“You come up with different theories every year”: Practitioner perceptions of injury risk factors and player monitoring practices in elite men’s domestic cricket

Abstract

The aim of the current study was to capture and better understand the current perceptions of injury risk factors and player monitoring practices in elite men’s domestic senior cricket, to help guide practice in this setting. A cross-sectional mixed-methods design was used, consisting of a quantitative survey sent to science and medicine practitioners at all English County clubs ( n = 23, with representation from each club) and a set of qualitative interviews ( n = 10 from six County clubs). Previous injury and physical fitness were the intrinsic injury risk factors most frequently endorsed as being important, with reduced recovery time and congested match schedules the most frequently endorsed extrinsic risk factors. Monitoring bowling overs was the most common tool for continually assessing injury risk. Player adherence was perceived to be the main factor impacting effective monitoring, along with human resource and practical application of monitoring knowledge. The interviews revealed that communicating value, fostering effective working relationships, and a strong club culture were important for successfully implementing monitoring and prevention initiatives. Cricket presents distinct challenges for its practitioners, and more education and guidance on appropriate monitoring methods and analysis is needed.

Hamstring injuries in England and Wales elite men's domestic cricket from 2010 to 2019

“…[12][13] Ensuring players are suitably conditioned to meet the demands of the start of the competitive season is a noted challenge for sports practitioners in this setting. Not least as it can be difficult in pre-season training to replicate the intensity and distances covered in competitive matches, due to factors like weather at that time of year, 14 which restricts access to suitable outdoor training environments. However, it is worth noting, the higher injury rates for April were not significantly different statistically to other months (except for September that had significantly lower incidence compared to other months).…”

Athlete monitoring perspectives of sports coaches and support staff: A scoping review

“…48 Getting to know the athletes, fostering effective relationships, picking that nearly impossible time when to stop pushing an athlete, when to say something and when not to were considered part of the art of coaching and crucial for successful athlete monitoring. 50,51,58,63 Coaches and support staff perceived that there is no single perfect or optimal scientific approach to monitor training, prevent injury, or create a champion. 37,38,47 However, it was evident that athlete monitoring should help both the athlete and the coach, and therefore, athlete monitoring practices are best individualised and sport-specific.…”

“…38,57 Overall, coaches and support staff viewed athlete monitoring as important but not everything, and it should be part of the bigger picture. 58,61,63…”

Strength and Conditioning for Cricket Fielding: A Narrative Review

“…The start of a competitive season or transitioning from longer (i.e., one-day) to shorter (i.e., Twenty20) match formats are periods where throwing load per hour can increase (17). Such spikes in athlete loads have been identified as an important risk factor for match injuries in cricketers (49,55,89), which highlights the need for training load monitoring (31,96).…”

“…Given the duration of the international cricket season and the tour demands placed on cricketers, incorporating precise work-to-rest ratios with appropriate sprint frequencies should assist cricketers in sustaining performance at a high level. The challenge for S&C coaches is to effectively plan the conditioning program for fielders throughout the demanding competition season (i.e., congested match schedules, a high number of matches/minutes played, and reduced recovery times between matches) (31).…”