Alcohol, cricket cannot mix

THE EDITOR: Any cricketer who truly cares about the future of West Indies cricket needs to understand the effects alcohol can have on their performance in the year 2018 and beyond. Not having a balanced approach to alcohol could be what gets in the way of the West Indies cricket team returning to its glory days. Overall, alcohol is detrimental to sports performance because of how it affects the body.

Firstly, because alcohol is a diuretic, drinking too much can lead to dehydration because the alcohol makes your kidney produce more urine. Opening the innings as a batsman or even fast bowling soon after drinking alcohol can make this dehydration worse because you sweat as your body temperature rises. Combined, sweating and the diuretic effect of long hours in the cricket field make dehydration much more likely. You need to be hydrated when you play sports to maintain the flow of blood through your body, which is essential for circulating oxygen and nutrients to your muscles.

“Dehydration leads to reduced performance,” says Professor Greg Whyte, an expert in sports performance. “Hydration also helps control your body temperature so you’re more likely to overheat if you’ve been drinking alcohol.”

Secondly, alcohol interferes with the way your body makes energy. When you’re metabolising, or breaking down alcohol, the liver can’t produce as much glucose, which means you have low levels of blood sugar. Being an excellent cricketer requires high levels of sugar to give you energy. If your liver isn’t producing enough glucose, your performance will be adversely affected. If your body is forced to run from your supplies of fat rather than blood sugar, you will be much slower and have less energy and won’t be able to play as intensely and enthusiastically. As a result, your co-ordination, dexterity, concentration and reactions could be adversely affected too.

It’s not wise to play cricket or compete in any sport soon after drinking alcohol. Drinking alcohol the night before a cricket game could have a negative influence on your performance the following day. It’s not possible to perform at your best if you’re feeling any of the effects normally associated with a hangover such as dehydration, a headache and hypersensitivity to outside stimuli, such as light and sound.

Even if you’re not experiencing the symptoms of a hangover, elite sports nutritionist Matt Lovall adds that “exercising the day after drinking alcohol can mean you have an all-round lower-quality training session or sporting activity.”

You’ll lack strength and power, be less likely to make split-second decisions and more likely to feel tired quicker because your body won’t be able to clear out the lactic acid you produce when you run. “This is because your liver will be working harder to get rid of the toxic by-products of alcohol in your system,” explains Lovall. For all of these reasons, experts suggest avoiding alcohol the night before a test match or other competitive game. However, if you do decide to drink, Lovall advises sticking to just one drink with food. I would say whether you have a drink the day before a training session or workout – you make the choice. But definitely think twice before drinking the day before a competitive cricket match.

SIMON WRIGHT, Chaguanas

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