Shout yourself unconscious

It is important to understand working conditions. Poor performance in any industry is unacceptable but is more tolerable- and perhaps even fixable - if the reasons are understood.

A brilliant chartered accountant was head-hunted by a rival firm and set up his new office with high hopes. But he found his concentration span had decreased from three hours to about three minutes in his new environment. The reason was a 'climate-control' system which allowed no fresh air into his new office.

Having made this discovery (in the nick of time), he was able to arrange to have his sealed office window opened at certain times of the day provided his office door was closed so as not to spoil the temperature-sensitive, carefully recycled air of his colleagues. His results blossomed. But it took weeks.

South Africa's squad arrived in Sri Lanka with half a dozen of them remembering exactly - or so they thought - what the air conditions were like from previous tours but another eight having never experienced them before. And it was probably the naive ones who were better off.

"There was probably a bit of arrogance on our part," said Mark Boucher, veteran of five tours to the Golden Island. "You can't just rock up here and expect to perform."

So why did they? Why did they gather in South Africa for a pre-tour camp doing fitness tests in Pretoria when they could have been doing nets - or another warm-up match - in Sri Lanka? Because everybody needs rest and recuperation time and, after eight straight months of cricket, South Africa's team needed serious down time. Ten weeks of it.

Whereas most of the 'rest of us' can enjoy weekends and even evenings away from our jobs, cricketers have the most time-consuming schedules of any profession in the world.

Even doctors - (who obviously do a far, far more important job!) - might be surprised to see their 80-hour weeks comfortably matched by international cricketers.

Sportsmen also need to have more physical downtime than the rest of us so, in order to cram their physical and mental annual leave into the short space of time available, South Africa's cricketers came here to Sri Lanka woefully under-prepared. It wasn't their fault. It is just the way it has to be with the international schedule the way it is. Or is it?

Shortly before the end of the second day, after nearly eight hours in the field, Boucher felt the troops needed a 'pick-up' for the final half hour so he drew a deep breath and yelled some encouragement. He saw black, with some shining stars.

His knees began to shake and then buckle...he was passing out. He staggered back, shook his head and tried to regain his balance and his focus. Gradually it returned. Nobody would have noticed the reason for the momentary hold-up in play but Boucher, who lost over five kilogrammes of fluid during the day, knew that he had been moments away from shouting himself unconscious.

It takes months to acclimatise properly to such conditions, not eight days. I'm not sure what the answer is - perhaps the fitness assessments that took place in Pretoria should have taken place in Colombo and, even better, a second warm-up match should have been requested.

But I do know this: if you're one of the people watching the bowlers bowl 'rubbish' or the batsman suffer a rush of blood to the head, spare a thought for what might be going through their minds. Because it might just be a heat-induced blank. And that's not their fault. Believe me, they are trying their hardest.