Real-time prediction of internal load during cricket fast bowling

Abstract

Background: Traditionally, workload monitoring in fast bowling has involved counting the amount of deliveries bowled and obtaining the sessional rating of perceived exertion (RPE). However, the latter fails to provide real-time information on how well a fast bowler is responding to the external load. Delivery RPE has been trialed to counter this limitation. However, delivery RPE requires frequent reporting from a fast bowler after each ball; rendering this variable impractical to collect during training and competition. Therefore the purpose of this investigation was to explore an automated method of predicting delivery RPE, and compare this to the actual delivery RPE reported by fast bowlers during an assessment.