The Fire in Babylon
Have you ever watched this documentary of the great West Indian Cricket Team of the 70's and 80's. They were and still are agruably the best combined cricket team ever. This is a must watch and shows the progression of a team of whipping boys to a team greatly feared by the worlds best. It's was extremely interesting to view and note the emphasis Clive Lloyd had on being the fittest team to parade cricket fields around the world. Apart from being naturally fit and athletic individuals, they still worked hard at dotting the i's and crossing their t's. Even then their fearless leader understood what it took to become a dominant force. They built their team around aggressive "fast" bowlers. And to sustain their pace and fitness to play as many games as they could their bodies had to be strong. Many people believe that sports science and injury prevention has only recently evolved and been an integral part of professional cricket but this was already happening with the West Indies teams of the 70's and 80's. Ever wonder why they dominated for such a long time? And their team reminded the same for the majority of their domination. Today we are definitely more skilled in terms of injury survilience, research and general training but the essence of hard work and dedication will always prevail.