Total, regional and unilateral body composition of professional English first-class cricket fast bowlers

Abstract

There have been few reports of advanced body composition profiles of elite fast bowlers in the sport of cricket. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to determine total, regional and unilateral body composition characteristics of elite English first-class cricket fast bowlers in comparison with matched controls, using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Twelve male fast bowlers and 12 age-matched, non-athletic controls received one total-body DXA scan. Anthropometric data were obtained as well as left and right regional (arms, legs and trunk) fat mass, lean mass and bone mineral content. Fast bowlers were significantly taller and heavier than controls (P < 0.05). Relative to body mass, fast bowlers possessed greater lean mass in the trunk (80.9 ± 3.7 vs. 76.7 ± 5.9%; P = 0.047) and bone mineral content in the trunk (2.9 ± 0.3 vs. 2.6 ± 0.3%; P = 0.049) and legs (5.4 ± 0.5 vs. 4.6 ± 0.6%; P = 0.003). In the arm region, fast bowlers demonstrated significantly greater unilateral differences in bone mineral content (10.6 ± 6.6 vs. 4.5 ± 3.9%; P = 0.012). This study provides specific body composition values for elite-level fast bowlers and highlights the potential for muscle and bone imbalances that may be useful for conditioning professionals. Our findings also suggest beneficial adaptations in body composition and bone mass in fast bowlers compared with their non-athletic counterparts.