Cricket: Donaldson’s work ensures Black Caps fit

Black Caps strength and conditioning coach Chris Donaldson  gives throw-downs at a practice...
Black Caps strength and conditioning coach Chris Donaldson gives throw-downs at a practice session at the University Oval last year. Photo by Gregor Richardson.
Brendon McCullum put the swagger back into New Zealand cricket but strength and conditioning coach Chris Donaldson gave the Black Caps the muscle to follow through. Cricket writer Adrian Seconi caught up with the former New Zealand and Otago sprint champion.

Brendon McCullum and Mike Hesson have soaked up a lot of the praise for the improvements the Black Caps have made over the last two years.

But there is another bloke from Otago whose contribution should be more widely celebrated: strength and conditioning coach Chris Donaldson.

The former Otago and New Zealand sprinter has been with the team nearly five years and is responsible for making sure the players are in the best possible condition.

Cricket has had its share of athletes over the years but it is not a sport where you expect the competitors to be hiding a six pack under their shirt.

Remember Bermuda's Dwayne Leverock, the very well-built man who made that astonishing one-handed catch during the 2007 World Cup?

David Boon and Merv Hughes were, well, curvy.

Shane Warne has knocked back the odd diet pill and Ian Botham got stuck with the nickname Beefy.

And our own Jesse Ryder has also had his battles with bulge.

While you might have been able to get away with carrying a few extra kilos in the past, that is certainly changing fast.

The players look built for speed more than comfort these days and Donaldson, who still holds the national 200m record and the New Zealand residents' 100m record, has been the architect behind those fitness programmes which have helped the Black Caps climb up the world rankings.

"We've tried to improve the intensity in which we play the game and that has to be replicated in the training sessions, so the intensity in the training has gone up significantly,'' Donaldson said.

Typically a cricket training session can involve one player running in, while the batsman prepares for the delivery and the rest stand around chatting.

There can be a lot of down time, but not during a Black Caps training session.

"At the international level we've really made a conscious effort to change and lead the world in the way we train and go about things.

"Brendon McCullum had a massive influence on that. Every ball mattered, every run mattered and we tried to run other teams into the ground. That was the goal. We wanted to be as good on day five of a test match as we were on day one.

"They've really upped the speed at which they go about the various drills and we are really putting pressure on a player during those moments to improve, so that in the game itself, you've already experienced those situations.

"Physically, the boys have made some massive improvements and that has been replicated on the field.''

Adam Milne, Mitchell McClenaghan, Martin Guptill and Henry Nicholls are some of the fittest players in the squad but there is a lot of competition among the players.

"They are all pushing each other so there are no real stragglers any more.''

Speed over the first 20m is vital in a sport like cricket.

It can make the difference between taking a catch or not even getting a hand to it, or being run out when scampering through for a cheeky single.

Doug Bracewell, McClenaghan, Guptill and Nicholls are all very quick off the mark.

Donaldson, who recently signed on full time with New Zealand Cricket, said the hard work is done during the conditioning phase.

Once the season swings into action, the fitness regime becomes more about maintenance.

On game day, Donaldson's responsibilities are varied.

He runs the warm-up and warm-down, helps out with the various training drills, keeps the team hydrated, organises the ice baths and prepares the protein shakes.

He also weighs each player after a day's play and monitors their weight throughout the season.

Players can lose up to 3-4kg during a day's play.

In the off season he designs and oversees the players' winter training programmes.

The players will train two to three times a day five days a week, so there is no slacking off.

Before Donaldson accepted the role with the Black Caps he had two seasons with Otago as the strength and conditioning coach, so he has been around the cricket scene for about seven years.

It is a demanding job which takes a toll on family life. Donaldson married his partner Lisa about a year ago and the couple have a 2-year-old daughter, Lola.

"It is tough but you have to earn money somehow and I'm very lucky because I love what I do.

"I'm passionate about it and I work with a great bunch of people. It is hard with the travel but we have strategies in place which we try to work around.

"You just make it work and my wife and Lola are very understanding.

"The travel is the biggest challenge but it is also one of the most enjoyable things. You do get to see amazing parts of the world.''

Donaldson left Dunedin when he joined the Black Caps and had been living in Auckland until about nine months ago.

The family has shifted to Christchurch to be closer to the high performance centre in Lincoln.

He still has family in Dunedin and said it is nice to be a lot closer to them.

Add a Comment

OUTSTREAM