Injury incidence and prevalence across the women's cricket performance pathway in England and Wales: a three-season retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVES

To describe the epidemiology of time-loss and non-time-loss injuries in the women's cricket professional pathway across international, domestic and academy levels in England and Wales.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort analysis.

METHODS

Routinely collected surveillance data (2021/22-2023/24) were analysed using the 2016 International Consensus Statement on Injury Surveillance in Cricket definitions. Average annual cohort sizes were 19 international, 174 domestic, and 103 academy players.

RESULTS

Pooled time-loss injury incidence across the three seasons was 107 injuries/100 players/year (95% confidence interval 81, 137) at international level, 48 (95% confidence interval 42, 54) at domestic level, and 51 (95% confidence interval 43, 59) at academy level. Across levels, the thigh was the only body region ranked within the top three sites for mean annual time-loss injury incidence (6.1-15.9 injuries/100 players/ year), whilst the lumbar spine represented the highest mean annual injury prevalence at international and academy levels (1.7% and 1.2%, respectively). Hand injuries had the highest total match-related incidence in international and domestic players (6.7 and 7.4 injuries/1000 player match days, respectively). Fielding accounted for the highest injury incidence among specified activities in annual and match analyses. All incidence values reflect descriptive ordering due to often wide and overlapping confidence intervals.

CONCLUSIONS

Three seasons of consensus-aligned surveillance provide a baseline for elite women's cricket in England and Wales. Findings highlight four priority areas: time-loss thigh injuries, substantial lumbar spine injury prevalence, hand match-related injury frequency, and fielding-related injury events. Improved recording of activity and match format would enhance future risk characterisation.