NEW DELHI, May 26: Former Indian paceman Javagal Srinath on Saturday played down fears of burnout in modern cricketers, urging fast bowlers to bowl more if they are to cut down on their frequent breakdowns.

Srinath, now an International Cricket Council match referee, says it is up to individuals to manage their workload effectively.

“Injuries happen if you are not bowling enough. Bowlers like Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and myself never had any problems. The body gets used to fast bowling when you bowl more,” he said.

“You must bowl 600 to 1,000 first-class overs in a year to strengthen the muscles. Otherwise you will always be under the threat of injuries. Bowlers get injured more these days because of less bowling.”

India have produced quality quicks in recent times but injuries have ended most of their careers prematurely.

Ashish Nehra has not lived up to early hype, while Irfan Pathan appears to have lost both pace and swing.

Munaf Patel, billed as the country's best fast bowling hope, has also been plagued with injuries recently. He struggled with fitness in South Africa last year and broke down again in Bangladesh recently.

Srinath, who took 237 wickets in 67 Tests, said poor knowledge of sports science and inadequate guidance were the main reasons for problems.

“You have to train hard and bowl more and more but you must ensure you don't put too much stress on yourself. It is here that the knowledge of sports science helps,” he said.

He also advised bowlers not to sacrifice pace for line and length.

“This line and length thing is more one-day stuff. It is important, but you cannot compromise on pace,” he said.

“Until the age of 28, pace has to be on the upswing. After that a bowler becomes mature and learns how to bring in the variations and bowl according to conditions.”

Srinath also said a bowler must assert himself.

“It depends on how much individualism you have. You have to assert and say “this is what I can do.” This is how you build your personality,” he said.

Srinath, here to select youngsters for a fast bowling programme under Australian legend Dennis Lillee, said teams could prolong the careers of their fast bowlers by playing five bowlers in the side.

“The fifth bowler can give a lot of respite to the frontline pacemen,” he said.

“It is here that having a bowling captain helps. He will always think of having a fifth bowler whereas a batting captain will look to have an extra batsman.”—AFP