Physiotherapist Nathan Monaco recently travelled to India on tour with The Cutting Edge (Cricket) Academy.

He was supporting players in an U16s and Seniors squad that competed against CFC Academy in Hyderabad, India.

Now that he’s back we asked him to tell us a little about the experience . . .

When and how did you become involved with the Academy?

In November last year the academy’s sports physiotherapist who assisted the academy in 2024 reached out to ASM, and I was very fortunately offered the opportunity to travel with the academy in April 2025.

We were hosted by/played against CFC Excellence Academy, who housed several first-class professional players in their seniors, and in their juniors the 14 year old prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi who plays for the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.

What did your role on this trip entail / what was the day-to-day like for you?

As the only Physio/medical support staff for the tour there was a lot to do, even before the trip.

Prior to departure, injury history and screening forms were sent out to all athletes in order for me to get a background of the athlete’s musculoskeletal history. I also communicated with any of their current treating allied health and medical team to ensure there was follow-on care while we were away.

The average day-to-day involved a 6:00am wake up, getting onto the bus by 7:00am for travel to our grounds, performing any pre-game treatment and taping as required and then warming up the teams. Most of the days were spent running water and treating any acute injuries which occurred, all in an average 36-degree heat! Once back at our hotel (by 6:00pm) it was typically treatment sessions for 2 hours prior to dinner. Towards the end of the trip, with many sore bodies, I was often assisting players till 10:00pm onwards. Despite the long days, I was exposed to a fantastic level of cricket . . . and an equal level of sledging.

What did you find most enjoyable about the trip?

I didn’t know any of the players, coaching staff or supporting attending parents who travelled with us so the most enjoyable aspect of the trip was getting to know and spend time with an amazing bunch of people – I can happily say some lifelong friendships have been formed from a short two week tour.

Another highly enjoyable aspect was being able to experience a markedly different culture compared to home – incredible old architecture, food, and the warmth and generosity of the people of Hyderabad.

What do you find the most challenging?

There were many challenges faced on the trip. In general, acclimatizing to the intense heat (which lingered between 34-38 degrees most days and 24 overnight) was initially a real obstacle, along with maintaining hydration levels, both for myself and the athletes.

More specifically to my role, the biggest challenge was not knowing what to prepare for, as any situation could arise. For example, I had to assist in relocating and splinting an opposition team member’s clearly dislocated (and probably fractured) finger, utilising a wooden spoon that we ate our lunch with. Thinking on the fly with minimal equipment/resources compared to what we are used to having back home was essential.

We also unfortunately had a team member experience a slip and head knock, suffering a subdural brain bleed on our second night there. Thankfully a team member had previously worked in the Indian hospital system, which allowed for seamless care for the player – navigating a foreign system was challenging and I am thankful we had such great help.

How does this differ from other sports you are involved in / athletes you have worked with?

Cricket is a different beast. It is not a sport that I grew up playing, or watching, and to be honest I knew very little about it. Over the two weeks I gained a real appreciation for not only the skill, tactics and psychology of cricket, but also how physically demanding it can be. Each aspect of the game from fielding, bowling (spin and pace), batting, and keeping all requires a set of specific physical attributes and demands on certain parts of the body.

It also helped me to remember that acute hand and finger injuries are a real issue in ball sports and can have an immense impact on a person’s ability to perform – being able to catch, throw and hold a bat is an integral part of cricket.

Although completely different to basketball which I work in, being able to apply concepts such as load management and positional changes, and be able to alter demands for different players is much the same, and it was very easy to draw parallels between the two sports.

How do you feel this experience will help you in treating patients at Alphington Sports Medicine?

Being immersed in such an environment has given me a great understanding of the demands and requirements of cricketing athletes and is something I definitely was not completely aware of prior to the trip.

Now being back in the clinic, I believe I will be much better equipped at making more informed decisions regarding player and injury management, and to address the biomechanical factors which are specific to cricket movements.

For more information about Nathan Monaco go to: https://alphingtonsportsmed.com.au/profile/nathan-monaco/