Fast bowling great Glenn McGrath says Australia’s young quicks need a longer off-season to avoid injury.
With Test spearhead James Pattinson in the casualty ward with the likes of Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, McGrath says fast bowlers need down time to build up their strength.
“When we played we had an off-season,” he told the Nine Network.
“You could really get in the gym and increase your fitness, increase your strength.
“Now they’re playing so often and at different intensities, you don’t get that real off-season to put back in what you take out.”
Pattinson suffered a side strain in the second Test against South Africa, Cummins has a worrying back problem and Hazlewood a foot injury.
“Running and bowling depletes your strength so you do have to put a bit more (strength training) in,” McGrath said.
“Occasionally during a Test match when I bowled a lot of overs, at the end of the day I’d go to the gym and just do a few squats just to put a bit of strength back in.
“Whether the players these days are doing that, whether the format allows that because you’re on the road so much, the fact that there’s no real off-season to really strengthen up I think is one of the things that’s causing this.”
Australian coach Mickey Arthur said research was showing bowlers were much less susceptible to injury once they turned 24.
McGrath, who began a Test career that netted 563 wickets when he was 23, agrees.
“Up until the age of 19 I was playing Saturday afternoons in the bush and that was pretty much it,” he said.
“So I didn’t bowl a lot when I was younger.
“Maybe that held me in good stead.”