhle Cele (Momentum Multiply Titans), Khwezi Gumede (Momentum Multiply Titans), Nandre Burger (Cape Cobras), Corbin Bosch (Cape Cobras), Tladi Bokako (Imperial Lions).
