Boys don't stretch.

That's what a female fitness instructor once told me when I was working in a local gym.

She was right too.

Most men in that gym and every man I have played cricket with have flexibility at the bottom of their list of fitness requirements. Is the benefit of flexibility worth all the time it takes? I think it is, and here's why:

1. Flexibility combined with strength training leads to more power than strength training alone.
2. Flexibility improves your range of motion for key movements like running, throwing and bowling. This reduces the chance of an injury happening.
3. Flexibility allows your muscles to work less why playing allowing you to go on for longer.
4. Linked to this, there is some evidence that upper body flexibility leads to better endurance through more efficient lungs.

Not bad for 10 minutes a day. Beware though, there are many different ways to stretch. For cricket the best way seems to be to work on dynamic flexibility as part of your warm up, and do your static stretching at the end of your game or training session while cooling down. It's the way to get the best of both types of stretching without feeling like you are wasting your time.