Am I too fat or too short To Be A Cricketer?

Am I Too Fat or Too Short To Be a Cricketer?

Some people say you fave to be a certain physique to be a good cricketer, But I disagree. If you are physically fit enough to throw, catch, run and hit a ball you can be any size and weight. 

Let's look at England and Nottingham left arm spinner Samit Patel who once lost his place in the England squad due to being overweight and a low fitness level. Samit has represented England on a few occasions but has never cemented a spot in the team. Yes you have to be fit, but you need to be cricket fit which is what Samit has improved on over the last 5 years. 

Another player who has not been playing lately for his country due to fitness is New Zealand's Jesse Ryder. Ryder is known to be a powerful left handed batsman who likes to hit big sixes, but he isn't that quick at running between wickets nor in the field. It just shows that if you're good enough and fit enough to do two or even all three facets of the sport, you should be allowed to play cricket no matter what your weight is. 

According to Sport sociologist Jay Coakley, a typical sportsman or sportswoman must have the ability to:

• Make sacrifices for the sport
• Strive for distinction 
• take risks through pain 
• go to the limit

These elements are crucial in any sport, specifically the more physical ones such as taking a risk through pain. Coming back to cricket, one thing that has improved drastically  over the years is the fielding. nowadays we se cricketers throwing down the stumps and taking spectacular catches which were almost impossible a decade ago. 

Let's not forget that catch Bermuda's Dwayne Leverock the fattest cricketer in the world took at the 2007 World Cup to dismiss India's Robin Uthappa.

WC 2007 Dwayne Leverock catch

Not a bad effort from the big man isn't it?

It just goes to show that you don't have to have a certain body shape to play cricket,  it's all about fitness.

Kruger Van Wyk a wicketkeeper from New Zealand apparently is the world's smallest cricketer with a height of just 1.19metres. Mohammad Irfan the left-arm pacer from Pakistan is the world's tallest cricketer with a height of 2.16metres. So you can see that there is no specific height in which you need to be to play cricket, you just need to be good enough and fit enough.

Having said this, we are now in an era where most cricketers like to do more strength training to build up their physique. Most fast bowlers like to have a strong upper body which helps to put more speed on the ball when they release it. They are also conscious about their diet and their weight.  

It's about how you feel as a cricketer, do you think your fit enough to bat 50 or even 90 overs? Can you cope with 5-day test matches? These are the questions that  you need to ask yourself.