ABU DHABI A woman playing big part in the physical condition of the Kiwi players is South Africa-born physio Kate Stalker. The slim, tall blonde, blue-eyed with infectious smile, belies the steely interior as she works on average 15 hours a day monitoring players diet and examining them for injuries. During a match, the New Zealand team physiotherapist Stalker is often seen sprinting between the dressing room and the pitch (shes not timed her sprints yet). When the Black Caps take the field to bat, she keeps close tabs on the players for injuries or dehydration. When Vettoris men field, she walks around the boundary line with an armful of water bottles and a first-aid box. It might seem a bit unusual in this part of the world, but a female physiotherapist doesnt quite raise eyebrows in the New Zealand dressing room. It is not unusual to have a female physio for our team, the manager Dave Currie said. In New Zealand, there are other females attached with the men teams, he added. For a nation, that was first in the world to give women the right to vote and a few years back had an all-female assembly, holding the highest offices in the country simultaneously, gender bias isnt quite an issue. Stalker holds a masters degree in Sports Physiotherapy from Australia and has worked with English county Derbyshire and South African sports clinic, before undertaking her present job. The 32-year-old Stalkers initial contract of six months has been extended till the 2011 World Cup to be played in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Her worst nightmare came when the entire team picked up injuries during the World Twenty20 series in England in June. The rigorous pace during this ICC World T20 tour sapped her energy and she had to be whisked off in an ambulance for treatment herself. For an only child that grew up without cousins, the players double up as Stalkers adopted siblings, keeping an eye on her off the field. Being the only woman on tour, Stalker yearns for female company and reads women magazines or updates her knowledge on physiotherapy, while listening to her iPod. After her contract expires with the New Zealand Cricket (post 2011 World Cup), she dreams of setting up her own sports clinic, or coaching aspiring physiotherapists. She is uncertain where her clinic would be based. She also yearns to globe-trot, having travelled a lot during her stint in Britain. The decision may rest with her future partner.