Elite Fast Bowlers Research Articles

Do South African international cricket pace bowlers have similar bowling volume and injury risk associates compared to other elite fast bowlers?

Background Although many cricket-playing nations have conducted research on bowling volume (BV) and injury risk, this relationship amongst international South African pace bowlers is yet to be investigated. Environmental, socio-economic and training strategy differences warrant similar research in a South African context. The purpose of this preliminary study was to establish whether South African pace bowlers have similar BV and injury associates compared to other elite fast bowlers. Methods This study was a prospective, observational, cohort study that monitored match and training BV and injuries amongst pace bowlers playing for the South African national team between April 2017 and April 2019. A sample of convenience that included 14 bowlers was selected. Bowling volume was quantified as the number of deliveries bowled during training and competition. Acute-, chronic- and acute:chronic BV ratios were independently modelled as association variables. Results There were 39 injuries with the most being to the lumbar spine (25.64%). Moderate-to-low and a moderate-to-high acute:chronic bowling load ratios were associated with a lower risk of injury. Chronic bowling load was associated with injury (z = 2.82, p = 0.01). A low acute workload, low chronic workload, moderate-high chronic workload and moderate-low acute:chronic ratio were also associated with an increased risk of injury. Conclusion These findings confirm that there appears to be a dose–response effect between training BV and the likelihood of an injury occurring with a moderate-to-low and a moderate-to-high BV ratio being optimal. Considering the small sample size, the findings should be interpreted with caution.

The association between prescribed and measured delivery intensity in elite male cricket fast bowlers

Background: A common practice among sport scientists is to prescribe a targeted training load for each training session. Loads captured in training should ideally align with what was prescribed to ensure healthy adaptations. Otherwise, maladaptations to training may occur, predisposing the athlete to overreaching, burnout, illness, or injury. Most workload research in cricket fast bowling has not measured the intensity of a delivery; a key component in profiling the demand of an activity. Elite fast bowlers in Victoria have access to instantaneous feedback on their bowling speed during indoor training that may help them adhere to a prescribed delivery intensity throughout a session.

Presence of bone marrow oedema in asymptomatic elite fast bowlers: Implications for management.

1) Quantify the intensity of bone marrow oedema (BMO) present in the lumbar vertebrae of asymptomatic elite adult fast bowlers; 2) relate the intensity of BMO to bowling workload and lumbar bone stress injury (LBSI), and; 3) evaluate the utility of MRI screening to reduce the risk of LBSI. Thirty-eight elite Australian fast bowlers (21.6±3.7years) completed 48 screening MRI over 3years. BMO intensity was quantified on MRI retrospectively. Standard practices for bowling workload monitoring and injury diagnosis were followed. Clinically significant BMO (signal intensity ratio≥2.0) was observed in 22 (46%, 95% CI 31-61) screening MRI. These bowlers had a total of 77 (IQR 45-115) days off between seasons, compared to 66 (IQR 41-94) days off for bowlers with a BMO intensity less than 2.0 (p=0.510). Fifteen bowlers received follow up MRI as part of individualised management based on their screening MRI, of which less than five went on to develop LBSI in the subsequent season. There was no difference in days or balls bowled in the 12months following screening MRI between those who sustained LBSI and those who did not. BMO is common in asymptomatic bowlers. Identification of high-risk bowlers using screening MRI informs individualised management and may prevent progression to LBSI.

Relationship Between Physical Fitness and the Physical Demands of 50-Over Cricket in Fast Bowlers.

Webster, TM, Comfort, P, and Jones, PA. Relationship between physical fitness and the physical demands of 50-over cricket in fast bowlers. J Strength Cond Res 36(3): e66-e72, 2022-Professional cricket is constantly evolving and resulting in increased physiological demand placed on players. Fast bowlers experience the greatest physical demand during match-play; despite this, research has overlooked the importance of specific physical attributes to optimizing physical match performance. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between 50-Over physical match performance and tests of physical qualities in fast bowlers. Fifteen professional male fast bowlers (age = 23.8 ± 4.0 years; height = 183.4 ± 6.7 cm; body mass = 82.9 ± 9.2 kg) participated in the study. Subjects completed the following physical fitness tests; sum of skinfolds, countermovement jump (CMJ), 20-m sprint, and the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level 1. Global positioning system data were collected during 6 professional 50-Over fixtures. Moderate correlations were established between CMJ height to total distance covered (r = 0.585; p = 0.022), sprinting distance (ρ = 0.554; p = 0.032), and maximal velocity (r = 0.567; p = 0.027); 20-m sprint time to total distance covered (ρ = -0.519; p = 0.047) and PlayerLoad (ρ = -0.561; p = 0.03); and Yo-Yo distance to total match distance (r = 0.520; p = 0.047) and sprinting distance (ρ = 0.524; p = 0.045). These findings demonstrate the predictive importance of prolonged intermittent running ability, jump, and sprint performance to match running performance of elite fast bowlers in 1-day cricket. Strength and conditioning coaches should use such information to design training to ensure fast bowlers are adequately conditioned to meet the demands of match running performance.

Cricket fast bowling detection in a training setting using an inertial measurement unit and machine learning

ABSTRACTFast bowlers are at a high risk of overuse injuries. There are specific bowling frequency ranges known to have negative or protective effects on fast bowlers. Inertial measurement units (IMUs) can classify movements in sports, however, some commercial products can be too expensive for the amateur athlete. As a large number of the world's population has access to an IMU (e.g. smartphones), a system that works on a range of different IMUs may increase the accessibility of automated workload monitoring in sport. Seventeen elite fast bowlers in a training setting were used to train and/or validate five machine learning models by bowling and performing fielding drills. The accuracy of machine learning models trained using data from all three bowling phases (pre-delivery, delivery and post-delivery) were compared to those trained using only the delivery phase at a sampling rate of 250 Hz. Next, models were trained using data down-sampled to 125 Hz, 50 Hz, and 25 Hz to mimic results from lower specification sensors. Models trained using only the delivery phase showed similar accuracy (> 95%) to those trained using all three bowling phases. When delivery-phase data were down-sampled, the accuracy was maintained across all models and sampling frequencies (>96%).

Comparison of biomechanical characteristics between male and female elite fast bowlers

ABSTRACTThis study investigated ball release speed and performance kinematics between elite male and female cricket fast bowlers. Fifty-five kinematic parameters were collected for 20 male and 20 female elite fast bowlers. Group means were analysed statistically using an independent samples approach to identify differences. Significant differences were found between: ball release speed; run-up speed; the kinematics at back foot contact (BFC), front foot contact (FFC), and ball release (BR); and the timings between these key instants. These results indicate that the female bowlers generated less whole body linear momentum during the run-up than the males. The male bowlers also utilised a technique between BFC and FFC which more efficiently maintained linear momentum compared to the females. As a consequence of this difference in linear momentum at FFC, the females typically adopted a technique more akin to throwing where ball release speed was contributed to by both the whole body angular momentum and the large rotator muscles used to rotate the pelvis and torso segments about the longitudinal axis. This knowledge is likely to be useful in the coaching of female fast bowlers although future studies are required to understand the effects of anthropometric and strength constraints on fast bowling performance.

A Comparative Study between Kinesiotaping and Kinetic Chain Based Rehabilitation of Shoulder on Downward Rotated Scapula in Young Elite Fast Bowlers

A Comparative Study between Kinesiotaping and Kinetic Chain Based Rehabilitation of Shoulder on Downward Rotated Scapula in Young Elite Fast Bowlers

Quantification of bowling workload and changes in cognitive function in elite fast bowlers in training compared with Twenty20 Cricket.

Bowling overs are the primary recorded measure for workloads in cricket for youth through to professionals. However, the validity of this measure has never been tested. Additionally, despite the cognitive component of cricket being suggested to be very high, changes in psychomotor processing speed has again not been explored. Eight professional English county cricket bowlers participated in the study. Participants wore global positioning systems with a tri-axial accelerometer during a Twenty20 match and training. Bowling overs were expressed relative to external forces. Additionally, cognitive function (as measured by psychomotor speed) was assessed pre and post Twenty20 game and training. When expressed relative to high intensity running distance or external forces from the tri-axial accelerometer, the cost of each over (6 deliveries) was over 100% higher in a Twenty20 game compared to training. Psychomotor speed was unchanged although error within the cognitive task increased post Twenty20 (391±82±547±104 ms) and training (414±110±561±238 ms). This data suggests that reaction time is unchanged from cricket but the chance of making the incorrect decision is increased. Movements in fielding should be quantified or bowling workloads adjusted to account for the high intensity fielding associated with Twenty20 cricket. Cognitive function was impaired following bowling, suggesting practitioners may also monitor psychomotor changes when assessing fatigue and allow appropriate time to mentally recover.

Bone Density and Cross-sectional Geometry of the Proximal Femur Are Bilaterally Elevated in Elite Cricket Fast Bowlers

The skeleton of a cricket fast bowler is exposed to a unique combination of gravitational and torsional loading in the form of substantial ground reaction forces delivered through the front landing foot, and anterior-posterior shear forces mediated by regional muscle contractions across the lumbo-pelvic region. The objectives of this study were to compare the hip structural characteristics of elite fast bowlers with recreationally active age-matched controls, and to examine unilateral bone properties in fast bowlers. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry of the proximal femur was performed in 26 elite male fast bowlers and 26 normally active controls. Hip structural analysis (GE Lunar; enCORE version 15.0) determined areal bone mineral density (BMD) of the proximal femur, and cross-sectional area, section modulus (Z), cross-sectional moment of inertia, and femoral strength index at the narrow region of the femoral neck. Mean femoral neck and trochanter BMD were greater in fast bowlers than in controls (p < 0.001). All bone geometry properties, except for cross-sectional moment of inertia, were superior in fast bowlers (p < 0.05) following adjustment for height and lean mass. There were no asymmetries in BMD or bone geometry when considering leg dominance of the fast bowlers (p > 0.05). Elite fast bowlers have superior bone characteristics of the proximal femur, with results inferring enhanced resistance to axial compression (cross-sectional area), and bending (Z) forces, and enhanced strength to withstand a fall impact as indicated by their higher femoral strength index. No asymmetries in hip bone properties were identified, suggesting that both torsional and gravitational loading offer significant osteogenic potential.

The Relationship Between Variables in Wearable Microtechnology Devices and Cricket Fast-Bowling Intensity.

To date, the monitoring of fast-bowling workloads across training and competition environments has been limited to counting total balls bowled. However, bowling at faster velocities is likely to require greater effort while also placing greater load on the bowler. This study investigated the relationship between prescribed effort and microtechnology outputs in fast bowlers to ascertain whether the technology could provide a more refined measure of workload. Twelve high-performing fast bowlers (mean ± SD age 20.3 ± 2.2y) participated in the study. Each bowler bowled 6 balls at prescribed bowling intensities of 60%, 70%, 85%, and 100%. The relationships between microtechnology outputs, prescribed intensity, and ball velocity were determined using polynomial regression. Very large relationships were observed between prescribed effort and ball velocity for peak PlayerLoad™ (R = .83 ± .19 and .82 ± .20). The PlayerLoad across lower ranges of prescribed effort exhibited a higher coefficient of variation (CV) (60% = 19.0% [17.0-23.0%]), while the CV at higher ranges of prescribed effort was lower (100% = 7.3% [6.4-8.5%]). Routinely used wearable microtechnology devices offer opportunities to examine workload and intensity in cricket fast bowlers outside the normal metrics reported. They offer a useful tool for prescribing and monitoring bowling intensity and workload in elite fast bowlers.

Assessment of Workload and its Effects on Performance and Injury in Elite Cricket Fast Bowlers.

Cricket is distinctly positioned in the world of elite sports because three different formats now exist, each with characteristically different workload requirements. Fast bowlers have greater match-play workload requirements and are at greater injury risk than other positions. An update on the current cricket literature regarding fast bowling match-play physiology, workload, and injury is required to demonstrate the extent to which workload is related to performance and injury in elite fast bowlers since the introduction of 20-over cricket in 2005. The current review examined articles published in English with data collected from 2005 onwards pertaining to in situ cricket fast bowling physiology, match play, injury, and workload. Four databases were searched using the combinations of the following keywords: 'cricket' and 'bowl', inclusive of 'pace', 'fast', 'medium', or 'seam' bowling. Articles from 2005 onwards with male participants, high-performing or elite, and fast bowlers in the game of cricket were considered for inclusion. Only workload assessments captured in a field setting were included. A total of 751 articles were identified. Exclusions included 527 duplicates, papers pre-2005, review articles, and abstracts. A further 185 articles were excluded after review of titles and abstracts that were deemed to be outside the scope of research or population. The full texts of 39 articles were reviewed, with only 17 included in this systematic review. In five articles reviewed, fast bowlers had a greater workload than other player types. Bowling workload history was reviewed in seven articles and appeared to have a complex interaction with likelihood of injury and injury type. Fast bowling workload has a well recognised relationship with injury and performance. Although monitoring acute and chronic workloads of fast bowlers remains the most ideal method for identifying preparedness and injury likelihood in fast bowlers, complexities exist that make the systematic prescription of bowling workloads difficult. Advances in technology to monitor workloads may provide further insight into the intensity and workloads of fast bowlers. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42015032466.

Cricket symposium

Elite Fast bowlers place substantial physical demands on their bodies, predisposing them to musculoskeletal injury (Orchard, 2015), impairing the wellbeing of an individual athlete and overall team performance. A number of factors are known to contribute to injury risk in fast bowlers, including technique (R Portus et al., 2000), age (Johnson et al., 2012) and bowling workload (Orchard, Blanch, Paoloni, Kountouris, Sims, Orchard & Brukner 2015a; Hulin et al., 2014; Orchard et al., 2009). Of the above-mentioned risk factors, arguably the most modifiable, is bowling workload. Accordingly, workload management plans have become an integral component of injury prevention and performance management in fast bowlers. This symposium will provide an overview of how measures of physical workload and athlete wellbeing are incorporated to develop injury prevention strategies in elite Australian cricketers, while also providing insights into the use of wearable technologies to assist in athlete workload management.

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

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.

The Athletic Profile of Fast Bowling in Cricket

Cricket is a global sport played in over 100 countries with elite performers attracting multimillion dollar contracts. Therefore, performers maintaining optimum physical fitness and remaining injury free is important. Fast bowlers have a vital position in a cricket team, and there is an increasing body of scientific literature that has reviewed this role over the past decade. Previous research on fast bowlers has tended to focus on biomechanical analysis and injury prevention in performers. However, this review aims to critically analyze the emerging contribution of physiological-based literature linked to fast bowling in cricket, highlight the current evidence related to simulated and competitive in-match performance, and relate this practically to the conditioning coach. Furthermore, the review considers limitations with past research and possible avenues for future investigation. It is clear with the advent of new applied mobile monitoring technology that there is scope for more ecologically valid and longitudinal exploration capturing in-match data, providing quantification of physiological workloads, and analysis of the physical demands across the differing formats of the game. Currently, strength and conditioning specialists do not have a critical academic resource with which to shape professional practice, and this review aims to provide a starting point for evidence in the specific area.

Footwear in cricket: issues facing podiatrists treating fast bowlers

Background The choice of footwear and custom modification of footwear in fast bowling in cricket lacks biomechanical and clinical evidence. This demonstrates that despite professional advice being available, elite fast bowlers continue to wear shoes that may not be appropriate for them. The aim of this study was to investigate the biomechanical effects of three cricket shoes commonly used by fast bowlers and whether footwear modification could play a role in injury.

Injuries to the lower back in elite fast bowlers

In our study, the aims were to describe the changes in the appearance of the lumbar spine on MRI in elite fast bowlers during a follow-up period of one year, and to determine whether these could be used to predict the presence of a stress fracture of the posterior elements. We recruited 28 elite fast bowlers with a mean age of 19 years (16 to 24) who were training and playing competitively at the start of the study. They underwent baseline MRI (season 1) and further scanning (season 2) after one year to assess the appearance of the lumbar intervertebral discs and posterior bony elements. The incidence of low back pain and the amount of playing and training time lost were also recorded. In total, 15 of the 28 participants (53.6%) showed signs of acute bone stress on either the season 1 or season 2 MR scans and there was a strong correlation between these findings and the later development of a stress fracture (p < 0.001). The prevalence of intervertebral disc degeneration was relatively low. There was no relationship between disc degeneration on the season 1 MR scans and subsequent stress fracture. Regular lumbar MR scans of asymptomatic elite fast bowlers may be of value in detecting early changes of bone stress and may allow prompt intervention aimed at preventing a stress fracture and avoiding prolonged absence from cricket.

The associations between fast bowling technique and ball release speed: A pilot study of the within-bowler and between-bowler approaches

The inability of the between-bowlers methodology to control parameters external to technique could lead to erroneous significant and non-significant associations being reported between fast-bowling technique and ball release speed. Using Pearson's product – moment correlation, we first examined the effectiveness of a within-bowler methodology to identify associations between technique and ball release speed of an elite semi-open fast bowler over 20 deliveries. These results were compared with associations identified from a between-bowlers methodology in which 20 single-performance trials bowled by elite fast bowlers adopting a semi-open shoulder alignment were collated. Sufficient variation was observed in within-bowler ball release speed to allow f relationships to be identified between technique and ball release speed. Although greater variation in bowling technique parameters was observed in the between-bowlers methodology, no associations were identified between technique and ball release speed. Multiple stepwise regression analysis showed that 87.5% of the within-bowler variation in ball release speed can be attributed to run-up velocity, angular velocity of the bowling arm, vertical velocity of the non-bowling arm, and stride length. The within-bowler methodology provided significant detailed information about the individual bowler that the between-bowlers methodology overlooked, forming the basis of a performance enhancement programme. It is recommended that within-bowler methodology be used in future investigation of technique relationships.

Cricket

This study investigated the bowling arm kinematics of 21 elite fast bowlers (mean ± SD; age = 27.8 ± 3.9 years) while performing in test, tour and one day international matches. Thirty‐one of the 34 deliveries analysed exhibited straightening at the elbow joint (straightening min = 3°, max = 22°, mean ± SD = 9 ± 5°), which by strict definition in the 2000 laws of cricket made them illegal. Five deliveries from three bowlers exhibited hyperextension of the bowling elbow (19 + 5°). When assessed against an arbitrary threshold of 15° for elbow straightening, ball speeds for deliveries above this threshold (39.5 ± 2.0 m/s) were significantly faster (effect size = 1.4; p = 0.006) than deliveries below it (37.1 ± 1.4 m/s). When grouped by delivery length, the bouncers and short deliveries recorded more elbow straightening (12 ± 6.6°) than the good length deliveries (9 ± 4.4°) and the full deliveries (8 ± 5.7°), although these were not statistically significant differences. The results of this study support the implementation of a tolerance threshold for assessing the legality of fast bowling actions. Further research is recommended into in‐match kinematic modelling, laboratory based assessments of illegal bowling actions, perceptual aspects of bowling actions and remedial methods to reduce elbow straightening in bowling actions.

The fatigue strength of the lumbar neural arch in spondylolysis.

Spondylolysis is a fracture of the bone in one or both sides of the narrow regions of the neural arch, the partes interarticulares. The fifth lumbar vertebra is the most commonly affected. Although spondylolysis is not considered to be of congenital origin (Rowe and Roche 1953; Newman and Stone 1 963), genetic factors may predispose the individual to it (Baker and McHollick 1956; Saha et al. 1970; Wiltse, Widell and Jackson 1975). There are also racial differences, the Eskimos having an unusually high incidence of the defect (Stewart 1953; Lester and Shapiro 1968; Kettelkamp and Wright 1971). The most generally favoured theory, however, is that spondylolysis is a fracture caused by mechanical stress and that the mode of failure is fatigue (Pfeil 1 97 1 ; Wiltse et al. 1975). This theory was enhanced by experiments to determine the bending strength of the lumbar neural arch (Cyron, Hutton and Troup 1976). In order to achieve a fracture, an increasing force was applied to the inferior articular facets of a lumbar vertebra and the neural arch was bent away from the vertebral body by about 0.5 centimetre. This relative movement would be difficult to accomplish in vivo, except possibly itt hyperexte nsion. When a static force acts on a material, stress is generated within the material. As the applied force increases the material will eventually fail when the stress reaches a certain value, the “ ultimate stress” . However, the material will also fail when it is subjected to cyclic repetitive stresses which never reach the ultimate stress. This mode of failure is known as fatigue failure. The fatigue life, defined as the number of cycles to failure, is dependent on the amplitude of the cyclic stresses and the method by which they are imposed. It is relatively easy to determine the fatigue life of inert materials such as metal. In bone, however, a fatigue fracture will only develop in vivo when the cellular mechanism of repair fails to keep pace with the microscopic damage caused by the repetitive force. It has been suggested that this occurs in “shin soreness” (Devas 1958). It is thought to be caused by prolonged periods of unac.customed or strenuous activities such as running. Walking with a heavy pack on the back and working in the fully flexed posture are activities that produce cyclic stresses within the partes articulares of lumbar vertebrae. If the stress generated during these activities reaches a critical value and a sufficient number of cycles is accumulated, the neural arch may fracture. This has already been considered as a likely explanation of the occurrence of spondylolysis (Stewart 1 953 ; Newman and Stone 1963). There is little published information on the fatigue properties of the lumbar neural arch. Pfeil (1971) reported on fractures resembling spondylolysis. He subjected lumbar spines from children to repetitive impact loads, but he did not measure the applied force or the number of cycles to failure. This paper describes experimental work carried out on cadaveric lumbar vertebrae to determine the fatigue life of the lumbar neural arch when subjected to forces comparable with those encountered in vivo.