In modern cricket, fitness is crucial. Players need exceptional skills and top physical condition to perform consistently.
With year-round cricket, juggling multiple formats, maintaining fitness is key to enduring intense matches and avoiding injuries.
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What is the Yo-Yo Fitness Test in Cricket?
The Yo-Yo test, created by Danish football physiologist Jens Bangsbo, is a multistage aerobic fitness challenge. It assesses an athlete’s ability to sustain high performance over time. European football teams regularly use it, and now, so do many cricket teams.
Adoption in Cricket
The Indian cricket team, under the guidance of coach Anil Kumble and player Virat Kohli, used the Yo-Yo test.
Other teams like England, New Zealand, and Australia already use it to prepare their players.
How to Take the Yo-Yo Test
- Setup
- Assign three cones, A, B, and C.
- The distance between A and B is 5 meters, and between B and C is 20 meters.
2. Procedure
- Start at cone B. A beep signals you to run to cone C.
- Before the second beep, get to cone C, and then, before the third sound, go back to cone B.
- This is one shuttle. Walk from B to A and back to B, taking 10 seconds to recover between shuttles.
3. Speed Levels
- Start at speed level 5. With every level, the sound intervals increase shorter.
- Finish one shuttle at each of stages five and nine.
- From level 11, the number of shuttles increases to two at level 11, three at level 12, four at level 13, and eight at levels 14 to 23.
4. Warnings
- A warning is given if you miss a cone before the beep.
- You can continue until you receive three warnings, ending the test.
Scoring the Yo-Yo Test
- The test ends after three missed shuttles.
- Results are computer-documented.
- Completing two shuttles at level 14 results in a score of 14.2.
Benchmarks for Different Teams
India: 17.1 (1 shuttle at level 17)
Pakistan: 17.4
West Indies: 19.0
New Zealand: 20.1
With the highest Yo-Yo Test Score, whose cricket player is it?
| Player | Country | Yo-Yo Test Score |
| Alastair Cook | England | 22.3 |
| Al Amin Hossain | Bangladesh | 22.1 |
| Shan Masood | Pakistan | 22.1 |
| Jonny Bairstow | England | 21.8 |
| Asad Shafiq | Pakistan | 21.1 |
| Joe Root | England | 21.1 |
| Mayank Dagar | India | 19.3 |
| Manish Pandey | India | 19.2 |
| Kagiso Rabada | South Africa | 19.2 |
| Mohammad Rizwan | Pakistan | 19.2 |
Highest Yo-Yo Test Scores
While many cricket boards don’t disclose players’ scores, it’s believed that elite athletes like Virat Kohli excel in this test.
Is the Yo-Yo Test Necessary?
The Yo-Yo test has sparked debate. In India, players must pass it to be considered fit for selection. Critics argue that talented players, like Sarfaraz Khan, who excel in the domestic circuit but fail the test, should still be selected.
Supporters believe any elite athlete can pass it, regardless of age, as shown by MS Dhoni and Ashish Nehra.
Conclusion
Fitness is vital in cricket, and the Yo-Yo test is an effective measure. It is still a standard to make sure players are prepared for high-performance cricket, notwithstanding disagreements.
Moving forward, only players who clear the test should be selected, maintaining the sport’s competitive integrity.
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