What can club cricket teams learn from the story of Ireland's victory over Pakistan?

The proud minnows against the apathetic giant perhaps?

"They just wanted it more" the commentators will no doubt say.

Many will compare the passion of the two sides. For me this, Irish win is about something a lot more down to earth.

They were better prepared.

What with Paul Nixon taking English sledging to a new level and a big jump in harrowdrive subscribers this week I thought it was the perfect time to ask you a question.

Do you sledge?

We certainly do at my club, although it's more subtle than the in-your-face insult stuff of the International game. Here are some ways I like to do it:

Great news if your club is taking part in the inaugural North Gear 2020 League this summer. All clubs will have exclusive access to me as the official coach.

If your club is a member get your login details and more information here. If not, get them to sign up. As I have talked about before, it has the potential to revolutionalise club cricket.

"What special nutritional needs do cricket players have?" was a question I asked back in August.

Since I wrote that, I've been looking more into optimum sport nutrition and it seems some amendments are needed to the original plan.

Following Mike Boyle's advice that endurance and recovery are both driven by nutrition, not training here are the new tips:

Lighter nights, warmer days and flowers blooming everywhere.

Spring has arrived around these parts and that means pre-season training has begun in earnest.

How can you make the most of this critical period in your preparation?

Having a bowling machine to practice with is a mixed blessing. Yes. It's way more accurate than any bowler can hope to be, but it also changes the way you bat.

Sport boffins recently tested the difference between batting against bowlers and machines, finding the batsmen naturally adjust their backlift when facing the machine (pdf). That means you need to be cautious when practising with the Bola.

Developing Unconcious Reaction

Is the traditional breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner right for cricketers? It certainly hasn't done any harm to generations of players over hundreds of years.

While this way of eating has done its bit to fuel players adequately, we don't want adequate, we want optimum.

Sports nutrition has found a way to push your performance even further. It's called nutrient timing.

• One of the most comprehensive articles on strength training I have read online (not for the beginner).
• Cricket psychologist Dr.Rudi Webster talks to Rahul Bhattacharya - Wisden Asian Cricket March 2003. (word document)
• The life of a county cricketer (not that far from the truth for some).
• An insight into baseball psychology that can easily be applied to cricket.

"I think all sports evolve at some point where technique and skill level are almost equal and wins and losses are decided purely from a strength and conditioning angle."

Food and cricket performance goes hand in hand. That's a principle Mike Boyle pressed home to me in our recent discussion.

Studies have shown that eating and drinking right can make a significant difference to how well you train and how much endurance you have on the pitch.

What does 'eating right' look like?