WARRIORS WARCRY
Coach happy with the clean bill of health of players
The Warriors are ready for the challenge of a “shorter than normal” pre-season when the squad assemble for their first training session on Wednesday, says coach Robin Peterson.
The head coach was speaking on the eve of their first group session which will see the full 18-man squad train St George’s Park in small groups.
The former Proteas spinner says all the necessary Covid-19 testing of his players has been carried out, with everyone being given a clean bill of health.
Due to his late return to Nelson Mandela Bay, Peterson, who celebrated his 41st birthday on Tuesday, said he was still awaiting his results having taken his test only on Monday.
With the possible resumption of the season touted for November, Peterson said his charges had been doing their homebased work to keep their fitness levels high.
“There are about three months until November, which I think is an adequate amount of time for us,” Peterson said.
“We are looking to start in November. People are starting to play cricket all over the world.
“I know some teams are having to go into bubbles, but we don’t really have the budgets.
“While nothing is cast in stone, we must get cricket started again,” the Warriors mentor said.
Having previously mentioned how the Covid-19 pandemic has turned the sporting world upside down, Peterson said the virus protocols are something the squad had been implementing since the onset of the pandemic.
“I think the guys are probably used to social distancing by now and more so, have gotten used to life with the virus around, so we just have to see how it goes in training.”
Peterson felt his players were ahead of the curve in terms of their off-season training and said that would stand them in good stead heading into their preseason preparations.
“Our fitness trainer, Drikus Saaiman, has been excellent at keeping the guys on their toes.
“I have to commend the players for taking everything on board in terms of fitness and where we want to go.
“The only reason we are easing them in is so the players can get used to the new protocols and how to operate social distancing.
“Once all that is out of the way, then we can think about hitting balls again and working on refining their skills,” said Peterson.
Peterson said communication lines have been smooth and they had been given a complete overview as to how things would be conducted with the new protocols to help curb the spread of the virus.
“In terms of the support, CSA, the Warriors and the management staff of the EP Cricket provincial side have been fantastic.
“Shafiek [Abrahams] has been amazing in communicating everything to us. It has been a seamless affair from all who have assisted us in preparing for this return,” he said.