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Biomechanics of Cricket

Analysis of bowling, batting and fielding movements

Assessment & Evaluation

Assessment protocols for cricketers: strength, power, speed, agility, endurance

Long-Term Periodisation

LTAD in cricketPeriodisation for seasons and formatsManaging training and bowling load

Strength, Power, Speed & Agility

Exercise selection and integrating strength training in cricketExplosive power and plyometrics for cricketSpeed between the wickets and fielding agility

Overtraining, Recovery & Practice

Overtraining signs, load and fatigue monitoring in cricketCricket S&C case studies and practical sessions

Analysis of bowling, batting and fielding movements

The biomechanics of fast bowling, batting and fielding — bowling action types, lumbar injury risk, ground reaction forces, and implications for S&C.

Advanced Evidence: Strong evidence 3 min read Reviewed 2026-10-31 Status: draft

Learning objectives

  • Describe the phases of fast bowling
  • Classify bowling actions and their injury implications
  • Analyse batting and fielding movement demands
  • Translate biomechanics into S&C priorities

Before this lesson

Why this matters

Fast bowling is one of the most injury-prone actions in sport; batting and fielding require explosive, multi-directional movement.

Fast-bowling action types at back-foot contact (top view) Three top-view panels showing the line of the hips and the line of the shoulders at back-foot contact, with the batter towards the top of the page. Side-on: both lines point down the pitch. Front-on: both lines face the batter. Mixed: the hips are front-on while the shoulders are side-on, meaning the shoulders counter-rotate away from the hips. The mixed action is associated with greater lower-trunk motion and a higher risk of lumbar stress injuries. Side-on to batter

Hips and shoulders aligned, pointing down the pitch

 Front-on to batter

Hips and shoulders aligned, facing the batter

 Mixed to batter

Hips front-on, shoulders side-on — large shoulder counter-rotation

 hip line shoulder line Schematic. Mixed actions: more lower-trunk motion, higher lumbar stress risk.
Figure 1. Fast-bowling action types at back-foot contact. — Original diagram, FSHP Academy (schematic, not to scale).

Fast bowling phases

Run-up → pre-delivery stride (bound) → back-foot contact → front-foot contact → ball release → follow-through.

Action types and injury

Side-on, front-on, semi-open and mixed. Mixed actions — with substantial shoulder counter-rotation — are associated with trunk injuries and greater lower-trunk motion [portus2004] [ranson2008].

Batting and fielding

SkillDemands
BattingRotational power, footwork, repeated sprints
FieldingAcceleration, deceleration, diving, throwing
WicketkeepingRepeated squats, lateral movement

Cricket’s intermittent demands vary by role [noakes2000].

S&C priorities (fast bowlers)

Lumbo-pelvic strength and endurance, eccentric leg strength for front-foot braking, shoulder and trunk rotation strength, robust workload tolerance.

Common mistakes and misconceptions

Case study

A 17-year-old fast bowler with a mixed action reports low back pain. After medical assessment, coaches work gradually on action alignment while S&C builds trunk and hip strength.

Further learning: video lessons

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Technical needs verification — opens a YouTube search

Analysis of bowling, batting and fielding movements

cricket S&C coaches and national boards (search)

You will understand: analysis of bowling, batting and fielding movements

Why: Practitioner content; verify the specific video.
Technical needs verification — opens a YouTube search

Strength and conditioning in practice

cricket S&C coaches and national boards (search)

You will understand: applied S&C sessions

Why: Practitioner content; verify the specific video.

Knowledge check

Knowledge check · 0/5

1. A mixed bowling action involves…

Answer B. Portus et al. (2004).

2. Mixed actions are associated with…

Answer B. Ranson et al. (2008).

3. The phase with the highest ground reaction force is typically…

Answer B. Braking.

4. Batting power relies heavily on…

Answer B. Kinetic chain.

5. Technique changes to bowling actions should be made…

Answer B. Team approach.

Short-answer & application questions

  1. Film a bowler and classify the action.
  2. List S&C priorities for a fast bowler.
  3. Analyse fielding movements in a match.

Key takeaways

  • Fast bowling phases: run-up, bound, back-foot contact, front-foot contact, release, follow-through.
  • Mixed actions (large shoulder counter-rotation) are linked to more lower-trunk motion and lumbar injury.
  • Front-foot contact produces large ground reaction forces.
  • Batting and fielding demand rotational power, acceleration, deceleration and diving.

Connected topics

cricket

Assessment protocols for cricketers: strength, power, speed, agility, endurance

cricket

Managing training and bowling load

sports technology

Motion analysis tools: cameras, sensors and apps

References

  1. Portus MR, Mason BR, Elliott BC, Pfitzner MC, Done RP (2004). Technique factors related to ball release speed and trunk injuries in high performance cricket fast bowlers. Sports Biomechanics, 3(2):263–284. Source check pending
  2. Ranson CA, Burnett AF, King M, Patel N, O’Sullivan PB (2008). The relationship between bowling action classification and three-dimensional lower trunk motion in fast bowlers in cricket. Journal of Sports Sciences, 26(3):267–276. Source check pending
  3. Noakes TD, Durandt JJ (2000). Physiological requirements of cricket. Journal of Sports Sciences, 18(12):919–929. Narrative review check pending

Educational content only — not medical advice. Consult a qualified clinician for diagnosis or treatment.