"You can do all the training and everything that you want to do and can do - but you need to play to find that last 10-15 per cent."
What takes an elite athlete back to the top of their game after a period on the sidelines?
According to Ben Stokes, the key factor is finding your rhythm.
The England captain and 4CAST founder has battled back from hamstring surgery to hit top form for his country, and is currently working towards full fitness again after a shoulder injury ruled him out of the final summer Test against India.
Reflecting on his successful comeback from a hamstring problem in 2024, Ben discussed the vital final steps that are needed before you can perform at the top level.
"There’s a thing in sport, and in cricket in particular, which is called rhythm," he said.
"You hear a lot of bowlers talk about [it] and the only way that you get that is by playing more and feeling more confident with it. Every day that I was on the field playing for Durham [last year], every time that I bowled, every day got better and better and better. I felt 85-90 per cent of what 100 per cent of me feels like, if that makes sense.
"My body felt good, I was bowling long spells, I felt like I was bowling quickly and there was just that 10-15 per cent that I was looking for at the time. And that is just purely down to rhythm, which is what you hear bowlers speak a lot about.
"The only way you get that is by bowling more, but putting yourself in an environment where you’re in a competition against somebody else, because you can’t get that... you can’t get the energy in training that you do in games."
The data backs that up, with outputs generated in practice sessions falling well short of the numbers generated in a competitive match.
"We wear these GPS monitors all the time now," said Ben, "and you look at the GPS findings from a training day where I feel like I’ve pushed myself as far as I can, and then you compare that to a day in an actual game... the numbers are just so different.
"You can do all the training and everything that you want - and can - but you need to play to find that last 10-15 per cent."
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