Why do you need muscular strength in Cricket?

Answer 1

Muscular strength is important in cricket and is the maximal force a muscle can exert against a resistance. This component of fitness is only used whilst batting, however it is massively important. Muscular strength is needed by bats people, mainly when executing shots. Strength is needed to swing the bat, and power is generated through the speed of the swing, as power = strength x speed. For example, when playing a hook shot, the muscles in the batter's arms contract to swing the bat more quickly generating more power. Strength is needed throughout the body when stepping forwards into the ball to play a cover drive. As the batsperson steps into the shot, power will be generated through their muscular strength and their speed as they step towards the ball. This will allow them to hit the ball over larger distances increasing the run scoring opportunities. Bowling also uses muscular strength, as the bowler will need to use their shoulder and back muscles to generate the strength needed to bowl faster. Strength is needed in the leg muscles throughout the game to increase the power whilst running, decreasing the time taken to run between the wickets or reach the ball. Muscular strength is used in the field to make sure the ball reaches the wicket keeper, increasing the chance of a run out.

Answer 2

Cricket places demands on players because it is, typically, a rather lengthy game.Cricket is played in a large field and over a significant length of time. Even your average Twenty20 match runs for several hours. As the competition level increases, so does the length of the contest. The end result is that cricket players need to be able to endure physical effort for long periods with only periodic breaks.

This is especially true of bowlers, who have to run up to the pitch and swing their arms in their deliveries six times an over, so the stress placed on bowlers is particularly severe. This is one reason why cricket teams need a good roster of bowlers (in addition, one-day cricket rules require a team to have at least five players capable of bowling due to a limit in the number of overs any one player can bowl in the innings).