This is a guest article on nutrition from supplement company Maxinutrition. 

No cricketer in their right mind avoids the tea interval, packed with sandwiches, cake and cups of tea. However, the game has moved on and now cricketers of every level are realising that targeted nutrition can deliver better performance levels out there in the middle. Whether you need more speed between the wickets, want to bowl faster, stay alert in the field and focused going for a century in the searing heat - discover how to pad-up for better cricket with the power of nutrition:

Cricket is a uniquely challenging game that impacts the body in many ways - including long stints in high temperatures, bursts of power when batting and bowling, a need for constant focus and a combination of high and low intensity movement. However, if you want to improve your all-round performance, it's essential to combat two key factors:

20:20 or an all-dayer, cricketers can sweat tremendous amounts in a battle to cool their bodies in response to the intensity of cricket. The hotter the conditions, the bigger the threat of dehydration. An average cricketer may typically lose two litres of fluid and essential sodium per ninety minutes of play, causing a performance decline of around 5%, including a loss of focus, slower reaction times and decreased endurance.

Due to the high intensity bursts of power while bowling and batting, sprints in the field and the prolonged nature of cricket, the body relies on stored carbohydrates (muscle glycogen) to generate a high proportion of its energy during games. However, glycogen concentrations are limited, meaning fatigue often gets progressively worse during games (for example, it's estimated that sixty minutes at the crease can drain glycogen levels by around 30%).

Fortunately, with a sensible nutrition plan and proven sports fuel like Maxifuel - you can combat dehydration and energy loss, helping you sustain high performance cricket until the final ball.

• Drink 250ml of Viper Active or Viper Boost sports drink/bar/gel 20 minutes before a match or when you expect to be called in to bat, supplying high-energy carbohydrates, fluid and electrolytes.
• Drink 250ml of Viper Active sports drink/bar/gel during lunch/tea intervals. Viper-active even includes branched chain amino acids to aid essential focus and help combat muscle damage. The sodium in Viper is essential to help the body retain the water it needs to hydrate effectively, which is one reason why a sports drink is much more effective than drinking water for hydration.
• For optimal hydration, energy and focus during long games, sip Viper Active between overs or when there is a break in play.

Extra power and stamina for bowling, fielding and batting

A high quality sports drink like Viper Active is the key nutrition that will aid cricket performance. However, you can give your game an edge with the power of creatine. Creatine is naturally found in foods including meat and is stored in small amounts in muscles, where it's used to create explosive energy. It's research proven to aid repeated sprint performance and power, which is why elite players are raving about it:

• Repeated sprints in the out-field
• Bowling power and endurance
• Batting power and running between the stumps

As one of the world's most researched sports fuel nutrients, creatine is used by many elite cricket squads, and has grown in popularity with the power-emphasis of 20:20.

Let's face it, cricket is traditionally a very social game - from the village pub to the famous bar at Lords! However, while today's elite cricketers still like to mingle, recovery is taken very seriously. Increasingly, players of all levels are learning that by putting back what they take out during games, they suffer less soreness, feel fresher and can restore maximum performance levels more quickly for their next net session or game.

Sports scientists have proven that fast-acting whey protein and carbohydrate immediately after games and training helps players replenish energy, strength and power much more quickly. Recover like a pro:

• Drink a high quality recovery drink like Recovermax within 20 minutes of the final whistle (your body is able to process nutrients very quickly after exercise, so don't miss this key period).
• Eat a whole-food meal containing lean protein and complex carbohydrates about ninety minutes later.

Even if you do socialise after a game - kick-start your recovery first and you'll feel the difference next time you play.

Some of today's elite cricketers are powerful athletes, with bodies honed in the gym to sustain the rigours of the modern game, to boost explosive power for the big hits of 20:20, and to also look the part for photo-shoots! If you want to muscle-up for cricket, perform two weight training sessions per week, and make sure you consume around 1.8g of protein, per kg of body mass, every day (Protrient shakes are ideal to boost your protein intake). For rapid growth, visit maximuscle.com and power your growth with Cyclone, the UK's best-selling all-in-one muscle growth shake.

The convenience of Maxifuel makes cricket nutrition easy - just throw the products in your bag and get the edge.