While England’s present crop of pace bowlers are struggling to make their mark in India, the ECB is stepping up its programmes to develop the fast bowlers of the future and nurture them from the cradle to the crease. On Sunday, a hand-picked selection of the most promising young fast bowlers in the country will travel to Florida to spend three intensive weeks working on their strength and conditioning, aiming to improve their athletic abilities and to prevent future injuries. A few rungs below them on the developmental ladder, the physical and technical progress of seam bowlers from the age of 13 is being carefully monitored by the ECB’s bowling coaches.

Whisper it at your local branch of the fast bowlers’ union, but advances in sports science are increasingly revealing pace bowlers to be the most vulnerable creatures in the cricketing family. The very act of bowling, an unnatural, explosive movement that pushes eight times the bowler’s bodyweight through the front leg, makes fast bowlers especially susceptible to injury. That they also happen to be the game’s most valuable match-winners, along with wrist spinners, has persuaded the ECB to invest a six-figure sum in attempting to generate a reliable production line of fast bowlers.

The training camp in Florida will be attended by six young fast bowlers — Maurice Chambers, Jonathan Clare, Jade Dernbach, Chris Jordan, Mark Turner and Chris Woakes — who will spend the next three weeks at the renowned IMG multi-sport training facility in Bradenton, home to Nick Bollettieri’s tennis academy and a facility used by a host of American sporting stars. There, they will undergo three intensive physical training sessions per day under the unforgiving eye of Huw Bevan, the former strength and conditioning coach with the Ospreys rugby union team and a notoriously tough man to please. As the saying goes, if Bevan announces it is Christmas Day, the fast bowlers will soon be singing carols.

“This is going to be the toughest period of training they’ll ever have,” Kevin Shine, the ECB’s fast bowling coach, said. “They won’t be going to the beach. These lads could be the next world-class bowlers to play for England and we want to treat them like Olympic athletes. We want them to be fitter, faster and stronger.”

Rather more menacingly, Bevan said, with a glint in his eye: “By the time they’re finished, they’ll be — how can I put this nicely? — they’ll be enlightened.”

Accompanying the work on their physical development, the bowlers will be educated on all aspects of physical conditioning and, as they mix with athletes from other sports, they will be encouraged to exchange ideas and discuss different approaches to fitness.

By the new year, they will not have bowled a ball in anger for three months, concentrating on conditioning work. They start bowling again in January before travelling to spend two weeks at Dennis Lillee’s MRF Pace Bowling Academy in Madras.

So will they emerge faster, fitter, stronger? Although Turner’s career has been blighted by injury, he is capable of bowling 90mph and Justin Langer, his captain at Somerset, describes him as “an explosion waiting to happen”. Chambers, at 21, can reach 85mph, but his development has been hampered by stress fractures to the back, the sort of injuries the new schemes are designed to prevent. Shine estimates that as many as half of young fast bowlers fail to reach their full potential because of bowling-related injuries, which could be prevented by greater core strength.

To that end, the ECB has begun monitoring outstanding prospects aged between 13 and 16 as part of the Specialist Skills Development Programme. In September, a group of bowlers identified as potential stars of the future visited the National Performance Centre in Loughborough to be assessed, physically and technically. Each bowler delivered 12 balls that were recorded by Hawk-Eye and measured for speed, accuracy, swing and bounce. Reports will be written on their individual bowling actions and their development will be reassessed every six months.

“We used to do this from 16, but it makes sense to start younger,” Shine said. “If there are any issues with their actions or their physical competencies, we can sort that out at an early age. The most vulnerable age group is 15 to 19 and we want to make sure that they develop technically and physically at a rate their bodies can accept.”

Kids in America

Maurice Chambers (21, Essex, four first-class matches, nine wickets at 37.22) Powerful pace bowler who was brought up in Jamaica but played for England Under-19. His career has been interrupted by injuries.

Jonathan Clare (22, Derbyshire, 15 matches, 41 wickets at 26.19) Built like Andrew Flintoff, the all-rounder from Burnley enjoyed an impressive first full season for Derbyshire with bat and ball.

Jade Dernbach (22, Surrey, 20 matches, 41 wickets at 40.95) Born in South Africa, made real progress this year, showing particular promise as a one-day bowler.

Chris Jordan (20, Surrey, 13 matches, 32 wickets at 33.12) Skiddy quick bowler who can bat as well. Went to Surrey from Barbados via Dulwich College.

Mark Turner (24, Somerset, eight matches, 15 wickets at 49.46) Joined Somerset in 2006 when he was released by Durham. Very quick, but has struggled with injuries.

Chris Woakes (19, Warwickshire, 13 matches, 49 wickets at 22.73) Intelligent swing bowler who moves the ball both ways. Warwickshire's leading wicket-taker this year.

Words by John Westerby