Male Bowlers Research Articles

Relationship of Bowling Speed with Power and Dynamic Balance in Bowlers: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: In the game of cricket dynamic balance and the strength of lower limb muscles plays a major role while bowling or to control the bowling speed. Bowlers use different style of run ups to optimise their bowling speed. Therefore, for every athlete physical fitness plays essential role. Aim: To find the correlation between bowling speed and lower limb explosive power and dynamic balance in state and district level cricket bowlers. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Cricket Gurukul, Faridabad, Mahadev Desai Cricket Academy, Faridabad, Haryana and Indraprastha Cricket Academy, Punjabi Bagh, Delhi, India from January 2018 to January 2019. Total 98 male bowlers with age between 16-28 years, playing experience of at least 6 months in University/District level and playing frequency at least 5 days/weeks were included in the present study. Modified Star Excursion Balance Test (mSEBT) was used to measure the dynamic balance, broad jump test was used to measure lower limb explosive power and radar gun was used to measured bowling speed. Data was analysed in the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software 2.0 version. Descriptive statistics was calculated. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was calculated. The p-value <0.05 was set as statistically significant. Results: Mean age was 19±3.1 years and Body mass index was 23.1±2.68 kg/m2 . Dynamic balance showed positive correlation with bowling speed (r=0.227, p<0.0001) and lower limb explosive power showed positive correlation (r=0.638, p<0.0001) with bowling speed in cricket bowlers. Conclusion: It was found that, the bowling speed of the cricket bowlers can improve majorly if the explosive power of the lower limb is improved whereas, there is less impact of dynamic balance on the bowling speed.

Which physical attributes discriminate between faster and slower elite cricket pace bowlers of each sex?

Background: Ball release speed is an important quality of successful performance in pace bowlers. There is limited evidence available regarding the association between physical attributes and ball release speed in elite male pace bowlers, and no studies that have investigated the physical attributes associated with ball release speed in female pace bowlers. The purpose of this study therefore, was to elucidate which physical attributes discriminates between faster and slower elite cricket pace bowlers of each sex. Methods: Ball release speed and physical testing data from sixty-three elite male and thirty-one elite female pace bowlers from the 2014/15 season to the 2020/21 season were retrospectively analysed. Pace bowlers were classified as either “slower” (females: < 97.8 km/h; males: < 122.9 km/h) or “faster” (females: > 97.8 km/h; males: > 122.9 km/h) via a median split. From the five physical tests, six absolute variables were collected. Each absolute variable was normalised to body weight resulting in a total of twelve physical attributes. These twelve physical attributes were compared between the slower and faster groups for each sex. The differences between groups were compared using magnitude-based inferences (Cohen’s d). Results: Faster male bowlers produced greater absolute (d = 0.25) and relative (d = 0.62) peak force in the isometric mid-thigh pull (IMTP), as well as greater absolute (d = 0.39) and relative (d = 0.61) countermovement jump (CMJ) height compared to their slower counterparts. Faster female bowlers also produced greater absolute (d = 0.68) and relative (d = 0.77) peak force in the IMTP, greater 1RM bench pull strength (d = 0.45) and superior run of three performance (relative average, d = 1.22; relative best, d = 1.12; average, d = 0.49; and best d = 0.40) and superior 1RM bench pull strength (d = 0.45). Discussion: Greater lower body maximal isometric strength discriminates between faster and slower bowlers, irrespective of sex. Lower body power (assumed via CMJ height) appears to be an important physical attribute for faster male bowlers. Superior anaerobic capacities separated faster female pace bowlers from their slower counterparts. Further research should assess rate of force development qualities of the lower and upper body musculature associated with desirable biomechanics, to provide a more complete understanding of the physical attributes that may distinguish between slower and faster bowlers of each sex. Conflict of interest statement: The authors would like to acknowledge Dr Anna Saw, Dr Kevin Sims and Dr Alex Kountouris from Cricket Australia, for the support, access and use of ball speed and physical testing data. This work was supported by a Deakin University Postgraduate Research Scholarship as a part of a doctorate degree.

Age-related changes in the performance of bowlers in Test match cricket

Data from elite professional sports players provide a valuable source of information on human performance and ageing. Functional declines in performance have been investigated across a wide range of sporting disciplines that vary in their need for physical strength, endurance, cognitive ability and motor skills, but researchers do not always consider other sources of heterogeneity that can exist between individuals. Using information on all male bowlers to have played Test match cricket since the early 1970s, this study separated age-dependent variation in bowling performance at the population-level into within-individual and between-individual (age-class) changes. There was little evidence for senescence in bowling performance as measured via economy rate or wicket-taking ability, irrespective of the style of the bowler (fast or slow). Instead, analyses detected strong between-individual contributions to bowling performance as higher quality bowlers were able to compete at the elite level for longer, and were therefore over-represented in older age classes: how they accomplish this alongside the physical demands of Test cricket remains unresolved. Bowlers also experienced a deterioration in the last year of their Test careers. Lastly, multivariate models identified a negative correlation between slow bowlers in their economy rate and their wicket-taking ability, suggesting that in general, the most economical slow bowlers in the modern era of Test match cricket have also taken wickets at the fastest rate. The same is not true for fast bowlers, which is perhaps partly because bowling at high speed compromises accuracy and thus increases scoring opportunities for batters.

The Effects of an Eight over Cricket Bowling Spell upon Pace Bowling Biomechanics and Performance within Different Delivery Lengths.

Pace bowlers must often perform extended bowling spells with maximal ball release speed (BRS) while targeting different delivery lengths when playing a multi-day match. This study investigated the effect of an eight over spell upon pace bowling biomechanics and performance at different delivery lengths. Nine male bowlers (age = 18.8 ± 1.7 years) completed an eight over spell, while targeting different lengths (short: 7–10 m, good: 4–7 m, full: 0–4 m from the batter’s stumps, respectively) in a randomized order. Trunk, knee and shoulder kinematics and ground reaction forces at front foot contact (FFC), as well as run-up velocity and BRS were measured. Paired sample t-tests (p ≤ 0.01), Hedges’ g effect sizes, and statistical parametrical mapping were used to assess differences between mean variables from the first and last three overs. No significant differences (p = 0.05–0.98) were found in any discrete or continuous variables, with the magnitude of difference being trivial-to-medium (g = 0.00–0.73) across all variables. Results suggest pace bowlers sustain BRS through a single eight over spell while tolerating the repeatedly high whole-body biomechanical loads as suggested by maintaining the kinematics or technique at the assessed joints during FFC. Practically, the findings are advantageous for bowling performance and support current bowling load monitoring practices.

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.

Anthropometric characteristics of elite cricket fast bowlers

The aims of this study were to describe the current anthropometric profiles of elite Australian female and male cricket fast bowlers and establish a set of reference values useful for future investigations on player selection, talent identification, and training programme development. The participants were 26 female (mean age 22.5 years, s = 4.5; height 1.71 m, s = 0.05; body mass 66.2 kg, s = 7.5) and 26 male (mean age 23.9 years, s = 3.5; height 1.88 m, s = 0.05; body mass 87.9 kg, s = 8.2) fast bowlers. The anthropometric profiles included the measurement of skinfolds, and segment lengths, breadths, and girths. A series of derived variables assessing the distribution of subcutaneous adipose tissue, the bivariate overlap zone, relative body size and proportionality, and somatotype were also calculated. The male bowlers had larger length, breadth, and girth measurements than their female counterparts. There were differences in proportionality between the sexes, with only the male bowlers exhibiting characteristics that could be considered “large” relative to height. The female bowlers had a higher sum of seven skinfolds (P < 0.001), were more endomorphic (F 1,50 = 30.18, P < 0.001), and less mesomorphic (F 1,50 = 10.85, P < 0.01) than the male bowlers. These reference data should be useful to practitioners and researchers interested in cricket. Further research is needed to clarify why only male fast bowlers had variables that were proportionally large relative to height.

Correlations between physiological parameters and performance in elite ten-pin bowlers

The increasing acceptance of ten-pin bowling as a sport, as well as the keen competition amongst bowlers, necessitates the identification of performance indicators to aid training. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine if age, height, weight, aerobic power index, bowling grip strength, 10-RM leg press performance, and the sit-and-reach distance correlated with bowling performance in 42 elite bowlers (26 males and 16 females). At the same time, the physiological profiles of bowlers classified as heavy ball strokers, heavy ball crankers, and light ball spinners were compared. The results showed that for the male bowlers, none of the parameters correlated with performance, while for the female bowlers, the only parameter that correlated with performance was the aerobic power index. Bowlers using the three different releases had similar anthropometric and physiological profiles. The implications from this study are that bowlers of diverse age and build can be equally competitive in the sport; that aerobic capacity (as reflected by the aerobic power index) may, to a certain extent, contribute to bowling performance; and that strength and flexibility measures do not seem to be useful performance indicators amongst elite bowlers.