Reason behind Mitchell Marsh's cramps in Canberra: Covering 18kms during 4th ODI

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Sydney, Jan 22: When endurance has become one of the key words in today's physically demanding sports field, a cramping player hardly gives a good account of his fitness but during the fourth ODI, a limping Mitchell Marsh did not break down due to lack of toughness.

Towards the end of India's chase of 349, Marsh suffered cramps but it was because he covered an extraordinary 18 kilometres during the match in Canberra.

Australian players wear GPS trackers during matches, and data from the last match showed Marsh's near half-marathon effort, which was more than the distance covered by many non-cricket Australian sports persons.

Australian Football League (AFL) players are generally considered to have the greatest endurance of all Australian team sportspeople - covering on average 12-20km every match.

For soccer stars they can cover as much as 15km a game, and in the NRL and Super Rugby, research has shown the busiest players run in excess of 8.25km per game.

Marsh had spent more than an hour at the crease, scoring 33 runs from 42 balls - with only three boundaries, meaning there was plenty of running between the wickets.

Then following a 34-run partnership with Aaron Finch and a 67-run stand alongside Steve Smith. He later returned with the ball in his hand and bowled 9.2 overs apart from running around as a fielder when Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan batted.

PTI