Browsing by Author "Nell, Bradley John"

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    Workloads of semi-professional cricket players, participating in three different match formats over a competitive season
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2016-12) Nell, Bradley John; Venter, Ranel; Bouic, Patrick J. D.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Sport Science
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT : Although cricket is one of the oldest organised sports, there is a relative lack of scientific research of the sport and it’s players. There are, for example, very few studies of the physiological demands of cricket or of the specific physiological, biochemical or anthropometric attributes of top-class cricketers. International cricket is undergoing a phase of rapid changes as it competes to attract a more global audience. As a result, modern international cricketers are now exposed to greater physical and psychological demands. These expanded demands include more five- and one- day matches per season, a longer season without a real winter break, more frequent tours and less time spent at home. (Noakes & Durandt., 2000). The introduction of T20 cricket has been the latest addition to the formats. The shortened format was initially introduced to bolster crowds for the domestic game, and was not intended to be played internationally, but the first T20 International took place on 17 February 2005. Australia defeated New Zealand, and the first tournament was played two years later, with the introduction of the ICC World T20. There remain limits on how many T20 Internationals a team can play each year, in order to protect Test cricket and One Day Internationals. (Twenty20 International, 2016). The demands on players has steadily increased over the years. The introduction of T20 tournaments such as the Indian- and Caribbean- Premier League, Big Bash and Pakistan Super League, has resulted in some players having very busy schedules. Cricket today demands greater physical effort from players at vital stages during their careers. It is the duty of the players, coaches, medical support team, and administrators to put in place measures to ensure that unnecessary injuries do not prevent players from reaching their full potential (Stretch, R.A., 2003). First utilized for athlete tracking in 1997, GPS technology is now increasingly used in team sport settings to provide sports scientists, coaches and trainers with comprehensive and real-time analysis of on-field player performance during competition or training (Cummins et al., 2013). There are a limited amount of studies observing training and match loads in cricket, especially over an entire season. Most studies deal with injury prevalence and loads over a short period of time. A few studies have compared the match loads of fast bowlers and non-fast bowlers, but few studies have included the other disciplines such as batsmen, spin bowlers, all-rounders and wicket keepers. This study seeks to address unanswered questions in terms of differences between formats and player disciplines over an entire season. The TDS scores decreased steadily throughout the season. Load that players experience can be physical as well as emotional/psychological. The TDS scores in this study mirrored the results of the matches.