The answer is of course yes, without a doubt.

In the current county game the?re is such a wide range of different forms of cricket that it is hard to break fitne?ss down.

In Twenty20 there is the fast and furious side of fitness where for 3 hours you are like a Duracell bunny!! In the 50 over one-day game there are aspects of the Twenty20 game but also the game lasts for around 6 hours so it can be exhausting. Then there is the purist game, the County Championship. This game can be as tough as any, you can field for around 250 over’s in the game and also be relied up on to bat for days at a time.

So how do cricketers prepare physically for?? the season???

The season finishes at the end of September so most cricketers will spend October relaxing, catching up with Family or going on holiday. I tend to go on holiday but still like to do s??ome sort of light fitness 3 days a week just to maintain the levels.

During November and December at Yorkshire we do a lot of long distance C.V work to get the miles in the legs preparing our bodies for the ‘onslaught’ after Christmas! Personally I try to do between 20-30 miles per week running on the roads along with 2 full body weight sessions.

After Christmas the training begins to step up. We train as a team 3 times a week which will include circuits, power lifting? and hill sprints. Our fitness trainer aims to get the p?ower and speed in to our muscles. Cricket is mainly based around short, fast movements based over a long period of time, so hill sprints is an excellent session to do to help that. During this time the players start to do skill specific training, so the batters will do 3 sessions of batting a week and bowlers will work on bowling skills.

During the summer the schedule for a cricketer is hard to manage. You could play a 4 day Championship game followed the next day by a one day game, f?ollowed by a travelling day followed by another Championship game. Sometimes we can be away from home for up to 3 weeks, so being able to live out of hotel rooms is a key part of the job. The ways in which to maintain fitness levels during the season is to manage your time the best you can. As a batsman I will fail during some games which gives me a lot of time sat around watching others score the runs that I should of!! This time can be spent going for a run of using the gym at the grounds to keep the fitness levels up. We have a full time fitness conditioner on hand so he will devise the sessions there and then to suit our needs.

Recovery is also a key part of a cricketer’s role in managing their own bodies. Ice baths are constantly used after games and when we are staying in hotels we often do a team pool session to help relieve the lactic acid out of the muscles.

One of my fellow team mates, Chris Taylor and m??e also run a cricket coaching business during the winter months called Pro Coach Cricket Academy which delivers cricket coaching?? to over 4000 children across the UK. We are unique in a way in which all our sessions are delivered by current and ex professional cricketers.

If any of you would be interested please check out our website www.procricketcoachingacademy.com

Overall I hope I hav?e been able to give you a brief background in to the?? physical demands of a professional cricketer and the ways we work.

* What sort of breakfast do you guys have on the morning of a match? Light or Heavy?

It depends what sort of cricket I am playing. If it’s a one day game I will have a big breakfast, as the start of the game is at 1pm it means skipping lunch. On a championship game I will have some cereal or fruit, followed by beans on toast or some scrabbled egg on toast.

* Who are your favourite cricketers?

Marcus Trescothick is someone who I have tried to model my game on a lot but also Michael Vaughan as I have learnt fro?m him. I also admire Darren Lehmann and Jaques Rudol?ph

* Which innings are you most proud of?

Probably my hundred against Lanca??shire. It was a dogged innings but any roses hundred is very special.

* The English domestic structure has come under a lot of fire in recent times. Do the players see any inherent problems in the system and if so what are some areas for improvement.

I think there may be too many kolpak players within Engli??sh cricket. Although I think kolpak pl??ayers have improved the standard of the English game, every kolpak player is taking the place of a young English player. I think 2 kolpacks per team and 1 overseas would be fair.

* Who are some young players to look out for?

Gary Balance at Yorkshire is an exciting young player as is Adam Lyth. I think Adil Rashid and Joe Den?ly will represent England in the next year or so.

* Who should be wicketkeeping for England?

I think Matt Prior is the man for the job, he had a good series agai??nst S.A, he just needs to find his form more consistently. I also think Phil Mustard was a little unlucky to be left out, as I think he is a good one day player.

* How has the Indian Champions League and the Stanford competition affected day to day stuff in the dressing rooms in county cricket? Do guys talk about it a lot and is it always in the back of your minds?

Obvio?usly all the players would like the chance to play for the money that is being branded about, but the Yorkshire lads are just trying to win some domestic trophies which leads to international exposure for IC?L/IPL contracts.

* Are there any players outside of the current England squad that you feel should be regulars in the 1st XI?

I t??hink Owais Shah has been a little unl??ucky not to play more, I think he is a great player.

* Who can hit the ball further between you two?

Ha, dunno, probably Chris, he’s fitter!!!

* Who is the fastest bowler you have faced in County Cricket?

Steve Harminson bowled a couple of light??ening spells at me this year, which I have bruisers to prove it!!

* As openers, how often do you or the coaching staff analyze your own batting technique? I know that there is a general tendency to only scrutinize your technique when you are going through a bad run of form but do you watch videos of yourself to analyze your own batting technique? If so, have you noticed any errors in your technique that have crept into your game over time?

Yeah I constantly watch videos of myself to analyse my game. Bad habits do creep in during the season so its important to work hard in the nets. As far as my own technique, there is always things t??o work on at the moment.

* Have you noticed any differences in the amount of swing with the Duke balls since your debut year?

The 2007 duke balls did t?end to swing more than the 2008 ones, but a ball is a ball to me, see it, h?it it.

* Do you have any superstitious activities that you carry out before or during your time at the crease?

I don’t like odd numbers on volume controls, don’t ask why. Chris is worse than me!!

* Who is the best bowler that you have faced in your career thus far?

Murali, he was so hard to pick.

* From talking to your overseas team mates at Yorkshire, how do they rate the standard of County Cricket compared to cricket in South Africa or Australia? And have either of you played club cricket abroad during your winter months? If so what is the standard like?

Jaques Rudolph tells me the English domes??tic game is far stronger than the SA one. I have played one season is Sydney and the standard of club cricket was far better.

* Andy, it is well known that Darren Lehmann is a well respected person both on and off the field and is quite knowledgeable about the game, how significant has his presence at Yorkshire been for you? The same for you Chris as well.

‘Buffer’ helped me significantly. His positive approach and attitude towards the game was awesome. His game plans for each bowler were very particular and he talked me through the game whilst batting with him.

* How much difference is there to playing cricket at day compared to night, with regards to batting, fielding etc? Does the ball swing a lot at night? And what is your preference and why?

It depends on the quality of the lights. Permanent flood lights seem to be ??far better than the temporary ones. I find it particularly hard to catch the high balls, it seems really hard to judge against the night sky.

* In the offseason, indoor nets aside, what is the main training routines that you take part in? (ie gym, running etc.)

I have had October off to relax and I went on holiday. I have just recently had an elbow operation t??hat will kepp me out till after xmas. After Christmas I will begin to really hit the fitness hard and the nets, doing about 10 hours gym work and 10 hours net time.

* Where do you see yourselves in five years time?

I would like to see myself being a regular in the Engl?and side, I would also like to capt??ain Yorkshire at some stage.

* If could go back in time to any era of the game to watch and play, where would it be and why?

I would like to think I am playing in the best era of cricket now. There is more money involved and some of the best grounds ever seen at cricket. Cricket is on the up and it’s a very exciting time to play.

* How did either of you get involved with cricket? Was it family thing, or from your childhood friends or even school?

Grandfather played local league cricket, so I went to practice when I was 9 years old at my local club Gomersal, a year later I got chosen to represent Yorkshire u11’s.

* If it wasn’t for cricket, what you do for a living?

Probably running my coaching business full time, www.procricketcoachingacademy.com, I am passionat??e about business and really enjoy doin??g it.

* Outside of cricket what do you do in your spare time?

Like I said, I like to run the business along with Chris, I also have a season ticket at Huddersfield Town, so I try to get down to watch?? them as much as poss.

* Who is the practical joker amongst the team?

Probably have to say Anthony McGrath, he’s always taking the mick out of someone, usually the Fizz!!

* Favourite meal, drink, book, movie, music?

Meal – Fish and Chips (don’t tell the fitness coach)

Drink – Fanta

Book – Any James Patterson ones

Movie – Topgun

Music – Simply Red

* -What’s the funniest sledge someone’s given you?

Lets end this lads nightmare

* -Do you prefer 2020 or the longer one-day format & why?

I enjoy the 20’s but I get more satisfaction from winning in the longer form. The best team always wins over 4 days, but that doesn’t always happen in the 20’s.

* -Which football/rugby teams do you support?

Huddersfield Town, Bradford Bulls

* -League or union?

Definitely Leagu??e, hate all that kicking in union!!

* -Do you know of any players who sneak a look at CW or other cricket forums (no names, no packdrill)?

I am sure the lads ch??eck out the cricket si??ghts from time to time.

* As an opener, do you find extreme pace or swing a more difficult challenge to face early in an innings?

The swinging ball is probably the hardest thing.

* Do you agree with Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff when they say that young players should try and play their natural game and do what feels right to them, rather than trying to learn an applied technique out of a coaching manual?

Yeah, if you have a natural attacking game, don’t forget it. The best players are sometimes the most unorthodox ones as bowlers struggle to find the lines and lengths to bowl at them.

* From the players perspective is a 21st century Roses match just another fixture or is it still something different?

There is still a lot of prestige in playing in the roses game. it’s the first fixture I look for when they come out.

* Would you like to see the amount of domestic cricket played reduced?

Less cricket, more training, I think this would improve the quality of the game and stop players from ?going stale.

* Other than Headingley, what is your favourite ground you’ve played at?

Scarborough

* Is Adil Rashid a better bowler or batsman?

Adil has t??he ability to be a genuine all rounder. At the moment I would say his bowling is better, but given time he has the attributes to be? a top order batsmen.

I am writing before the Surrey g?ame to b?e played at Headingley Carnegie this week.

The season to date has been a decent one from a personnel point of view. I have almost cemented my place in the championship side with hundreds against Hampshire and Surrey. Hopefully I can push on now and I have also played well in the one-day format scoring a 60 odd in the semi final against Essex. As for the Twenty20’s, that is something that we will forget as a club and will only learn from.

From a team perspective it has been a season of ups and downs to date. Three weeks ago we was top of the championship, in the quarter finals of the Twenty20 and in the semi final on the FP Trophy. Unfortunately we have lost a little bit of form and lost the last three champo games. It has not been an easy time for the players after going out of the 20’s the way we did but that can’t be used as an excuse, the bottom line is that we have played some poor cricket at vital times in the games and that has really cost us.

The most positive thing to come out of the last c?ouple of we??eks is a superb hundred from a young lad from Whitby called Adam Lyth. He scored his maiden first class hundred against Notts last week and nearly got us to the total we required. Adam is certainly a character of the game and one for all you readers to watch out for in the future.

Hope you have enjoyed the article and I look forward to d??oing another one shortly.

After?? an excellent pre-season tour in Abu Dhabi I came?? back in good form and with the confidence I needed for a successful season.

I started the season off with 138 against Hampshire, I put the team in a great position on a tricky wicket ??and Matthew Hoggard bowled amazingly, showing that he is still worthy of Test cricket. We won the game by an innings. I was more than happy with my performance as the Hampshire bowling attack included Shane Bond, Chris Tremlett and Dimi Mascarenhas.

We have had a good start in the Friends Provident Trophy, we lost our first ??game against Durham but since then we have won two games on the b?ounce. We beat Durham on Bank Holiday Monday, in which I scored 68 at faster than a run a ball.

As a team we are growing in confidence game by game. Morne Morke?l bowled the speed of light before he pulled up with a hamsrting strain, hopefully he will be fit again ?for our Roses clash on Sunday.

The key to our season is how well the younger lads perform, the likes of Chris Taylor, Joe Sayers, Tim Bresnan and myself. In recent years the likes of Anthony McGrath, Jaques Rudolth ?and Darren Gough have been left to produce match winning performances but I now feel the younger guys are finding their feet a bit and are starting to produce the performances we need to be a successful unit.

For me I have had a great start to the season but a couple of good performances doesn’t make a season, hopefully I can now kick on and continue to produce consistent performances and really cement my place in the side.

We are back on the road next week to play against Durham, Scotland, Surrey and Derbyshire but I will try and fill you all in o??n our ups and downs in a few weeks time.

There is a little bit of uncertainty at Yorkshire at the moment, which lies around the signing of Rana Ul-Naved. Rana signed for us back in September before he badly injured his shoulder playing for the champions Sussex. His injury meant that he wouldn’t be available from the start of the season but he would join us mid season when he was fully fit. He has now signed for the ICL for the for coming April which is the rebel cricket league. Personally I don?t fully understand how the ICL and the IPL work, but all I do know is Rana was somebody who I have played against a lot in league and county cricket and I rate him very highly. I hope the matter is solved soon and Rana will forfill his contract with Yorkshire as I think he would be a great asset to our bowling attack.

Next week the whole sq??uad will travel to Dubai for our pre-season tour. This is th?e first one we have had for six years so all the lads are really looking forward to it. We play four games out there against Lancashire, Somerset, Sussex and the U.A.E.

I think pre season tours are an excellent thing for clubs to do. It doesn?t matter how many nets you have nothing replicates the emotions and pressure you feel in the heat on the battle in a game situation. Pers?onally I am looking for a few runs to give me some confidence to get a good start to the season.

I hope all the readers are enjoying the pieces and I will?? speak to ?you all again before the start of the season.

On the 11th of February I flew to India, Mohali to attend the Global Cricket Academy. I was th??ere with all the Yorkshire batsmen and a couple of the spinners to get some pre-season batting under my belt.

I have been to India a couple of times before and find the country a great place in which to learn cricket. Yes, the food is difficult to eat day in day out, but Pizza Hut really was a life saver to most of t??he lads.

They have a real love for the game out there, every spare bit of land is covered by children and adults playing cricket. Young cricketers travel from miles around to bowl in the nets at us, you never hear a complaint about ?how long they have bowled for, they just thrive on cricket. The practice over there is very different to ours. You see a lot of children doing skill based drills such as replicating the forward defensive, playing the sweep shot. Children seem to have a great desire in India to work hard on their games without getting bored, I guess some see cricket as a way out of poverty and genuinely love the game.

While I was out there I was predominately working on batting against spin. In England mid summer on third and fourth day pitches the ball can turn big and it is tough to replicate that sort of practice but India offers the f??acilities to do so. I worked closely with our batting coach Kevin Sharpe and an Indian coach called Umesh on ways to defend and score against spi??n. We would work on drills that involved sweeping tennis balls, coming down the pitch and hitting small basketballs, manipulating spin off the back foot. We would then spend about an hour in the nets in the morning and an hour in the nets in the afternoon. Practice like this really is priceless at this time of the year and really helps to build confidence before the season.

Now that I am back it’s back to the indoor school, not quite as glamorous as India but it will have to do. I will be continuing the fitness work with the squad, and prepare myself for the trip to Dubai on the 16th of March.

As Chris mentioned in his column, we have just merged our two coaching companies together to become the leading cricket coaching company in the North of England (procoachcricketacademy.co.uk and procricketcoachingacademy.com). Our company now has over 10 venues across the North and hopes to continue ?to accommodate the mass of talent around the area. We believe in bringing the professional game b??ack to the grass roots.

I started my cricket at eight years old at Gomersal Cricket Club in the Yorkshire Central league before moving to Cleckheaton Cricket Club, a place I now call home. When I was younger I never thought about becoming a professional cricketer, all I thought about was being a pro footballer. I played for Yorkshire Schools all the way up to U15s before being offered an academy contract where then it became clear to me what I wanted to do with ??my life.

I spent two seasons learning my trade in the second team, compiling hundred after hundred before being given my big break to represent the White Rose. Over the last three seasons I have played the majority of the one-day games and have loved the Twenty20 format, but I haven’t always had the opportunities to prove myself in the longer form of the game. I made my maiden first-class century in 2006 against Warwickshire and was voted YCCC player of the year.

In the winter of 2006/07 there was a lot happening behind the scenes at Yorkshire. David Byas left, Michael Lumb left, Anthony McGrath wanted to leave and Darren Lehmann also decided not to come back. I eventually thought my time had come. I geared up to take my chance and cement my spot. Unfortunately things didn’t go to plan; Anthony McGrath decided to stay, we signed Jaques Rudolph and Younis Khan and again I found myself in similar territory trying to find a spot in an experienced line up.

By the end of last season I was back in the championship fold where I put some useful knocks together. I am now in pre season training preparing for the long season ahead. As a team we are being put through our paces with fitn??ess programmes and I am going to India and Dubai in sight of gaining the form I need to score big runs in 2008.

Over the years I have been lucky enough to play with and against some of the world’s greats. Darren Lehmann was a sensational player who has had a massive impact on my career. Anthony McGrath has helped me immensely in thinking about the game’s mental side of things. I have played against the two spin kings, Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan. What better way could a young player learn, than to play against these two?

I don’t consider myself a young player anymore and this season is going to be a big one in my career. Hopefully I can push on and help Yorkshire bring some silverware back to Headingley. I hope the Cricket Web viewers have enjoyed an insight in to my career.

Don’t forget to check out playinthevcricketbats.com, where Chris and myself have devised ??a coaching aid to help all you cricket enthusiasts become better players.

Speak Soon,

Andrew Gale