PERTH: Anrich Nortje is the archetypal smiling assassin. Even on the long flight from Sydney to Perth, the South Africa pacer seemed his usual energetic self. He was the same after a gruelling practice session the following day.
Nortje, of course, is that rare breed of pace bowler whose physiology, action and fitness standards permit bowling in excess of 150-plus on a consistent basis. There are, however, caveats: proper rest and recovery.
Asked by TOI how difficult it had been to adjust to the insane scheduling, the ceaseless travel and the different time zones in Australia, Nortje replied, "It is difficult. I would say after Covid, it's something to get used to again. Also, with the schedule nowadays, there's so much travelling."
Nortje suggested cricketers were managing with help from their backroom staff but the long-term impact of such a schedule was unknown. "Your rest days have become your travelling days, so there's no real rest day anymore. It's a travel day, then a training day before getting used to conditions. And then you play again," he said. "So yes, it's quite tough on the bodies. Luckily, it's only four overs but it's also at a very high intensity, so it's hard to say how it affects us."
For the cricketers, it's a trade-off between Covid-enforced house arrest and lack of complete rest days. "We've sort of come to deal with it now," Nortje said.
"You just focus on what you have to do rather than overthinking things and not having that complete day off like we had maybe during bubbles, where you could have a day off but then also you couldn't go out. It's nice to leave your floor in the hotel as well. It's give and take."
