injuryupdate
30-11-2003, 08:05 PM
The Australian cricket team, which has enjoyed both enormous success and low injury rates over the past two seasons, suddenly finds itself with at least a team's worth of first-line bowlers on the sidelines injured. Currently out for the medium term are Glenn McGrath (ankle impingement), Brett Lee (abdominal strain), Jason Gillespie (back strain), Stuart MacGill (calf strain), Ashley Noffke (lumbar stress fracture) on top of Shane Warne (suspended). Darren Lehmann (achilles tendinopathy) who would be flattered if referred to as a bowler, is also injured. Opinions are divided over whether this represents a crisis or not. The optimists can simply cite the law of averages and claim that a couple of years of low injuries must inevitably eventually be followed by a period of high injuries, and it is fortunate that these injuries are occurring at a less crucial time schedule-wise. Australia was still able to get over Zimbabwe in the Tests with a 'B' team bowling attack. Irrespective of the outcome of the less important One Day series in India, they would be favourites to beat India at home in the Tests. The pessimists would feel that the reason for the crisis is exactly that the current scheduling (home tests against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe followed by away One Day matches in India) represents excessive matches that are killing our most precious commodity, the pace bowlers. Injuryupdate.com.au would like to official side with the optimists, for at least the next few seasons. Most of the current injuries are short-term and they will actually help in giving the back-up bowlers important international match exposure. It will take a lot more than the current so-called crisis to knock Australia off the throne.