Prospective reporting of injury in community-level cricket: A systematic review to identify research priorities

Abstract

ObjectivesCricket is a popular sport enjoyed worldwide. Injuries in cricket are not well understood at community level but are important to understand for prevention to ensure the game continues to be enjoyed safely. This systematic review was designed to assess the quality of data collection and reporting, and to summarise the injury data, in studies of community cricket players. DesignSystematic review. MethodsNine databases were searched to November 2018 using the terms “cricket*” and “injur*”. A nine-item critical appraisal and three-item likelihood-of-bias evaluation was conducted on included studies. Data completeness was evaluated against recommendations in the international cricket consensus statement for recording/reporting injury and the Australian Sports Injury Data Dictionary (ASIDD). Descriptive injury data (n,%) are presented in tabular format for different subgroups (activity, position, population). ResultsThirteen studies were included, of which eight were rated as unclear, one as high and three having a low likelihood-of-bias. The mean score for completeness of data against the consensus statement was 3.5/10 (95%C.I. 2.8–4.2). The mean score for completeness of data against the ASIDD was 4.4/6 (95%C.I. 3.9–5.0). Bruising and inflammation was the most common injury in junior cricket. Stress fractures were most common in studies of bowlers. Where studies included all activities, batting accounted for most injuries (7–49%). ConclusionsThe included studies inconsistently addressed recommended items for injury surveillance in community sport and cricket. Most studies focused on junior levels or adolescent bowlers, with bruising/inflammation and stress fractures being most common, respectively.