title: Cognitive, physical and physiological responses of school boy cricketers to a 30-over batting simulation.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to assess how cognitive and physical performance are affected during a prolonged, fatigue-inducing cricket-batting simulation. Fifteen amateur batters from three Eastern Cape schools in South Africa were recruited (mean ± SD: age 17 ± 0.92 years; stature 1.75 ± 0.07 m; body mass 78.3 ± 13.2 kg). Participants completed a 6-stage, 30-over batting simulation (BATEX©). During the protocol, there were five periods of cognitive assessment (CogState brief test battery, Melbourne, Australia). The primary outcome measures from each cognitive task were speed and accuracy/error rates. Physiological (heart rate) and physical (sprint times) responses were also recorded. Sprint times deteriorated (d = 0.84; P < 0.01) while physiological responses increased (d = 0.91; P < 0.01) as batting duration increased, with longest times and highest responses occurring in the final stage. Prolonged batting had a large effect on executive task performance (d = 0.85; P = 0.03), and moderate effects on visual attention and vigilance (d = 0.56; P = 0.21) and attention and working memory (d = 0.61; P = 0.11), reducing task performance after 30 overs. Therefore, prolonged batting with repeated shuttle running fatigues amateur batters and adversely affects higher-order cognitive function. This will affect decision-making, response selection, response execution and other batting-related executive processes. We recommend that training should incorporate greater proportions of centre-wicket batting with repeated, high-intensity shuttle running. This will improve batting-related skills and information processing when fatigued, making practice more representative of competition.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Human Kinetics and Ergonomics , Rhodes University , Grahamstown , South Africa.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Goble
authors.affiliation: a Department of Human Kinetics and Ergonomics , Rhodes University , Grahamstown , South Africa.
authors.forename: Candice Jo-Anne
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Christie
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D054874:Athletic Performance / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003657:Decision Making / Q000502:physiology; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D018763:Muscle Fatigue / Q000502:physiology*; D012420:Running / Q000502:physiology; D013177:Sports / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis
keywords: Batting; CogState; cognition; fatigue; performance