The slim, tall, blond hair, light blue eyes and infectious smile, belies the steely interior that works on average 15 hours each day monitoring players diets and examining them for injuries.

"Everyone is weighed daily. Each player can loose up to two kilos working in humid conditions like Sri Lanka. So we have to make sure our boys are hydrated all the time," said Stalker, 29.

During a match, the South African born Stalker, is often seen sprinting between the dressing room and the pitch (she's 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 they field, she walks around the boundary line with an armful of iced water bottles and a first aid box.

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.

"I've always loved cricket and wanted to be a physio for a national team. Most of the active Test playing nations have the same physio for years and I had almost given up on my dream, till I landed this job last year."

Stalkers initial contract of six months has since 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.

"All 16 players had some injuries. We had to tape the bat onto Brendon's (McCullum) glove to send him out to play. Body take time to heal and time was not on our side. I was on my toes the whole day."

The rigorous pace during the World Cup tour sapped her energy and she had to be whisked off in an ambulance for treatment herself.

During the ongoing tour of Sri Lanka, a stomach bug spread through the squad while the first Test match in Galle was in progress. At first, two players picked up the bug and Stalker separated them from the squad, maintaining a different supplies bag with water bottles, energy drinks, snacks and towels. But a local doctor examined the players and advised them to be reunited with their colleagues.

"The bug spread. I had guys coming in saying 'Kate, my tummy doesn't feel right, or I am feeling feverish'. And my quarantined bag of supplies became bigger by the hour.

"At one point when someone complained of feeling feverish, I said 'no, no, you look just fine. Just go out and play'. A few niggles at a time is easy to handle, but not when the whole team is not physically fit." Touring a different country, living in plush hotels and eating exotic food, however, is not a dream holiday, for Stalker, who once backpacked through Sri Lanka.

In Sri Lanka for nearly two months, security reasons have confined the Kiwis to their hotels and the team can be often seen wandering around the lobby, stocking up on sweets at the pastry shop or playing pool at the pub.

"I've had the same hotel room and it sometimes gets to you, that you sort of live in an open gilded prison. But that's life. It’s my job and I have to accept it," she said ruefully.

For an only child that grew up without cousins, the players double up as Stalker's adopted siblings, keeping an eye on her off the field."It's like having 20 brothers around you. They tease me all the time, when I am talking to a man they don't know."

Being the only woman on tour, Stalker yearns for female company and reads girlie magazines or updates her knowledge on physiotherapy, while listening to her iPod. "At the start, I was trying to be a bit girlie and handle the testosterones around me. I gave up soon and now even use the boys loo, but make sure I don't leave anything behind."

Post 2011 World Cup, she dreams of setting up her own sports clinic, or coaching aspiring physiotherapists. She also yearns to globetrot, having travelled a lot during her stint in Britain.

"But first, I have to figure out where I want to live, England, South Africa or New Zealand. I like England, because you can base there and travel quite a bit. But maybe it will be my future partner who will make that decision."