Taits big backside (fitness or fatness)

[acker]

Any one else notice that he seems to be very broad across the rear end.
And that his aerobic fitness level looks very questionable. As also I think would be his skin-fold test.

It's hard enough to get things right at test level getting every thing right with a complicated action like he has got. But I think he has done himself a huge dis-service by letting his fitness slide to an extent where a punter watching on TV like me can see the tell tale evidence of having excess flab in areas where he should have muscle. Then we get other tell tale signs, early drop offs in pace, slowing down in later spells, losing rhythm in later spells, losing line and length, etc.

Then there is his big backside, not a pre-requisite for building or maintaining pace from my memory, and not often due to muscular development (with exception to the "play-station" muscle)
Also usually associated in young males to lack of walking/running and excesses of calorie intake compared to the bodies calorie usage.

2 years ago the Australian selectors gave opening batsman Phil Jaques a virtual ultimatum. Go to boot camp and get fit and we will proceed after you do it. Slightly tubby Phil followed their wishes came back trim and taught with an impressive abdominal "6 pack" and has not looked back since.

I think they need to do the same Tait.

Not surprising he is performing well in the short format of 20/20 (only 4 over spells) but is probably only just seeing out the 10 overs of a "one dayer"

But in Test cricket in his current physical condition he is nearly useless.

Surprising this was not picked up on a screening test by the Australian team management during this season via a VO2 test or skin-fold test which I thought they were constantly testing. Obviously not.

The fact current head coach Tim Neilsen has not identified this issue mystifies me

[Ernest]

Originally Posted by acker

Any one else notice that he seems to be very broad across the rear end.

Could be you never noticed before acker, but not to worry Flintoff had a big rump and when he nearly got chucked out of the team, he became lean and mean.

I am sure Tait will have the good sense to do the same.

[darksideofthemoon]

Hopefully Johnson or Hilfenhaus will keep Tait out of the Test team.

[acker]

I would like to think Andrew Hilditch (Aust chairman of selectors) has already been in contact with the now fitness fanatic non-smoking reduced drinking Rod Marsh ( South Australia's consultant )

And plans of putting Tait on a strict diet and physical fitness program are well underway, even to the extent of employing a personal trainer and dietician for him.

Tait has enough problems just getting through his cricketing life un-injured, to be struggling with that and having a poor base fitness also, makes his future look bleak.

Plenty of time to pork up after cricket Shaun.

[Ernest]

Originally Posted by acker

And plans of putting Tait on a strict diet and physical fitness program are well underway, even to the extent of employing a personal trainer and dietician for him.

I remember Flintoff with his rear end as big as a bus, but there did not seem to be any help available from the England set up, other than press leaks that his demise from the England side was iminent.

That was enough to spur Flintoff into action, in fact the new Flintoff that emerged lookes ill, gangly and drawn in the face.

I think every help should be given to Tait, not every player is as self motivated as Flintoff was at THAT time to get fit.

Originally Posted by darksideofthemoon

Hopefully Johnson or Hilfenhaus will keep Tait out of the Test team.

No I don't agree, in another thread acker looked forward four years, and I agree that Tait should be the spearhead of the Australian attack - four years down the line.

At the moment Tait like Mahood is a wild card, but thats nothing that can't be sorted by giving the man plenty of overs - and making sure he is fit.

[darksideofthemoon]

Originally Posted by Ernest

No I don't agree, in another thread acker looked forward four years, and I agree that Tait should be the spearhead of the Australian attack - four years down the line.

At the moment Tait like Mahood is a wild card, but thats nothing that can't be sorted by giving the man plenty of overs - and making sure he is fit.

Four years on Lee, Clark and Johnson will still be doing the business for the Aussies.

[acker]

Originally Posted by darksideofthemoon

Four years on Lee, Clark and Johnson will still be doing the business for the Aussies.

Johnson yes

Clark and Lee both on the wrong side of 35 no.

I think with the ease of hindsight that Clark should have definitely played in the 2005 ashes ahead of Gillespie and Kasprowicz. It was a tough lesson and Australia paid dearly. As did Clark's career which will be prematurely short considering he was starved of opportunity during his most productive years (Hohns poisonous legacy)

I think that some of the luxury of continued perseverance being enjoyed by Mitchell Johnson in the Test team is due to the lesson we learned then about the downside of playing older short term bowlers ahead of younger ones that need to be blooded. Hence why Hilfenhaus will probably get his break sooner rather than later.

Tait unfortunately who played in that series got injured which is forgivable, but as a professional athlete to let your aerobic fitness go and let your muscle to body-fat ratio to balloon out of control during what should be the major time in your sporting life is unforgivable and lacking discipline. Its hard enough for Cooley, Lillee, Doctors, Physios etc to help get Shaun Tait right and moving forward without the handicap of Shaun Tait sabotaging himself by allowing his general base fitness to slip. There is plenty of time to run cricket tours and join Booney, Merv and Warnie sucking VB's, durries and pasties after his playing days are over. Not now.

P.S
There is more going on with South Australian cricket that meets the eye. Rod Marsh's role in removing Lehman should be looked on more as Marsh trying to remove an unhealthy culture that has established itself in South Australian cricket.
And it does have a link with what I consider to be the poor fitness of Tait and possibly other members of their state squad and also the state squads deplorable performance record in recent seasons.
They have a bloke Mark Cosgrove who a few seasons ago looked like a world beater, who now looks like he would be better off giving up cricket for hot dog eating or sumo wrestling. Dan Cullen seems to be going backwards quicker than he was going forward a few seasons ago.
Plus the state side's batting seems to be unhealthily over reliant on ex Victorian and ex Test opener Matthew Elliott who parted company with Victoria because they thought he was to old and wanted to move forward.
Rod Marsh has been employed to clean up and fix things for a reason in South Australia.

[Warne]

I commented in the other thread regarding Tait's fitness. Having said that, he looked very lean & fit to me when he was playing against the kiwis. He probably had a festive season eating too much & his fitness regime probably went for a toss.

Still only 1 bad match, don't be so quick to pass a judgement.

[Warne]

I am pretty much confident that Lee will still be palying 4 years down the line, unless any seroius injury problem occurs. The same is true about Clark, given that he is not a regular part of the ODI side.

[acker]

Originally Posted by Warne

I commented in the other thread regarding Tait's fitness. Having said that, he looked very lean & fit to me when he was playing against the kiwis. He probably had a festive season eating too much & his fitness regime probably went for a toss.

Still only 1 bad match, don't be so quick to pass a judgement.

Not judgement his rear end is huge at the moment for a sportsman. He has got big problems if he lays that much fat down on his body over the two week festive season that was only two weeks ago.
And why as a professional athlete would he abuse his body in the midst of the main part of his sporting season.
5 overs in the second innings is a disgrace as is the way his pace dropped after his first spell in the first innings.
He has blown out over the past 2 years not just this Xmas.
I would not blame the ACB for axing his contract and if it continues with it put in a strict condition which revolves around general fitness VO2 testing and skin-fold testing on a regular basis.

Originally Posted by Warne

I am pretty much confident that Lee will still be playing 4 years down the line, unless any serious injury problem occurs. The same is true about Clark, given that he is not a regular part of the ODI side.

Lee will be 35 and currently relies for the majority on his pace rather than swing or seam, Clark will be 35 and currently does not have enough pace to be given the new ball.
Australian cricket will have to be in a fairly poor state if it has not moved on from these doing the job. OK for now and probably the next 2 years. But in four years time at 35 they will surely be well in decline.