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Abstract

The ability of a pace bowler to deliver the cricket ball at faster speeds is linked with improved match performance as they require less deliveries to take a wicket and concede less runs per wicket taken. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between ball release speed and selected pace bowling kinematics in 19 elite female pace bowlers. Participants bowled 18 match-intensity deliveries indoors from a full run-up. Peak ball release speed and three-dimensional pace bowling kinematic data were extracted from six deliveries that met specific selection criteria. Linear and non-linear relationships were assessed between ball release speed and selected pace bowling kinematics. Ball release speed was associated linearly with pelvis orientation at back foot contact (r²= 0.34, p = 0.048) and non-linearly with thoraco-pelvic lateral flexion at front foot flat (r²= 0.69, p < 0.001). Compared to their slower counterparts, faster elite female pace bowlers were more side-on at back foot contact and more upright in the frontal plane at front foot flat. A side-on pelvis orientation at back foot landing is likely to permit greater whole-body angular momentum in the transverse plane of motion. A more upright trunk orientation at front foot flat may be indicative of delayed onset of trunk flexion and representative of optimal segmental sequencing to maximise ball release speed. This knowledge is likely to be useful in the coaching and development of female pace bowlers for the purposes of enhancing ball release speed and therefore match performance.

Keywords

Biomechanics knee flexion motion analysis pelvic-shoulder separation segmental sequencing

Introduction

Cricket is an international sport that currently spans 108 countries and is played by males and females. In a cricket match, two teams take turns to bat and score as many runs as possible against the team that is bowling and fielding. The objective of the team that is bowling is to take wickets and minimise runs conceded from the team that is batting. To achieve this objective, a cricket team comprises a few specialist bowlers that can be classified broadly as either ‘pace’ or ‘spin’. Pace bowlers are classified based on their ball release speed as either ‘express’ (> 40.2 m·s⁻¹), ‘fast’ (35.8–40.2 m·s⁻¹), ‘fast-medium’ (31.3–35.8 m·s⁻¹), or ‘slow-medium’ (17.9–31.3 m·s⁻¹).¹

The speed at which the ball is released at is a skill linked to match performance.^2,3 Faster deliveries from pace bowlers shorten the batters’ reaction and movement time available to play an appropriate stroke,^4,5 which can increase the probability of an ‘unforced error’ from the batter and the loss of their wicket. In fact, a delivery bowled at 44.26 m·s⁻¹ can reach the batter in just 0.438 s.⁵ From a statistical perspective, faster pace bowlers concede fewer runs per wicket obtained and bowl less deliveries to take a wicket compared to their slower counterparts.³

Given the importance of ball release speed to match performance, pace bowling research has focused on the biomechanical, anthropometrical, and physical qualities that underpin this skill.^6–18 From a biomechanical perspective, faster bowlers typically display faster run-up speeds, straighter front knee kinematics, greater trunk flexion and a delayed circumduction of the bowling arm from front foot contact to ball release.⁶ Faster bowlers produce greater horizontal impulse on front foot landing and are capable of rapidly decelerating their centre of mass from front foot contact to ball release compared with their slower counterparts.^9,19 Many of these kinematic associations have been validated through individual-specific computer simulations on elite male pace bowlers whereby changes in particular kinematics (e.g. straighter front leg, increased trunk flexion, longer delay of bowling arm from front foot contact to ball release) have resulted in improvements in ball release speed of 4.8 ± 1.3 m·s⁻¹ (mean ± SD).²⁰ These studies have practical use in terms of influencing coach education and coaching practices regarding the technical development of pace bowlers, albeit only for male pace bowlers.

Despite the recent increase in female participation and professionalism in cricket, a strong gender bias in cricket research is evident in favour of males.²¹ The technical coaching of female pace bowlers may have been founded on the technical attributes identified in males,²² where coaches may have assumed the biomechanics of pace bowling does or should not differ between males and females. However, this assumption may be flawed, as females adopt different pace bowling biomechanics to males, where they generate less whole-body linear momentum but produce greater whole-body angular momentum about the transverse plane of motion.²³ The adoption of different movement strategies may in part be influenced by physical constraints, as differences in anthropometrics and physical capacities are known between elite male and female pace bowlers.^17,24,25 It is of surprise therefore, that just one study has investigated the relationships between ball release speed and pace bowling kinematics in females.²² While that study observed similar kinematic and ball release speed relationships compared to the research conducted on elite male pace bowlers,⁶ it was limited by less accurate two-dimensional biomechanical analyses, a smaller selection of kinematic parameters, and a relatively lower performance level of participants.²² Therefore, the purpose of this study was to ascertain the relationship between ball release speed and certain pace bowling kinematics in elite female pace bowlers; using a three-dimensional biomechanical approach and a larger pool of kinematic parameters.

Method

Study design and setting

This investigation comprised a retrospective cross-sectional design, which involved the analysis of non-identifiable data provided in-kind by Cricket Australia. Data was collected indoors at the BUPA National Cricket Centre (Brisbane, Australia) where participants were able to bowl from a full-length run-up on an artificial cricket pitch (Figure 1).

Figure 1.

The laboratory environment.

Participants

Nineteen state-level or national-level contracted female pace bowlers (over 18 years) within Australia from 2014 to 2019 cricket seasons were included in this study. An ethics exemption was approved by Deakin University's Human Ethics Advisory Committee (project number HEAG-H 153-2020).

Experimental procedures

A 20-camera (T40-S) Vicon motion analysis system (Oxford Metrics Ltd, Oxford, UK) was used to capture three-dimensional motion (250 Hz) data during 18 trials (Figure 1). These cameras were positioned around the bowling crease covering a 20 m³ volume (width = 2 m, length = 5 m, height = 2 m). The capture space was calibrated using a calibration wand, collecting 5000 frames with a tolerance of 0.2. A 34.7 GHz Stalker Radar Pro II Sensor (Ballinger Technology Pty Ltd, Thomastown, Victoria, Australia) was mounted 2.5 m high and 1.5 m behind middle stump at the batter's end to capture the peak ball release speed of each delivery. A high-speed camera (Vicon Bonita 720c, Vicon Motion Systems Ltd, Oxford, UK), which operated at 125 Hz, was placed in line with the popping crease (perpendicular to the cricket pitch) to provide a sagittal plane view of the bowling action for purposes of identifying two time-discrete points of interest (explained further on).

Each participant wore 63 14 mm spherical retro-reflective markers. The Plug-In gait marker set, which has been used in prior cricket pace bowling research,^12,26 accounted for 57 of these markers, while 6 additional markers were used. Of the 57 markers that formed the Plug-In gait marker set, 4 markers were positioned on the head, 5 markers were situated about the thorax (C7 spinous process, T10 spinous process, right scapula, xiphoid process, and suprasternal notch), 6 markers were located around the pelvis and sacrum (left and right side anterior superior iliac spine, and a cluster of 4 markers about the sacrum), 7 markers were situated on each arm (one at the acromion, upper arm, and elbow, with a marker positioned either side of the wrist, and a marker placed just proximal to the middle knuckle of the hand), and 14 markers were located on each leg (a cluster of 4 markers on the thigh, a marker on the medial and lateral epicondyles of the femur, a cluster of 4 markers on the tibia cluster, a marker on the medial and lateral malleoli, a heel and forefoot marker). Of the six additional markers, two were located on either side of the forefoot and an additional heel marker was used per foot. This customised marker set allowed full body motion to be determined using Vicon BodyBuilder (Version 3.6.1, Oxford Metrics Group, Oxford, UK) software.

One static and one dynamic calibration capture were performed. The static calibration was taken with participants standing in the anatomical position. The dynamic trial was completed with participants performing a series of five squats which were used to define the knee joint flexion-extension axis.²⁷ Following the dynamic calibration, hip, knee and ankle joint centre markers were removed having been stored virtually in the thigh and shank clusters.

After calibration protocols, subjects were given time to warm up using their pre-bowling routine that included several warm-up deliveries. Following the warm-up, 18 match-intensity deliveries (3 overs of 6 deliveries each) were bowled to a pre-determined combination of full length (0–4 m from batter's stumps), good length (4–7 m from batter's stumps) and short length (7–10 m from batter's stumps) deliveries that involved a total of 6 deliveries at each length (Table 1). Participants bowled with a half red and white 142 g ball (Kookaburra Turf, Kookaburra, Sport, Melbourne, Australia). The 18 deliveries were subjectively assessed by a high-performance cricket coach (i.e. a coach with the Level 3 Cricket Australia Coach Accreditation) with respect to bowling accuracy performance. The first six useable trials (two of each delivery length with minimal marker loss) were then post processed to generate time-discrete angular outputs. Motion capture data were smoothed using a fourth-order low-pass Butterworth filter with a cut-off frequency of 10 Hz.²⁸ Pace bowling biomechanics do not appear to be influenced by the length of delivery²⁹; thereby the selection of trials at each delivery length for analysis was deemed acceptable. Note, the dataset only contained the mean data of the six trials, not trial by trial data for each participant.

Table 1.

Delivery sequence in the pace bowling assessment.

Delivery #	Over 1	Over 2	Over 3
1	Good length	Good length	Good length
2	Good length	Bouncer	Yorker
3	Bouncer	Yorker	Bouncer
4	Bouncer	Yorker	Good length
5	Yorker	Bouncer	Bouncer
6	Yorker	Good length	Yorker

Thirteen bowling kinematic parameters alongside ball release speed were analysed (Table 2). Reference frames were defined using three markers on each segment, allowing segment orientations and joint angles to be calculated. The thorax reference frame was defined by the C7 spinous process, T10 spinous process, xiphoid process and suprasternal notch markers. The pelvis reference frame was defined by the bilateral anterior superior iliac spine markers and the cluster of four markers on the sacrum. Thoraco-pelvic segment orientations and joint angles could be calculated based on the thorax and pelvis local reference frames. A global coordinate system was defined with the y-axis pointing down the cricket pitch, with the x-axis pointing to the right of the cricket pitch for a right-handed bowler, and the z-axis pointing vertically upwards. The local coordinate system was defined with the y-axis pointing forwards, the x-axis pointed towards the participant's right, and the z-axis pointed upwards along the longitudinal axis of the segment. For the global orientation, the xyz rotations corresponded to tilt, drop and twist, respectively, with orientations described relative to the anatomical position and the bowling side (anatomical position = 0°, flexion > 0°); a bowler that was in a ‘side-on’ position was in 90° of rotation. For the joint angles, the xyz rotations corresponded to flexion–extension, abduction–adduction, and longitudinal rotation, respectively, with angles described relative to the anatomical position (anatomical position, 0°; flexion > 0°). Data for left-handed bowlers was transformed into the coordinate system of a right-handed bowler.

Table 2.

Pace bowling kinematic parameters and their definitions.

Parameter	Definition
Ball release speed (km/h)	The peak ball release speed of a delivery captured by the radar gun.
Pelvis orientation at BFC (°)	The angle of the long axis of the pelvis in relation to the global coordinate system and measured in the transverse plane at back foot contact. The zero point was defined as the pelvis facing forwards in an anatomical position straight down the pitch.
Shoulder orientation at BFC (°)	The angle of the shoulder segment (segment represented one acromion to the other acromion) was measured in the transverse plane in relation to the global coordinate system at back foot contact.¹⁶ The zero point was defined as the shoulders facing forwards in an anatomical position straight down the pitch.
Pelvis-shoulder separation at BFC (°)	The difference between the pelvis orientation and shoulder orientation angle at back foot contact, measured in the transverse plane. A positive angle represented the shoulder segment being more front-on to the pelvis, while a negative angle represented the shoulder segment being more side-on to the pelvis. The zero point was defined as pelvis and shoulder orientations in complete alignment in the transverse plane.
Thoraco-pelvic extension at BFC (°)	The angular difference between the thorax and the pelvis in the sagittal plane at back foot contact. The zero point was defined as the thorax and pelvis segment orientations in complete alignment in the sagittal plane.
Rear knee flexion at BFC (°)	The sagittal plane angle between the rear thigh and shank segments at back foot contact, using a previously defined model.²⁷ The zero point was defined as the thigh and shank segment in complete alignment along the longitudinal axis.
Shoulder counter-rotation from BFC to FFF (°)	The difference between the shoulder orientation angle at back foot contact and the maximum shoulder orientation angle observed between back foot contact and front foot flat, measured in the transverse plane. A value of zero indicated no ‘clockwise’ shoulder rotation in the transverse plane for a right-handed bowler from back foot contact.
Front knee flexion at FFF (°)	The sagittal plane angle between the front thigh and shank segments at front foot flat using a previously defined model.²⁷ The zero point was defined as the thigh and shank segment in complete alignment along the longitudinal axis.
Thoraco-pelvic lateral flexion at FFF (°)	The angular difference between the thorax and the pelvis in the frontal plane at front foot flat. The zero point was defined as the thorax and pelvis segment orientations in complete alignment in the frontal plane.
Thoraco-pelvic extension at FFF (°)	The angular difference between the thorax and the pelvis in the sagittal plane at front foot flat. The zero point was defined as the thorax and pelvis segment orientations in complete alignment in the sagittal plane.
Front knee flexion at BR (°)	The sagittal plane angle between the front thigh and shank segments at ball release using a previously defined model.²⁷ The zero point was defined as the thigh and shank segment in complete alignment along the longitudinal axis.
Thoraco-pelvic lateral flexion at BR (°)	The angular difference between the thorax and the pelvis in the frontal plane at ball release. The zero point was defined as the thorax and pelvis segment orientations in complete alignment in the frontal plane.
Maximum rear knee flexion from BFC to BR (°)	The maximum amount of rear knee flexion from back foot contact to ball release. The zero point was defined as the thigh and shank segment in complete alignment along the longitudinal axis.
Maximum front knee flexion from FFF to BR (°)	The maximum amount of front knee flexion from front foot flat to ball release. The zero point was defined as the thigh and shank segment in complete alignment along the longitudinal axis.

BFC, back foot contact; BR, ball release; FFF, front foot flat.

Three time-discrete points were of interest in this study: back foot contact, front foot flat and ball release. Back foot contact was defined as when the heel markers reached their lowest point. Front foot flat represented the first visible frame from the high-speed camera whereby the foot was flat. Ball release was defined as the first visible frame from the high-speed camera whereby the ball was not in contact with any part of the bowling hand. As the three-dimensional motion analysis data were sampled at 250 Hz, the three-dimensional analysis involved going backwards by one frame compared to the high-speed camera.

The dataset provided by Cricket Australia included just the mean of the six deliveries for each variable per participant (and not the individual trial data). Some kinematic data was missing completely at random. Missing data were coded as such; imputation was not performed. All dependent variables met the normal distribution, assessed via the Shapiro-Wilk test (i.e. p > 0.05). Linear (first-order polynomial) and non-linear (second-order and third-order polynomials) models on mean-centered kinematic data were statistically evaluated through the curve estimation procedure to determine the relationship between ball release speed and selected pace bowling kinematics. The curve estimation procedure involves an analysis of variance to statistically compare models. Statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics (version 27.0, IBM Corp, Armonk, NY). Statistical significance was accepted at p < 0.05.

Results

Ball release speed was associated linearly with pelvis orientation at back foot contact (Table 3 and Figure 2) and non-linearly with thoraco-pelvic lateral flexion at front foot flat (Table 3 and Figure 3). Multiple linear regression was not performed because pelvis orientation at back foot contact and thoraco-pelvic lateral flexion at front foot flat were collinear, with a variance inflation factor < 3 and tolerance > 0.2.

Figure 2.

The linear relationship between ball release speed and pelvis orientation at back foot contact (n = 12, r²= 0.34, p = 0.048). Note, two separate participants bowled 28.6 m^.s⁻¹ and displayed a pelvis orientation of 60°, resulting in the appearance of one missing data point.

Figure 3.

The non-linear (quadratic) relationship between ball release speed and thoraco-pelvic lateral flexion at front foot flat (n = 16, r²= 0.69, p < 0.001). Note, all figures to be published in greyscale.

Table 3.

Descriptive data and relationships between ball release speed and bowling kinematic parameters in elite female pace bowlers.

				Centered first-order polynomial (linear)		Centered second-order polynomial (quadratic)		Centered third-order polynomial (cubic)
Parameters	n	Mean	SD	r²	p	r²	p	r²	p
Ball release speed (m·s⁻¹)	19	28.0	1.3	-	-	-	-	-	-
Pelvis orientation at BFC (°)	12	56.5	5.5	0.34	0.048*	0.42	0.082	0.48	0.130
Shoulder orientation at BFC (°)	19	39.4	16.7	0.08	0.242	0.08	0.515	0.12	0.572
Pelvis-shoulder separation at BFC (°)	18	12.7	11.2	< 0.001	0.925	0.08	0.529	0.08	0.745
Thoraco-pelvic extension at BFC (°)	16	4.0	5.7	0.01	0.705	0.06	0.682	0.08	0.780
Rear knee flexion at BFC (°)	18	43.2	8.2	0.01	0.744	0.14	0.325	0.14	0.538
Shoulder counter-rotation from BFC to FFF (°)	18	27.5	11.9	0.02	0.543	0.03	0.834	0.20	0.360
Front knee flexion at FFF (°)	19	8.8	6.5	0.01	0.632	0.02	0.878	0.06	0.824
Thoraco-pelvic lateral flexion at FFF (°)	16	−1.3	7.8	0.04	0.488	0.69	< 0.001*	0.71	0.002*
Thoraco-pelvic extension at FFF (°)	19	−5.8	7.7	< 0.001	0.926	0.04	0.716	0.15	0.475
Front knee flexion at BR (°)	18	11.3	19.0	0.03	0.515	0.04	0.723	0.08	0.760
Thoraco-pelvic lateral flexion at BR (°)	19	31.2	10.0	0.08	0.217	0.12	0.356	0.17	0.411
Maximum rear knee flexion from BFC to BR (°)	18	64.4	7.7	0.10	0.210	0.26	0.100	0.34	0.110
Maximum front knee flexion from FFF to BR (°)	16	20.0	9.3	0.01	0.778	0.08	0.573	0.17	0.512

*Significant relationship between BR speed and the bowling kinematic parameter, p < 0.05.

BFC, back foot contact; BR, ball release; FFF, front foot flat.

Discussion

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between ball release speed and selected pace bowling kinematics in elite female pace bowlers. This study found two kinematic parameters to be associated with ball release speed in elite female pace bowlers: the orientation of the pelvis at back foot contact, and the angle of thoraco-pelvic lateral flexion at front foot flat. Both findings are novel and may have practical implications for the coaching of female pace bowlers.

The range of values for pelvis orientation at back foot contact and ball release speed indicates faster female pace bowlers were oriented in a more side-on pelvic orientation upon back foot landing compared to their slower counterparts. This finding provides support to prior research indicating elite female pace bowlers undergo a greater magnitude of pelvic rotation from back foot contact to ball release compared to males²³; one way of achieving this is if the pelvis orientation angle at back foot contact is aligned more side-on. Larger pelvic rotation may involve a greater contribution of the trunk rotator muscles to produce angular momentum and kinetic energy for transfer to the ball to achieve a faster ball release speed.²³

The elite female pace bowlers in this study adopted a range of positive and negative thoraco-pelvic lateral flexion angles at the time instant of front foot flat. This kinematic variable was related non-linearly (inverted-U) to ball release speed, suggesting faster female pace bowlers had a more upright trunk in the frontal plane of motion. While an upright trunk at front foot flat does not necessarily indicate a neutral thoraco-pelvic alignment, elite male pace bowlers demonstrate minimal pelvic obliquity and greater lower thoraco-pelvic motion at front foot contact.³⁰ This suggests thoraco-pelvic position at front foot contact may be more influenced by thoracic motion about the pelvis. Although speculative, the faster female pace bowlers in this investigation may have adopted a trunk position closer to the vertical at front foot flat compared with their slower counterparts. A more upright trunk position at front foot contact may facilitate faster pelvic rotation (and thus result in greater angular momentum) by reducing the moment of inertia in the transverse plane; this may be a mechanism that positively enhances ball release speed through the transfer of larger kinetic energy to the ball via the kinetic link principle.³¹ An upright trunk position at the instant of front foot flat may also reduce the magnitude of thoracic lateral flexion in the front foot contact phase (front foot contact to ball release) and thus reduce risk of lower back injury.³² From a performance perspective, an upright trunk position may facilitate thoracic flexion over the front leg upon sudden deceleration of the bowlers’ centre of mass, following an extended front knee landing.^6,33 An upright trunk position at front foot flat may be important in delaying the onset of thoracic flexion and thus enable optimal summation of forces to maximise ball release speed.³³ These aforementioned mechanics are evident in elite male pace bowlers⁶; however, recent research in high-performing female pace bowlers has shown no significant relationship between ball release speed and thoracic flexion from front foot contact to ball release.²² The ball release speeds of those high-performing females were 23.0 ± 1.8 m·s⁻¹, which were markedly slower than the elite female pace bowlers in this investigation (28.0 ± 1.3 m·s⁻¹). Although this study did not investigate thoracic flexion from front foot contact to ball release, faster female pace bowlers may be performing this technical element to a better extent than their slower counterparts and should be the subject of further investigation.

In contrast to the recent study,²² no significant relationship was identified between ball release speed and front knee angle at the instant of front foot flat. This discrepancy may have been due to not having the height data to use as a covariate in the relationship between both variables, as the recent investigation only observed a significant relationship between ball release speed and front knee angle at front foot contact when height was introduced as a covariate.²² The discrepancy in findings may also be due to methodological differences in time-discrete data at front foot contact compared to front foot flat; the knee angles may considerably differ between these two time points. Nevertheless, a straighter front leg technique has been shown to be characteristic of elite male pace bowlers,^6,33 where it is thought that the whole-body linear momentum produced from the run-up is converted to whole-body angular momentum, as the lower-half of the body rapidly decelerates to allow acceleration of the top-half in a pendulum-like manner.^6,33

There were several limitations to this study. Due to the retrospective design of this study, some important kinematic variables (i.e. run-up speed, bowling arm shoulder angle at ball release) were not included in the dataset. Recent research has shown ball release speed to be associated with run-up speed (r² = 0.56, p = 0.013) and bowling arm shoulder angle at ball release (r²= 0.90, p < 0.001) in 11 high-performing female pace bowlers.²² However, the retrospective design over a 5-year timeframe allowed for a larger sample size of elite female pace bowlers. The instant of back foot contact in this study was defined as when the heel markers reached their lowest point; the true instant of back foot contact may have occurred a few frames earlier than measured in this study as pace bowlers typically land their back foot in a plantarflexed position (midfoot or forefoot) with their heel off the ground. The instants of front foot flat and ball released were identified from high-speed camera footage operating at 125 Hz; this sampling rate is not as precise as the three-dimensional motion analysis system that operated at 250 Hz. The analysis of time-discrete kinematic data (as conducted in this study) is an inferior approach compared to the analysis of continuous wave-form kinematic data, as the latter can better portray ‘how’ pace bowlers attained undesirable positions linked with increased injury risk or desirable positions associated with faster ball release speeds.² Finally, the dataset provided for the secondary data analysis only comprised the mean kinematic data from the six trials per participant (with two useable trials of each delivery length). While there are some kinematic parameters that do not significantly alter with respect to the length of delivery bowled,²⁹ other kinematic parameters could have been sensitive to changes in delivery length, and thus the averaging of the six trials to provide representative data for each bowler would not have been appropriate due to expected lower between-trial repeatability. Finally, this investigation adopted a group-based design whereby kinematic data was averaged across all participants; weaknesses of such designs is the de-emphasising of the individual and the risk of not being able to extrapolate the findings to the broader population of whom they represent.²

Conclusion

This investigation has shown that faster elite female pace bowlers were oriented in a more side-on pelvis orientation at back foot contact and were in a more neutral thoraco-pelvic alignment when viewed in the frontal plane at front foot flat. These findings are likely to have applicability to the technical coaching of female pace bowlers to enhance ball release speed and match performance. Future observational and experimental studies in female pace bowlers are required to (1) deepen the understanding of kinematic and kinetic relationships to ball release speed (especially at an individual level due to individual-specific limiting factors such as anthropometrics) and (2) to assess the validity of these relationships via technical coaching interventions³⁴ and/or computer simulations.^20,33

Footnotes

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Cricket Australia for providing the data in-kind and for Rian Crowther's assistance regarding the protocols for the collection of three-dimensional pace bowling kinematics and ball release speed data.

Authors’ contribution

SAF and DBD were involved in the conceptualisation, methodology, formal analysis, writing – original draft, writing – review & editing, visualisation, supervision and project administration. MHG was involved in the conceptualisation, formal analysis, writing – original draft, writing – review & editing and project administration. JJF was involved in the conceptualisation, methodology, formal analysis, writing – original draft, writing – review & editing, supervision and project administration.

Declaration of conflicting interests

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding

The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

ORCID iDs

Simon A. Feros

Jackson J. Fyfe

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The kinematic relationships of ball release speed in elite female cricket pace bowlers

Abstract

Keywords

Introduction

Method

Study design and setting

Participants

Experimental procedures

Results

Discussion

Conclusion

Footnotes

Acknowledgements

Authors’ contribution

Declaration of conflicting interests

Funding

ORCID iDs

References