Blindfold keeps Scorchers on toes
Batting blindfolded against a lively paceman armed with an underweight ball swinging around corners is hardly the best preparation for a tough Twenty20 tournament on foreign soil.
Yet that was Ashton Turner's tune-up before he joined the rest of the Perth Scorchers squad to travel to India today for the Champions League.
Turner and young quick Joel Paris, who is also part of the Scorchers squad, were at Murdoch University on Thursday as part of a research program designed to help young batsmen and bowlers.
Turner, the batsman, wore goggles that closed down at different points during the ball's path towards him. While proving it was impossible to follow the popular instruction to juniors to "watch the ball on to the bat", Turner said the exercise with motor control expert Sean Huller showed that batsmen could pick up significant information from what the bowler did before he released the ball and in the very early stages of its flight.
"But you wouldn't want to make drastic changes before a season or before an event if you are at senior level," he said.
"I can see benefits in younger athletes doing it."
Paris was wired up to measure the muscle activity in his back and legs as part of a screening program designed by sports scientist Mark Hecimovich to identify bowlers at increased risk of injury.
Paris, 21, twice had spinal stress fractures as a teenager and is typical of a cohort of young bowlers whose rapid growth, lack of core strength and techniques put them at risk of injury.
"We have seen over the past few years how many stress fractures have occurred in both the elite system and through the grades," Paris said. "Guys can come in and use facilities like this so they can fix their action as quickly as possible."
Both players were part of the Champions League campaign last year - with Paris claiming wickets with his first two deliveries - and hope to use that experience to have a greater impact this time.
Turner said his most likely job description would be as a middle-order batsman who bowled an over or two of off-spin, a role previously filled by recent retiree Marcus North.
"It was a valuable experience playing last year and we are definitely better prepared this time," he said.
"We also have a better team than we had with a few players who can tear apart games like Craig Simmons and Mitch Marsh.
"We have got some match winners and we just need things to click to win a few games."
"Guys can come in and use facilities like this so they can fix their action as quickly as possible.""Scorchers paceman *Joel Paris *
