Bipin Dani
Sri Lanka’s new physical trainer Grant Luden is not a friend of Yo Yo tests. Yo-Yo is a variation of the Beep test, a running aerobic fitness routine that cricketers have to undergo.
Speaking exclusively over the telephone from Colombo, the South Africa-born Luden, who has diverse skills of delivering in more than one field, said, “More teams are moving away from Yo Yo test. But I’ll have to get input from all the concerned parties (injured players) before we make any changes”.
“There are many excuses around the yo yo test. Example injuries to players regarding knees. I am trying to find suitable facilities’’. Luden has worked with the several international cricketers in the past and has recently been hired by the Sri lanka Cricket (SLC) board for its High-Performance Centre.
He was with the Sri Lankan during the first few days of the recently concluded first Test match in Galle and has returned to the HPC in Colombo.
He is coordinating with Dilshan Fonseca on players’ injuries. “For players, to remain match fit longer will be achieved through constant monitoring and regular testing”, he added.
Luden will also train the trainers. “I see my role as taking pressure off Dilshan (Fonseka) and when new players come into the national team, they will be ready to go”.
Luden is trying to find the reason why the recent Sri Lankan players had more injury issues. “I suppose from not playing enough cricket. But we will make sure this does not happen again”.
Instead of yo yo test, Luden favors the players running two kilometers for time. “It’s a (running) convenient reliable test that can be conducted anywhere as long as there is a cricket oval”, he signed off.
