BCCI extends top-class player monitoring to all state units

The BCCI has decided to extend the use of its sophisticated Athlete Monitoring System (AMS) to state associations, helping players find their peak performance.

In a communication to state units, BCCI secretary Jay Shah informed that a team from the newly-launched Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru will be reaching out to them shortly on the efficient use of AMS.

"I'm pleased to apprise you that the BCCI shall offer Athlete Monitoring System (AMS) for all State Associations – with costs being borne by BCCI," Shah wrote in his communication to the state associations.

"The state associations can now avail the following benefits in a bid to standardize player monitoring to ensure better management and enable peak performance for the players," Shah, who will take charge as ICC chairman in December, added.

Until now, the NCA's athlete monitoring system covered the BCCI contracted players, cricketers picked for zonal camps and targeted bunch of players like pace sensation Mayank Yadav.

The AMS provides information on athlete risk and readiness, performances alerts to coaches and administrators, analysis on injury and fitness, workload monitoring and real time alerts on it, rehab for players among others and all of that information can be shared via a mobile application.

"It is a welcome step taken by the BCCI. Not all associations can afford such a sophisticated system, so making it free of cost is also commendable," said MPCA president Abhilash Khandekar.

"The BCCI already invests a lot on the infrastructure in the states and this move will help not only educate the players more on monitoring but also the state units."

The Centre of Excellence head VVS Laxman had given an insight into the AMS programme.

"We are going to even request the state association to follow that process (AMS). So, at least 50 players of each state association, 25 men and 25 women also should be there on the AMS, because we have done a lot of work to make the AMS quite proactive," Laxman had said in a select media interaction on Sunday.

The former India batter said the aim was to create a long-term player profile.

"The whole idea is, if a player comes to NCA or is part of any ZCA camp, 5 years from now, 10 years from now, his file should be there," he said.