Have to be careful about injury management once play resumes: Pathan

Pathan feels any team will have to be careful with the bowlers, who tend to be more prone to injuries, having been out of action for more than two months.

Former India fast bowler Irfan Pathan believes the Indian team management will have to focus on the bowlers and be “extremely careful” with regard to injury management once the players hit the ground after the coronavirus-forced hiatus.

Irfan Pathan has stressed on the importance of injury management. (Image Courtesy: Irfan Pathan Instagram)

Players in India haven’t been able to practice since March 25 due to the countrywide lockdown imposed to contain the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. It was pacer Shardul Thakur who became the first Indian team member to resume training after he bowled in the nets in Boisar in Palghar district last month.

“Injury management is the most important thing. We will have to focus on all the bowlers,” Pathan, who has played 29 Tests and 120 ODIs for India, said on the Cricket Connected show on Star Sports.

Pathan, a former left-arm seamer, feels that any team, including one from the IPL, will have to be careful with the bowlers, who tend to be more prone to injury having been out of action for more than two months.

“In a squad of 15, every team has 4 to 6 bowlers. Be it an IPL team, Indian team or any international or domestic team, we will have to be extremely careful about injury management as our boys have been out of action for a while,” he said.

The ICC recently came up with specific guidelines for bowlers, suggesting that teams would need to exercise caution over bowlers’ workloads to avoid a serious injury like stress fracture of the spine as players get ready to resume training.