Sharjah: For the England cricket team, it hasn’t been easy acclimatising to the conditions in the UAE so far.
With temperatures hovering between 40 and 43 degrees celsius over the last few days, captain Alastair Cook and his boys have been sweating it out during the practice sessions at the ICC Cricket Academy, as well as during their two-day match against Pakistan A in Sharjah.
England’s support staff has been doing everything possible to ensure that the players remain hydrated. Players dipping their elbows in buckets of ice or covering their necks with ice-soaked towels are a common sight.
Sharjah Stadium authorities made sure enough ice was available for the England players to remain cool. In the past, touring teams like Australia requested only five to six buckets of ice when they had to play Pakistan during the summer heat here. This time around, England needed 10 buckets — not only of ice slabs but also of crushed ice.
Chirtala Sudhakar, the UAE cricket team’s physiotherapist, who advises cricketers on how to remain fit while playing during the summer heat, told Gulf News that ice baths for players are now very common while playing in such heat.
“Extreme heat can lead to cramps and create fatigue in the players. An ice bath helps to recoup oxygen that gets drained from the muscles in the heat,” Sudhakar said.
“Sharjah stadium dressing room has a special tub for ice baths. Three players can sit inside it and the temperature that is needed is decided according to the players’ body responses,” he added.
“All [team] physiotherapists are aware of the temperature [at which each] his players cool down. For example, Pakistan players may not need [a big] temperature [drop] to cool down like England players,” Sudhakar said.
During the two-day warm-up match, England players could be seen taking breaks, some of them unscheduled, to drink water.
“Preventing dehydration by [drinking] enough fluids is very important but players in this heat should load water in their body the day before the match and not on [match] day,” Sudhakar said.
“If one decides to remain hydrated by drinking lots of water on the day of the match, he won’t be able to perform [as he will] feel bloated and also have to visit the rest room often,” added Sudhakar, who has a simple technique for every player here to find out if he is hydrated.
“Any cricketer playing in heat here before a match should make sure his urine is [colourless] and not yellow in colour. Protein drinks too are also now supplied by different teams, but professional teams make sure that those drinks are tested in top laboratories as International Cricket Council (ICC) are strict on players not using components which can be harmful to a sportsman,” he said.
England play their second two-day match against Pakistan A from Thursday at the Sharjah Stadium, before leaving for Abu Dhabi for their first Test match which starts October 13.
