PitchVision Academy is delighted to welcome a brand new columnist: Shayamal Vallabhjee. Shayamal is a uniquely experienced sports scientist with experience at the highest level (India and South African national sides), speaker and author of 4 books including the brand new Handbook of Cricket Drills.

In this first article, we take an excerpt from the Handbook to give you a feel of what you get when you buy the eBook. Please post your questions and comments and welcome Shayamal to to PitchVision family!

"For all its reputation for conservatism, cricket in its history has demonstrated a remarkable capacity for innovation. What game has survived subjection to such extraordinary manipulations, having been prolonged to 10 days (in Durban 70 years ago), truncated to as few as 60 balls (in Hong Kong every year), and remained recognisable in each instance?" - Gideon Haigh

Success for me has come from a love for the game, a determination to overcome adversity, and most importantly from the understanding that the road ahead will not be easy. In my eight years of professional cricket, I have always maintained that despite the innovations and technological advancements in the game, success will inevitably belong to the individual who is inspired, hard-working, positive and proactive. And if he can spread this aura to his team, then they too will enjoy the sweet taste of victory.

As we move into the new age of cricket, fitness will form the cornerstone of success for most teams: not necessarily in the cricketer’s ability to run fast but in his ability to utilise that fitness to uplift the team’s fielding, improve his mental strength, reduce injury, enhance performance, prevent fatigue and practice perfectly.

Training is a science designed to create an understanding of the physiology of the body and it is utilised to take the athlete beyond his own considerable expectations. It is what makes running 100m in under 10 seconds and breaking the 160km bowling speed barrier, efforts to marvel at.

Much of what we experience in life results from a combination of skill and luck. Different levels of skill and off good and bad luck are the realities that shape out lives. Success on the other hand is as a result of years of deliberate practice, a cultivated work ethic and adequate guidance.

The purpose of this book is to help you untangle and interpret the processes necessary in developing a cricketer. The book in itself is a journey - my journey of how I, with the help of many passionate and knowledgeable players and coaches, learnt to understand and quantify the skills needed to achieve success on an international podium.

I hope that the experiences from my journey provide you with the guidance you need to live a life of dreams fulfilled.

To get the Handbook of Cricket Drills as an instant download eBook, click here.