title: The incidence and nature of injuries in first-league and provincial cricketers.
abstract: This study investigated the incidence and nature of injuries sustained by club and provincial cricketers during a season. Questionnaire responses were obtained from 183 (59%) of 308 cricketers canvassed. The overall seasonal incidence of risk of injury in all players was 49.1% and this was higher for provincial cricketers (71.6%). The single most common site of injury was the fingers (20.5%). The seasonal incidence of injuries in bowlers (42%) and fielders (40.9%) was higher than in batsmen (17.1%). Young players (< 26.2 years) sustained more injuries than older players. The majority of injuries occurred during matches (69.3%), particularly near the beginning and the end of the season. Furthermore, 23.9% of the injuries were recurrent injuries from the previous season and 22.7% of injuries sustained recurred during the season. Cricket injuries have not yet reached serious proportions, but all involved need to be aware of their incidence and nature.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Movement Studies, University of Fort Hare, Alice, Ciskei.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Stretch
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires