Cricket exercises: fast bowling limits, back care, a warm-up and strength training

Fast bowlers are hurt most

Over 10 seasons of elite Australian men's cricket, 12.5% of players were out injured on an average match day: 20.6% of fast bowlers, 7.4% of batters, 6.7% of spinners and 4.7% of wicketkeepers.

Source 1

Young bowlers' backs come first

The lower back was the most injured site in English county academies, and a fifth of symptom-free academy fast bowlers aged 14 to 17 already had bone stress on a scan. In English professionals, a stress fracture in the lower back cost 239 days on average.

Sources 2, 3, 4

The ECB limits overs for under-19s

In England and Wales, a bowler aged 19 or under may bowl at most 4 overs in a spell and 8 in a day at 11 and under, rising to 7 and 18 at 18 and 19. The ECB's guidelines add weekly targets, rest days and breaks.

Sources 5, 6

Too much and too little bowling

In cohort studies, bowling sessions less than 2 days apart, and 5 or more days apart, both went with more injuries in elite bowlers, and very big weeks went with stress fractures. These are associations, not trial results.

Sources 7, 8, 4

Helmets work

After helmets became compulsory for junior batters in one Australian association, head, neck and face injuries fell from 62% to 4% of batting injuries. Under-18s in England and Wales must wear one to bat against a hard ball.

Sources 9, 5

If in doubt, sit them out

A suspected concussion means coming off at once, and the ECB's recreational guidelines allow no return to matches for at least 21 days.

Sources 10, 11

Long days, short bursts

In Cricket Australia academy players tracked by satellite positioning (GPS), fast bowlers covered 22.6 km a day in multi-day matches, 1.4 km of it sprinting, with shorter recoveries than any other position. Wicketkeepers covered 16.6 km a day but rarely sprinted, and one-day and T20 cricket meant 50% to 100% more sprinting per hour than multi-day cricket. Batting has been studied less; running between the wickets is its main physical load. The Compendium of Physical Activities gives cricket (batting, bowling and fielding) 4.8 metabolic equivalents (METs).

Sources 12, 13, 14

Fast bowling

A run-up and a bound, then a braking landing on the front foot while the trunk arches, bends sideways away from the bowling arm and twists. In 20 elite bowlers, the front foot met the ground with 6.7 times bodyweight vertically and 4.5 times bodyweight as a braking force; how the front leg was planted mattered, and a heel-first landing went with lower peaks. Faster bowlers didn't need bigger peak forces. In 50 professional bowlers, the lower trunk bent sideways beyond its standing range at front-foot contact.

The ECB puts the load on the lower back at about three times bodyweight every delivery, and says elite fast bowlers' lower-back bone density is up to 44% higher than the typical person's, built over about 15 years of gradual bowling.

Sources 15, 16, 17, 6

Spin, batting, keeping and fielding

The other roles load the body differently:

• Spin bowling: young spinners had fewer injuries per ball than fast bowlers (0.066 against 0.165 per 1,000 balls, a difference that could be chance), mostly to the shoulder.
• Batting: running between the wickets caused the most hamstring injuries in county one-day and T20 cricket, and 75% of elite head impacts happened while batting, two-thirds of them against fast bowling.
• Throwing: in 17 cricketers, throwing speed went with rotational medicine-ball throws, side-to-side jumps and shoulder strength, not with squat or bench press strength.
• Fielding and catching: fielding caused 60% of English professionals' hand fractures and dislocations, and 81% of elite Australians' hand fractures.

Sources 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23

What to train (our reading)

A strong, enduring lower back and trunk; hip, hamstring and calf strength for sprinting and bowling; a front leg that copes with braking; shoulder strength for throwing; the fitness to repeat sprints with short rests; and helmets and gloves to protect the head and hands.

How often players get hurtEmerging evidence

The numbers, by group:

• Elite Australian men over 10 seasons: 64 new injuries per 100 players a season, with 12.5% of players unavailable on an average match day.
• Elite Australian women and men over 7 seasons: 101 and 136 match injuries per 1,000 days of matches.
• Boys in English county academies, aged 13 to 18: 115 injuries per 100 players a year, with 8.5% unavailable on any day.
• The women's pathway in England and Wales: 107 injuries that cost playing time per 100 players a year at international level, 48 at domestic level and 51 in academies.
• Australian junior club cricket: 3.57 match injuries per 1,000 player appearances at under-14 and 4.80 at under-16, with fielders and batters hurt as often as bowlers.
• Across studies since 2000: 53.2 injuries per 10,000 hours of cricket.

Sources 1, 24, 2, 25, 26, 27

Stress fractures in the lower backEmerging evidence

The injury that costs elite cricket the most playing time: 3.2 new cases per 100 elite Australian men a season, and 15% of all the time missed. English professional fast bowlers had 2.46 a year per 100 bowlers, 4.90 at ages 18 to 22, and each cost 239 days on average. Over one season, 16.3% of youth bowlers aged 10 to 20, girls and boys, had one. A review found pars defects, the crack these fractures leave, in 32% of cricketers in published studies, second only to divers. Our spondylolisthesis guide covers treatment, and the section on bowlers' backs below covers young bowlers.

Sources 1, 4, 28, 29

Side strainsEmerging evidence

A tear of the trunk muscles where they attach to the lowest ribs, usually on the side opposite the bowling arm. Side and abdominal strains ran at 6.1 per 100 elite Australian men a season. Over half of 207 first-class fast bowlers had had at least one, 77% of first strains came at 24 or younger, and 30% came back, mostly within 2 years; no physical measure predicted them. Our abdominal strain guide covers side strains and recovery.

Sources 30, 1

Hamstrings, groins and calvesEmerging evidence

Hamstring strains were elite cricket's commonest injury, at 8.7 per 100 Australian men a season, with groin strains at 4.5 and calf strains at 2.9. In English county cricket, hamstring strains peaked in April and when running between the wickets in one-day and T20 games, and in elite Australian women the hamstring was the commonest injury too. Our hamstring strain and groin strain guides cover rehab.

Sources 1, 19, 24

Hands, fingers and the throwing shoulderEmerging evidence

Most hand fractures came from fielding, mostly to the exposed fingertips, the thumb and the little-finger side. In one season, 23% of English professionals reported a shoulder injury and 18% pain on throwing, and most played on. Throwing-related shoulder injury was the commonest injury in elite women's T20, and hand injuries the commonest match injury on the women's pathway. Our broken finger, mallet finger and shoulder pain guides cover treatment.

Sources 22, 23, 31, 32, 25

Head, face and concussionEmerging evidence

Head, neck and face injuries made up 13% of cricket injuries across 29 studies, mostly from the ball. Elite Australian men had 2.3 concussions per 1,000 player days of matches and women 2.0; in men's first-class matches, that was one head impact every 2,000 balls and one concussion every 9,000. In 10 years of hospital data from Victoria, children aged 10 to 14 were treated most often for cricket head and face injuries. Our concussion guide covers the return to sport.

Sources 33, 20, 34

Knees, shins and feetEmerging evidence

Knee cartilage injuries ran at 2.0 per 100 elite Australian men a season, and stress fractures of the shin, foot and ankle at 2.0 per 100 elite women, their fourth commonest injury. In a survey of 2,294 cricketers, bowlers had about twice the odds of a knee injury that batters had, an association. Our knee pain and stress fracture guides cover these.

Sources 1, 24, 35

Limits on overs, and rest, for young fast bowlersStrong evidence

The ECB's limits on overs per spell and per day are mandatory in recreational hard-ball cricket in England and Wales, and its guidelines add weekly targets, rest days and breaks: both are set out below. They rest on cohort studies, not trials: fewer or more days between bowling sessions, very big weeks, more bowling days in training and shorter breaks all went with injury. No trial has tested a bowling limit on injury rates.

Sources 5, 6, 7, 8, 4, 36

Technique: it can change, but fewer stress fractures aren't shownMixed evidence

Shoulder counter-rotation, where the shoulders twist further than the hips during delivery, goes with lower-back problems across studies, though the evidence in teenagers conflicts. Coaching can change it: in 41 young Western Australian bowlers, 3 years of small-group coaching went with less counter-rotation and fewer new or worsening disc changes on scans, without an uncoached comparison group, and two years of coaching made 14 elite young bowlers' actions more side-on.

But the authors of the Australian surveillance note there are still no published data showing that coaching technique prevents stress fractures. Work on your action with a qualified coach (our suggestion), and treat workload, rest and fitness as the better-supported levers.

Sources 37, 38, 39, 40, 1

One cricket exercise trial, without injury resultsEmerging evidence

In 65 community pace bowlers aged 14 to 17 in Western Australia, randomised by club, an 8-week exercise programme at training improved shoulder, hamstring and inner-thigh (adductor) strength, balance and back endurance, and kept shoulder counter-rotation from rising as it did in the comparison group. Ball speed didn't change, and injuries weren't measured.

Across sports, warm-up programmes went with about a third fewer injuries in adolescent boys, though the studies varied a lot.

Sources 41, 42, 43

The Nordic hamstring exercise, tested in other sportsEmerging evidence

Programmes that include the Nordic hamstring exercise were linked with about half as many hamstring injuries across sports (15 studies, 8,459 athletes), and two large football trials found big falls, but when only properly randomised trials are pooled the effect is uncertain. No cricket trial has tested it, and only 3 of 15 UK professional clubs had used the full programme. Start it in the winter, not in April when county hamstring injuries peak, and keep Nordics out of the 48 hours before a match (our suggestion, as on our football page). The strength workout for fast bowlers includes it.

Sources 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 19, 49

No tested cricket warm-up yetMixed evidence

A trial of a 15-minute warm-up or cool-down programme in 36 amateur teams was planned, but we couldn't find its results, and the exercise trial above didn't measure injuries. Our warm-up below is built on our warm-up guide, not on a cricket trial.

Sources 50, 41

Stretching before playStrong evidence

Across 25 trials, stretching programmes didn't prevent sports injuries, while strength training cut them to about a third. Side strains weren't predicted by how far the trunk bent sideways. Our warm-up guide explains what to do instead.

Sources 51, 30

Workload ratios as a safe thresholdMixed evidence

A week much bigger than the previous month's average went with more injuries in several cohorts of fast bowlers, but the studies measured load in different ways and their results varied widely, so no single ratio works as a safe threshold. The ECB uses weekly targets and rest days instead.

Sources 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 6

Bowling fasterEmerging evidence

In junior fast bowlers, speed went with jump and upper-body throwing performance, body mass and height; in seniors, with jump height and arm length. In 28 high-performance bowlers, a straighter front knee at release and stronger shoulder extension went with faster balls, and faster bowlers produced a bigger braking push through the front foot rather than higher peak forces.

In trials, contrast training, which pairs heavy lifts with jumps, improved ball speed more than standard strength and jump training in a small trial of 20 medium-fast bowlers, and 12 weeks of jump and strength training improved jumps and knee strength in 42 professional bowlers. A computer model of elite bowlers suggests 5% stronger legs add about 0.6 metres a second.

Sources 57, 58, 16, 59, 60, 61

ThrowingEmerging evidence

In 17 cricketers, throwing speed went with rotational medicine-ball throws, chest-pass distance, side-to-side jumps and shoulder strength, not with squat or bench strength. Across 13 small trials in baseball, softball and tennis players, resistance training raised throwing or serving speed, most with periodised programmes. So add medicine-ball throws and shoulder work to leg strength (our suggestion).

Sources 21, 62

Trunk, hamstrings and sprintingEmerging evidence

Poor trunk endurance went with injury in teenage pace bowlers, and an exercise programme raised their back endurance by about 20 seconds. Hamstring strains cluster early in the season and when running between the wickets, and Nordic programmes were linked with far fewer of them in other sports. One-day and T20 cricket needs repeated sprints with short rests, so add short sprints and intervals (our suggestion; our HIIT guide explains how).

Sources 38, 41, 44, 19, 12

Fitting it around cricket (our suggestion)

In winter and pre-season, 2 strength and power sessions a week for 8 to 12 weeks, with sprints and the Nordic build-up, and bowling built back up gradually with the ECB's Ready to Bowl template before the first match. In season, 1 or 2 shorter sessions a week, with no heavy leg work, Nordics or hard jumping in the 48 hours before a match.

Every ball bowled at or near match intensity counts towards a young bowler's limits, in nets too, and the ECB's guidelines count soft-ball overs in the weekly targets. Supervised strength training is safe for young players, as our children's guide explains, and the NHS (the UK's National Health Service) asks children and teenagers for an average of at least 60 minutes of activity a day across a variety of activities: other winter sports count.

Sources 6, 5, 63

Why teenagers are most at riskEmerging evidence

The ECB explains that bowling bends, arches and twists the lower back under about three times bodyweight, and that bone needs about 15 years of gradual bowling to grow strong enough; bowlers in or just after a growth spurt are at greatest risk. In 40 symptom-free English academy fast bowlers aged 14 to 17, 20.5% had a bone stress injury on a screening scan, and those injured during the season were older at the start (16.8 against 15.6 years). In youth bowlers aged 10 to 20, a previous lower-back stress injury was the only factor that independently predicted another. In English professionals, 56% of these fractures happened at ages 18 to 22.

Sources 6, 3, 28, 4

Spotting it earlyEmerging evidence

In 65 junior elite bowlers scanned up to 6 times in a season, swelling inside the bone (bone marrow oedema) showed on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before every one of the 15 bone stress injuries. The ECB's 15-year screening programme in bowlers aged 16 to 24 found injuries earlier, and those bowlers returned sooner. Club and school bowlers won't be screened, so the safeguards are the limits and getting back pain checked early (our reading).

Sources 36, 64, 65

How long it takesEmerging evidence

Much longer than other back pain. English professional fast bowlers lost 239 days on average to each stress fracture in the lower back, and the ECB says a bowler may be unable to play for up to 8 months, or longer. Elite teams wait for a scan to show the bone has healed, which takes 3 to 6 months. The quicker returns in our spondylolisthesis guide come from young athletes in a mix of sports, not fast bowlers.

Sources 4, 6, 65

What to do about back pain

A teenage fast bowler with back pain that lasts more than a couple of weeks, is worse arching back or stops them bowling should stop fast bowling and see a GP or sports physiotherapist, as our spondylolisthesis guide advises. Afterwards, and after any break of 2 weeks or more, the ECB's Ready to Bowl template rebuilds bowling in stages: lower weekly overs, bowled across 2 to 3 days, starting lower the longer the break. Use the template in the ECB's guidelines, linked in the sources, with your clinician or coach.

Source 6

Who the limits coverStrong evidence

Every bowler aged 19 or under in recreational hard-ball cricket in England and Wales, in matches and training; academy and England pathway players follow their own protocols. Anyone who bowls even one ball at high intensity, including seam, swing and medium pace, counts as a fast bowler. A ball counts when it's bowled at or near match intensity; walk-throughs and half-pace run-ups don't. The limits follow the bowler's age, not the age group they're playing in. The regulations don't cover soft-ball cricket, but the guidelines count soft-ball overs, because the forces are similar.

Sources 5, 6

Maximum overs per spell and per day (mandatory)Strong evidence

The regulations set:

• 11 and under: 4 overs a spell, 8 a day.
• 12 and 13: 5 a spell, 10 a day.
• 14 and 15: 5 a spell, 12 a day.
• 16 and 17: 6 a spell, 15 a day.
• 18 and 19: 7 a spell, 18 a day.
• After a spell, a bowler can't bowl again from either end until as many overs as the spell have been bowled from the same end. A break of under 40 minutes continues the spell; one of 40 minutes or more allows a new one. In matches of 20 overs or fewer where each bowler is capped at or below the spell limit, the rest rule doesn't apply.

Source 5

Weekly targets and rest days (recommended)Strong evidence

The guidelines recommend:

• Overs a week: 12 to 16 at 11 and under, 16 to 20 at 12 and 13, 20 to 24 at 14 and 15, 22 to 26 at 16 and 17, and 24 to 28 at 18 and 19. The ECB expects these to protect; more or fewer may raise the risk.
• No more than 4 bowling days in any 7, with only one pair of consecutive days.
• Rest after a day's bowling: none after fewer than 2 overs (fewer than 3 from 16); 1 day after up to 7 overs at 11 and under, 8 at 12 and 13, 10 at 14 and 15, 12 at 16 and 17, and 14 at 18 and 19; and 2 days after more.
• After a week above the maximum, fewer overs the next week; after a much bigger week, 7 days in a row without bowling, starting within 14 days.
• A 7 to 10-day bowling break in mid-season, a lighter week at half the target every 4 to 5 weeks, and a 4-week break after the season.

Source 6

Building back up after a breakStrong evidence

The ECB says bone strength falls after only two weeks without bowling. After any break of 2 weeks or more, for injury, rest or the off-season, its Ready to Bowl template starts a bowler on lower weekly overs, bowled across 2 to 3 days, and builds up week by week, starting lower the longer the break. The template's figures are in the ECB's guidelines, linked in the sources.

Source 6

Growth spurtsStrong evidence

A bowler growing more than 7 cm a year is advised to follow the guidelines for the age group below, because bone strength lags behind growth.

Source 6

Why these numbers: the evidenceEmerging evidence

Cohort studies, not trials. In 90 elite bowlers, less than 2 days between bowling sessions went with 2.4 times the injury risk of 3 to 4 days, and 5 or more days with 1.8 times. In 44 junior bowlers, fewer than 3.5 rest days between bowling days went with about 3 times the risk. Bone stress followed high loads over 3 months in bowlers with little bowling behind them, and a week of more than 234 balls (39 overs) went with 11 times the odds of a lower-back stress fracture in English professionals. In junior elite bowlers, more bowling days in training and shorter breaks went with bone stress, while ball counts didn't.

No trial has tested a bowling limit on injury rates, and we found no data on how well clubs keep to the ECB's rules.

Sources 7, 8, 66, 4, 36, 28

What under-18s must wearStrong evidence

Under the ECB's regulations:

• A helmet with a faceguard or grille when batting against a hard ball, in matches and practice, bowling machines included.
• Wicketkeepers standing up to the stumps: a helmet with a faceguard or grille, or a face protector.
• At 16 and 17, a helmet when fielding within 8 yards (7.3 m) of the striking batter.
• Male players also wear a box whenever a helmet is required, and written parental consent to go without isn't accepted.
• Helmets must meet British Standard BS7928:2013. Neck protectors are strongly advised, to BS 7928:2013+A1:2019.

Sources 5, 6

Fielding distancesStrong evidence

Players aged 13 and under may field no closer than 11 yards (10 m) to the striking batter, and 14 and 15-year-olds no closer than 8 yards (7.3 m), with or without protective equipment; fielders behind the wicket on the off side are exempt. From 16 there's no minimum, but under-18s within 8 yards must wear a helmet. The distances apply in soft-ball cricket too.

Source 5

Helmets help, but don't stop every injuryEmerging evidence

After helmets became compulsory for junior batters in one Australian association, head, neck and face injuries fell from 62% of batting injuries to 35% and then 4%, in an observational study. In elite video analysis, 29% of batters' head injuries came through the gap between the helmet's peak and grille, and concussions still happen in helmets, which can also hide the signs. Players using the smaller women's ball should choose a helmet tested against both junior and adult balls, the ECB advises, because the smaller ball could get through the gap above the faceguard of a helmet tested only with an adult ball.

Sources 9, 67, 20, 10, 6

Adults, first aid and defibrillatorsStrong evidence

The ECB recommends that adults also wear a helmet, and male players a box, when batting, keeping up to the stumps or fielding within 8 yards, with a neck protector whenever a helmet is worn. It recommends that every club appoints a first aider and has one present at every session, that first aiders know where the nearest accident and emergency (A&E) unit and defibrillator are, and that coaches, umpires and captains complete its concussion e-learning and a basic life support course.

Source 6

Concussion: the ECB's recreational guidelinesStrong evidence

If in doubt, sit them out. Anyone with a suspected concussion comes off at once, does no cricket for at least 24 hours, and should be assessed within 24 hours by a healthcare professional or through NHS 111. The return runs through six stages: 24 to 48 hours of relative rest; everyday activities; light aerobic exercise and bodyweight training; light bowling, low-intensity fielding, harder running and a supervised return to the gym; then, no earlier than day 15 and only after 14 days free of symptoms at rest, batting and fielding practice and full training; and matches no earlier than day 21.

Seek medical advice if symptoms aren't improving by 14 days, and again if they last beyond 28 days. The ECB's guidelines are adapted from the UK's grassroots concussion guidelines, and our concussion guide covers the stages in detail.

Sources 10, 68, 11

Everyone: seven questions

The PAR-Q+ (Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire for Everyone) asks about a heart condition or high blood pressure, chest pain, dizziness or losing consciousness, other long-term conditions and their medicines, a bone or joint problem that activity could make worse, and being told to exercise only under supervision. If you answer yes to any, check with your GP or a qualified exercise professional first. If you're over 45 and not used to hard exercise, ask a qualified exercise professional before the hardest sessions, and delay if you're ill.

Source 70

A teenage fast bowler with back pain

Back pain that lasts more than a couple of weeks, is worse arching back or stops them bowling: stop fast bowling and see a GP or sports physiotherapist before bowling again. A fifth of symptom-free academy bowlers had bone stress on a scan, and these injuries cost months. For teenagers, MRI is the usual first scan, as our spondylolisthesis guide explains.

Sources 3, 4

A bowler in a growth spurt

Growing more than 7 cm a year: follow the ECB's guidelines for the age group below.

Source 6

After a stress injury in the back

A previous injury was the strongest risk factor for another in youth bowlers, and a third to a half of screened young bowlers were injured again within 5 years. Come back through the ECB's Ready to Bowl build-up, with your clinician.

Sources 28, 64, 6

After a side strain or hamstring strain

30% of side strains came back, mostly within 2 years. Follow our abdominal strain or hamstring strain guide, and do the Nordic programme before the season.

Sources 30, 44

Fainting, chest pain or dizziness

The NHS advises seeing a GP if you've fainted, and the PAR-Q+ asks you to check first if you get chest pain or dizziness: do that before you play.

Sources 71, 70

Pregnant

The NHS advises against sports with a risk of falling or bumping your tummy, and a hard ball adds the risk of a blow. Talk to your midwife or GP; soft-ball cricket and non-contact drills may suit (our suggestion).

Source 72

Long days in the sun

The NHS advises shade between 11am and 3pm from March to October, and sunscreen of at least SPF 30 with at least 4-star UVA protection. Drink plenty on hot days, and know the signs of heat exhaustion below.

Sources 73, 74

A head injury: call 999

The NHS says to call 999 if someone has hit their head and:

• Has been knocked out and hasn't woken up, or can't stay awake or keep their eyes open.
• Has a fit (seizure).
• Has problems with their vision or hearing, or clear fluid coming from their ears or nose.
• Has new numbness or weakness in any part of their body, or problems with walking, balance, understanding, speaking or writing.
• Has a dent in their head, or their behaviour has changed, such as being more irritable or distracted.

Source 75

Suspected concussion

Stop playing: if in doubt, sit them out. Contact NHS 111 within 24 hours, and straight away if they're being sick, feel dizzy or take medicine that thins the blood. Then follow the ECB's six stages, with no matches before day 21. Signs can be harder to spot under a helmet, so watch closely.

Sources 10, 75

Fainting or chest pain: call 999

Call 999 if someone faints while exercising, or faints and can't be woken within a minute, or has chest pain, a pounding, fluttering or irregular heartbeat, or a fit. Call 999 for sudden chest pain that doesn't go away, pain that spreads to your arms, neck, jaw, stomach or back, or chest pain with sweating, feeling sick, light-headedness or breathlessness.

Sources 71, 76

A collapse: call 999 and start CPR

If someone is unresponsive and not breathing normally, call 999, start cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) straight away and send a helper for the nearest defibrillator. The ECB asks clubs to know where theirs is.

Sources 77, 6

Back pain with warning signs

Call 999 or go to A&E for back pain with pain, tingling, weakness or numbness in both legs, loss of feeling around your genitals or bottom, changes in your bladder or bowels, or chest pain. Ask for an urgent GP appointment or contact NHS 111 if you feel hot, cold, shivery or generally unwell, or the pain is severe and started suddenly or is getting worse quickly.

Source 78

A broken or dislocated finger

Go to A&E if a finger points at an odd angle, looks blue or feels numb, or is cut with bone showing. Contact NHS 111 if it's painful, swollen and bruised, or stiff and difficult to move, or if you heard a snap or popping noise or can't move the finger or hold things. A fingertip that won't straighten needs same-day advice, as our mallet finger guide explains.

Sources 79, 80

A ball in the eye

Go to A&E or call 999 if something hit your eye at high speed, your sight has changed, you have severe pain in the eye, you feel or are sick, you can't move your eye or keep it open, or blood or pus is coming from it.

Source 81

Teeth

See a dentist for a chipped, cracked or broken tooth, and take any broken piece in milk or saliva. If you can't get an emergency appointment, call NHS 111.

Source 82

A blow to the groin

Go to A&E or call 999 for sudden, severe pain in a testicle, testicle pain with feeling or being sick or tummy pain, or pain that has lasted more than an hour or continues while resting.

Source 83

Heat

Call 999 if someone is still unwell after 30 minutes of resting somewhere cool, being cooled and drinking fluids, or has a very high temperature, hot skin that isn't sweating, a fast heartbeat or fast breathing, confusion, a fit or loss of consciousness.

Source 74

"Young fast bowlers should bowl as much as possible to toughen up"Emerging evidence

Bone does adapt to bowling, but over about 15 years, the ECB says. Very big weeks, too many bowling days and short breaks go with stress fractures, and so does too little bowling followed by a sudden rise. That's why the ECB sets limits and weekly targets.

Sources 6, 7, 8, 4, 36

"Back pain in a teenage fast bowler is just a sore muscle"Emerging evidence

A fifth of symptom-free academy bowlers already had bone stress on a scan, and a stress fracture can cost the best part of a year. Back pain that lasts or hurts when arching back needs checking.

Sources 3, 4

"Every young bowler with a mixed action must change it"Mixed evidence

Shoulder counter-rotation goes with back problems across studies, but the evidence in teenagers conflicts, and no study has shown that coaching a new action prevents stress fractures. Coaching can change an action; do it with a qualified coach.

Sources 37, 38, 1, 39

"Helmets stop all head injuries"Emerging evidence

Compulsory helmets sharply cut junior batters' head and face injuries, but balls still came through the gap between peak and grille in elite cricket, and concussions still happen. Wear a helmet to the current standard, with a neck protector.

Sources 9, 67, 20

"Stretching before play prevents strains"Strong evidence

Stretching programmes didn't prevent injuries across 25 trials, and side strains weren't predicted by trunk flexibility. Nordic hamstring programmes were linked with far fewer hamstring injuries in other sports.

Sources 51, 30, 44

"Bowling with a heavier ball makes you faster"Mixed evidence

Ball speed falls as the ball gets heavier, and in a 10-player study, training with heavier and lighter balls seemed to help only some bowlers. Leg strength and power training has better support.

Sources 69, 59, 60

"Spinners and batters don't get injured"Emerging evidence

They're hurt less than fast bowlers, but not rarely: 6.7% of elite spinners and 7.4% of batters were unavailable on an average match day, and in junior club cricket, fielders and batters were hurt as often as bowlers.

Sources 1, 26

"Fielding is the safe part"Emerging evidence

Most hand fractures happen while fielding, and throwing causes shoulder injuries in women's T20 and professional cricket.

Sources 22, 23, 32, 31