Cricket Nutrition: Fuelling Your Body for Peak Performance
Cricket can be a taxing sport on the body.
To achieve peak performance, you need to be fuelling your body in the right ways with the right nutrition.
Considering there can six-hour days in the field during matches, cricketers should focus on a diet that provides sustained energy, keeps them hydrated and promotes recovery.
Here are some nutrition tips for cricketers.
Pre-Match Nutrition
Maintaining a healthy diet in general is important for everyone, but fuelling your body with the right nutrition before cricket matches is especially vital.
You should aim to eat a larger meal between 2-4 hours prior to playing, which will allow ample time for digestion.
Carbohydrate-rich meals can help provide sustained energy, while lean protein will help keep you feeling full and assist with muscle repair.
Between 1-2 hours before the start of a match, you can top-up your stomach with a smaller carbohydrate-rich snack like fruit, a basic sandwich, a muesli bar or a smoothie.
Staying hydrated before a match is also key.
Drink plenty of water in the hours leading up to the match, but be sure to avoid sugary drinks.
You should always aim to start a match fully hydrated.
In-Match Nutrition
The most important thing in-match for cricketers is to stay hydrated.
Even a mild case of dehydration can negatively affect bowling accuracy, energy and concentration levels.
It can also impact the body’s ability to keep itself cool, which can lead to heat exhaustion.
Cricketers need to match their fluid losses from sweat with plenty of water intake during over-changes, between wickets, during meal and tea breaks or while in the stands waiting for their turn to bat.
Adding some electrolytes to your water can be beneficial, given the sodium content can help increase thirst and promote fluid absorption.
During breaks or while waiting to bat, you can also have some small snacks every 1-3 hours.
Healthy and easily-digested snacks are best here, including fruit, smoothies, yogurt or basic sandwiches with lean meat or spreads.
Try to avoid processed foods high in sugar and fats as these can cause digestive issues and therefore impact performance.
Post-Match Nutrition
When we talk about post-match nutrition, it’s all about recovery.
Carbohydrates will help refuel your body after a cricket match, protein will assist with muscle repair, fluids and electrolytes will help with rehydration and vegetables provide antioxidants to revitalise the body.
Be sure to tick all these boxes with whatever you choose to eat post-match.
Examples of carbohydrates include pasta and rice, while protein can be found in things like chicken, tofu or beans.
Vegetables can be steamed, roasted or fried – it’s up to you.
A hearty post-match meal that covers each of these areas of nutrition will help you feel better after the match – and in the days that follow.
Looking for more Cricket tips?
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At Cricket For All, we have a team of nationally-accredited cricket coaches who provide one-on-one coaching as well as leading our Academy programs for children.
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