Final report from Mumba

The Nottinghamshire CCC academy squad are the latest visitors to the WCA and have been accompanied by senior players Samit Patel and Rob Ferley. They are aged between 14 and 17 and will spend a 10-day period at CCI under the watchful eye of coaches Chris Tolley and Paul Johnson.

The newspaper coverage in India over recent days has centered around the Indian World Cup selection. India have picked a very experienced side (8 of the squad have played over 150 ODI's each). The unlucky ones who did not make the final 15 were Suresh Raina, Mohammed Kaif and Ramesh Powar which says a lot about the strength of their batting. Their bowling attack should be competitive however a serious question mark concerns their fielding where Yuvraj Sing could be the only one considered of world class standard.

Jock Campbell, fitness advisor to the Australian cricket team from 2000-2004 spent several days with the Academy and passed on key areas of fitness advice and injury prevention to the players. Included in his sessions were discussions regarding basic fitness for cricket, stretching techniques, and recovery sessions held in the pool that is situated within the club grounds.

Gordon Muchall, an established county cricketer with Durham CCC and a member of the ECB's first Academy held at Adelaide is another to benefit from being present here for the past week and a half. Gordon has worked particularly hard in the nets and has no doubts his time in India has been worthwhile for his game.

'Experiencing the conditions and batting for long periods of time against good quality spin bowling has greatly benefited my game. I await the start of the new season having developed more self-confidence and a better game plan to combat spin bowling. I look forward to using these new techniques in the forthcoming County Championship season'.

Overall the trip to Mumbai, the first by a 'European' contingent, was most worthwhile with much learnt and many new friends met. The opportunities for young cricketers from Associate countries to travel the world playing in different conditions is central to the ICC's development programme. Through the hard work and experience gained it is hoped these players can progress through the junior ranks and represent their countries at the highest level.