Explore the vast range of titles available.

'Crickonomics' answers those questions you have about the sport, and many more that you haven't: you'll be delighted to know all the answers. Will Test cricket die? Why is the Indian Premier League the most important competition in cricket? Why is cricket plagued by match fixing - is the problem getting better or worse? Will India's cricketing wealth make it the dominant cricket nation in the future, and can the world of cricket expand beyond its traditional strongholds? These are the questions many fans ask. This book answers them and many more besides.

The neurocognitive health effects of repetitive head impacts have been examined in many sports. However, characterizations of head impacts for sliding-sport athletes are lacking. To describe head impact kinematics and injury epidemiology in elite athletes during the 2021-2022 Bobsleigh World Cup season. Cross-sectional study. On-track training and competitions during the Bobsleigh World Cup season. Twelve elite bobsleigh athletes (3 pilots [1 female], 9 push athletes [5 females]; age = 30 ± 5 years; female height and weight = 173 ± 8 cm and 75 ± 5 kg, respectively; male height and weight = 183 ± 5 cm and 101 ± 5 kg, respectively). Athletes wore an accelerometer-enabled mouthguard to quantify 6-degrees-of-freedom head impact kinematics. Isometric absolute and relative neck strength, number of head acceleration events (HAEs), workload (J), peak linear velocity (m·s-1), peak angular velocity (rad·s-1), peak linear acceleration (g), and peak angular acceleration (rad·s-2) were derived from mouthguard manufacturer algorithms. Linear mixed-effect models tested the effects of sex (male versus female), setting (training versus competition), and position (pilot versus push athlete) on the kinematic variables. A total of 1900 HAEs were recorded over 48 training and 53 competition days. No differences were found between the number of HAEs per run per athlete by sex (incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 0.82, P = .741), setting (IRR = 0.94, P = .325), or position (IRR = 1.64, P = .463). No sex differences were observed for workload (mean ± SD: males = 3.3 ± 2.2 J, females = 3.1 ± 1.9 J; P = .646), peak linear velocity (males = 1.1 ± 0.3 m·s-1, females = 1.1 ± 0.3 m·s-1; P = .706), peak angular velocity (males = 4.2 ± 2.1 rad·s-1, females = 4.7 ± 2.5 rad·s-1; P = .220), peak linear acceleration (male = 12.4 ± 3.9g, females = 11.9 ± 3.5g; P = .772), or peak angular acceleration (males = 610 ± 353 rad·s-2, females = 680 ± 423 rad·s-2; P = .547). Also, no effects of setting or position on any kinematic variables were seen. Male athletes had greater peak neck strength than female athletes for all neck movements, aside from right-side flexion (P = .085), but no sex differences were noted in relative neck strength. We provide a foundational understanding of the repetitive HAEs that occur in bobsleigh athletes. Future authors should determine the effects of repetitive head impacts on neurocognitive function and mental health.

To quantify the direct and indirect costs associated with injuries in professional men's cricket from 2015/16 to 2021/22 and to report the association between the cost of injuries and team success. Retrospective cohort study. Injury insurance claims were obtained for cricket-related injuries to determine direct costs. Player's salary cost whilst injured was calculated from total salary expenditure, number of players, seasonal days and days lost to injury from prospective injury recording. A linear mixed model was used to assess the association between team success (County Championship points) and cost of injury. The average annual total cost of injuries per team was £167,447 (±£20,678), comprising £38,127 (±£24,000) injury insurance costs, £40,007 (±£23,977) injured players salary costs and £89,243 medical staff costs. Hand injuries incurred the highest number of claims and lumbar spine injuries accounted for the largest cost. Approximately 7 % of players' annual salary was earned whilst injured. The cost of injury was negatively associated with team success in Division 1; those with a two SD higher injury cost (£58,561) accrued 28 fewer points (95 % CI −54, −2) on average. The association in Division 2 teams was unclear (two SD increase (£53,339): +15 points [95 % CI: −10, 41]). These data support the implementation of effective injury prevention measures for lumbar spine, hand and knee injuries to reduce injury rates and subsequent costs. Highlighting the financial and team performance costs of injuries may help to engage key stakeholders in injury prevention initiatives.

Background Sports participants are faced with the decision to continue or cease play when injured. The implications of playing sport while injured on joint health and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) has not been investigated. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between having played sport while injured and HRQoL, osteoarthritis, and persistent joint pain; and compare findings in elite and recreational cricketers. Methods The Cricket Health and Wellbeing Study cohort was used for this study. Inclusion criteria were: age ≥ 18 years, played ≥1 cricket season. Questionnaire data collected included a history of playing sport injured, SF-8 (physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) component scores), physician-diagnosed osteoarthritis, and persistent joint pain (most days of the last month). Multivariable linear regressions and logistic regressions were performed. Continuous covariates were handled using fractional polynomials. Models were adjusted for age, sex, cricket-seasons played, playing status, joint injury, and orthopaedic surgery. All participants ( n  = 2233) were included in HRQoL analyses, only participants aged ≥30 years ( n  = 2071) were included in osteoarthritis/pain analyses. Results Of the 2233 current and former cricketers (mean age: 51.7 SD 14.7, played 30 IQR 24 cricket seasons, 60% were current cricketers, 62% played recreationally; median PCS: 51.4 IQR 9.0; MCS: 54.3 IQR 8.6) 1719 (77%) had played sport while injured. People who had played sport injured reported worse adjusted PCS (Effect(95% CI): − 1.78(− 2.62, − 0.93) and MCS (− 1.40(− 2.25, − 0.54), had greater odds of osteoarthritis (adjusted OR(95% CI): 1.86(1.39, 2.51) and persistent joint pain (2.34(1.85, 2.96)), compared to people who had not played sport injured. Similar relationships were observed regarding PCS, osteoarthritis and pain in elite and recreational subgroups. Playing injured was only related to worse MCS scores for elite cricketers (− 2.07(− 3.52, − 0.63)); no relationship was observed in recreational cricketers (− 0.70(− 1.79, 0.39)). Conclusion Cricketers that had played sport injured had impaired HRQoL, increased odds of osteoarthritis and persistent joint pain, compared to those who had not played sport injured. Playing sport injured was only related to impaired mental-components of HRQoL in elite cricketers. The long-term impact of playing while injured on musculoskeletal health, should be considered when advising athletes on their ability to compete following injury.

Background Health related quality of life (HRQoL) and flourishing are constructs that encompasses a holistic representation of physical, psychological, and social health. The underlying psychological factors that can affect HRQoL and flourishing in sports participants is poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to i) evaluate HRQoL (physical and mental-components) and flourishing in recreational and elite and current and former cricketers; ii) determine the effect of resilience, playing-standard, and playing status on HRQoL and flourishing in cricketers. Methods The Cricket Health and Wellbeing Study ( n  = 2598 current and former cricketers, aged ≥18 years) collected cross-sectional questionnaire data including the Flourishing Scale, Short Form-8 (physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) component scores), resilience (European Social Survey), highest standard-of-play, and playing status. Multivariable linear regressions with fractional polynomials were utilised, adjusted for age, gender, total cricket-seasons, comorbidity, ≥ 4-week time-loss injury, and orthopaedic surgery. Results Two thousand two hundred eighty individuals (aged (mean (SD)) 51.7(14.7) years, 61% played recreationally, 37% former cricketers) were included in analyses. The median (IQR) PCS was 51.4(46.9–55.9), MCS was 54.3(50.0–58.6), and Flourishing Scale score was 48 [ (1–7)] .Greater resilience was associated with better PCS (effect (95% CI) 1.41(0.70–2.11)), MCS (4.78(4.09–5.48)), and flourishing (2.07(2.55–3.59)) compared to less resilience. Playing standard was not associated with HRQoL. Playing at an elite standard was associated with greater flourishing (1.21(0.68, 1.73)), compared with playing recreationally. Current cricket participation was associated with better PCS (3.61(2.92–4.30)) and flourishing scores (0.53(0.02–1.04)), compared to former cricket participation. Conclusion Cricketers reported high levels of mental-components of HRQoL and flourishing, and this was similar in recreational, elite, current and former cricketers. Current cricket participation and a higher standard-of-play was associated with greater flourishing. Current cricket participation was also associated with better PCS, however playing-status was not related to MCS. Further research is needed to understand if cricket participation may have psychological benefits that persist beyond cricket retirement.

In this paper, the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) and Duckworth-Lewis-McHale-Asif (DLMA) methods of revising targets for a team batting in second innings in an interrupted Limited Overs International Cricket (LOI), are examined for fairness. The work discusses four significant points: flexibility, intuition, simplicity, and goodness-of-fit of the two mentioned methods. The research findings have shown that the DLMA method is better in every aspect than the DLS method. Further, the data of 1764 ODI matches played during 2004–2021 to investigate the compatibility of the DLMA for high run-scoring One-Day International matches. The results show that DLMA is compatible to the situation of the well-above run-scoring situation.

Cricket is a popular sport enjoyed worldwide. Injuries in cricket are not well understood at community level but are important to understand for prevention to ensure the game continues to be enjoyed safely. This systematic review was designed to assess the quality of data collection and reporting, and to summarise the injury data, in studies of community cricket players. Systematic review. Nine databases were searched to November 2018 using the terms “cricket*” and “injur*”. A nine-item critical appraisal and three-item likelihood-of-bias evaluation was conducted on included studies. Data completeness was evaluated against recommendations in the international cricket consensus statement for recording/reporting injury and the Australian Sports Injury Data Dictionary (ASIDD). Descriptive injury data (n,%) are presented in tabular format for different subgroups (activity, position, population). Thirteen studies were included, of which eight were rated as unclear, one as high and three having a low likelihood-of-bias. The mean score for completeness of data against the consensus statement was 3.5/10 (95%C.I. 2.8–4.2). The mean score for completeness of data against the ASIDD was 4.4/6 (95%C.I. 3.9–5.0). Bruising and inflammation was the most common injury in junior cricket. Stress fractures were most common in studies of bowlers. Where studies included all activities, batting accounted for most injuries (7–49%). The included studies inconsistently addressed recommended items for injury surveillance in community sport and cricket. Most studies focused on junior levels or adolescent bowlers, with bruising/inflammation and stress fractures being most common, respectively.

ObjectiveTo evaluate and compare physical activity (PA) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in former elite and recreational cricketers with upper extremity (UE), lower extremity (LE) or no joint pain.Study designCross-sectional cohort.SettingDespite the high prevalence of joint pain in former athletes, the impact of UE pain and LE pain on PA and HRQoL and potential differences between former recreational and elite athletes are poorly understood.Participants703 former cricketers aged ≥18 years (mean age 58.7, SD 12.9, played an average of 30 (IQR 20–40) seasons, 72% of whom had played at a recreational level) were recruited through the Cricket Health and Wellbeing Study and met eligibility requirements (UE pain, LE pain or no joint pain (defined as pain on most days of the past month)).Primary and secondary outcomesThe International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form collected weekly metabolic equivalents (METS), while the Short-Form 8 collected physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) component scores. Kruskal-Wallis tests with Dunn’s post-hoc and multivariable linear regressions were performed.ResultsWeekly METS were similar in former cricketers with UE pain (median (IQR) 2560 (722–4398)), LE pain (2215 (527–3903)) and no pain (2449 (695–4203), p=0.39). MCS were similar between groups (UE pain 56.0 (52.1–60.0); LE pain 55.2 (51.1–59.4); no pain 54.7 (50.7–58.7), p=0.38). PCS were more impaired in former cricketers with UE pain (49.8 (44.9–54.8)) or LE pain (46.7 (41.0–51.9)) compared with no pain (54.2 (51.5–56.9), p<0.0001). Former cricketers with LE pain reported worse PCS than those with UE pain (p=0.04). Similar relationships were observed in former elite and recreational cricketers.ConclusionDespite impaired physical components of HRQoL in former cricketers with UE pain or LE pain, pain was not related to PA levels or mental components of HRQoL. Physical components of HRQoL were most impaired in those with LE pain, and findings were similar among former elite and recreational cricketers.

Author Craig Owen Jones writes “the failure of American Cricket to flourish in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is the Rorschach inkblot test for sports historians — each sees in the failure whatever they wish to see.” In this research article, explores the history of cricket in Oregon, and especially the Portland Cricket Club, “with an emphasis on cricket clubs' sociological and demographic makeup.” The earliest reference of cricket in Oregon are in newspaper reports on cricket games being played in Portland in 1873. By the late 1870s, cricket had expanded beyond Portland to areas as far apart as Albany, Astoria, and Corvallis. Jones ultimately concludes that cricket's failure to establish in Oregon was due to major cricket clubs taking on an exclusionary membership of mainly upper-class players, and failed to establish a broader appeal. Although cricket never took off in Oregon, Jones emphasizes that “it nonetheless played a persistent, if small, role in sporting life for almost three quarters of a century.”

Investigate the visibility of new and old red, white and pink cricket balls under lighting and background conditions experienced during a day–night cricket match. We modelled the luminance contrast signals available for a typical observer for a ball against backgrounds in a professional cricket ground, at different times of day. Spectral reflectance (light reflected as a function of wavelength) was derived from laboratory measurements of new and old red, white and pink balls. We also gathered spectral measurements from backgrounds (pitch, grass, sightscreens, crowd, sky) and spectral illuminance during a day–night match (natural afternoon light, through dusk to night under floodlights) from Lord's Cricket Ground (London, UK). The luminance contrast of the ball relative to the background was calculated for each combination of ball, time of day, and background surface. Old red and old pink balls may offer little or no contrast against the grass, pitch and crowd. New pink balls can also be of low contrast against the crowd at dusk, as can pink and white balls (of any age) against the sky at dusk. Reports of difficulties with visibility of the pink ball are supported by our data. However, our modelling also shows that difficulties with visibility may also be expected under certain circumstances for red and white balls. The variable conditions in a cricket ground and the changing colour of an ageing ball make maintaining good visibility of the ball a challenge when playing day–night matches.