Abstract
This prospective cohort study aimed to describe injury and illness
epidemiology within women’s international pathway cricket,
understanding what influences player availability in this unique context
where players are contracted part-time. Approximately 8.4% of
players were impacted by injury or illness during the year, with an average
2.3% of players completely unavailable on any given day. Most
medical complaints occurred during training (111.2 injuries/100
players per year). Of all complaints, medical illness had the highest
overall incidence (45.0 complaints/100 players), followed by hand
injuries (24.7 injuries/100 players). Gradual onset injuries were
most common. Overall average match time-loss complaint prevalence rate was
4.1% and average match time-loss injury incidence rate was 7.0
injuries/1000 days of play. Fielding (56.4 injuries/100
players per year) was the activity resulting in the highest average overall
and time-loss injury incidence rates, though ‘other’
activities (e. g. those occurring outside of cricket participation)
collectively accounted for 78.3 injuries/100 players per year. The
high incidence of medical illness relative to other complaints may be a
distinct feature of the women’s cricket international pathway
compared to other cricket samples. The high occurrence of injuries arising
from ‘other’ activities, likely due to part-time
participation, presents an opportunity for targeted injury prevention
strategies.
Practical Implications
• The first study on an international women’s cricket pathway,
contributes to the empirical base for specific injury risks
associated with the women’s cricket game, which is an
emerging research area for a developing sport.
• Some of the findings may be a distinct feature of the women’s
cricket international pathway, highlighting potential opportunities
for targeted prevention strategies.
• With the upcoming development of an elite domestic structure these
preliminary findings will provide a good starting point for
physiotherapy and medical staff working in these contexts.
Key words
epidemiology - incidence - prevalence - prospective cohort
