In our lowdown from the S&C team at Derbyshire CCC, we learned that different forms of cricket (ie. T20/ Red Ball) require different fuelling strategies in order to maximise performances on the pitch. But what exactly do these differing strategies look like, and where do we – as a specialist sports nutrition supplier – come in? 

Derbyshire CCC’s S&C team have once again given us the lowdown on how they use Nutrition X supplements to support performance according to cricket type, looking specifically at how our energy, hydration and recovery supplements support their game no matter what the format. 

Red Ball

Red ball games break twice per day for fuelling, interspersing three 2 hours sessions of play.  In any given period, a player could be on the field for the full 2 hours, only part of it, or not at all.  MRM recovery shakes are consequently provided for players who have been active in 2 or more sessions consecutively, especially if bowling or batting in that time frame where frequency of accelerations is higher. This in turn promotes recovery ahead of play resuming the following day. 

Red ball also produces a unique period where a batter may be asked to bat either side of a ‘lunch’ or ‘tea’ break that does not occur in white ball formats, and players often express a desire to eat less when they’re batting so as not to feel full and heavy.  Ultimate All in One and Energel+ products therefore offer 24-28g of CHO, allowing athletes to refuel without having to ‘eat’.   

50-over

General recommendations suggest that a main fuelling meal should be 3-4 hours before exercise.  In 50-over cricket, the break in play for fuelling occurs 3 hours into the game, meaning if you’re fielding first or are an opening batter, you could have a significant gap between this meal and ‘lunch’.  We offer players either a food-first approach (oat bar/banana) or access to Energel+/HydraFuel to ensure they have sufficient CHO to fuel them through the first 3 hours of play.  

50-over games are very long days and played at significant intensity, meaning most players’ workloads are high across the roles.  MRM Recovery Shakes are provided for these players, allowing them to kick-start recovery immediately post-game.  The Shake and Take option provides quick access to protein and CHO when travelling between games during this phase of the season. This is then topped up with another CHO rich meal in ‘nutrition + 1’. 

T20

The most intense format of the game demands the most contribution from CHO.  With some games running until after 10pm, Energel+ is deployed during the game to keep players fuelled, so they can execute their skills under high pressure.   

MRM Recovery drinks are deployed immediately post-game to aid recovery.  But, in certain periods of the fixture schedule, there are back-to-back fixtures, where this also acts as a CHO-loading technique for performance the following day.