Three-dimensional vision analysis to measure the release characteristics of elite bowlers in cricket

Cricket is a sport played internationally in over 100 countries. Two teams face one another in a match, each taking it in turns to bat and field. In the fielding side, bowlers deliver the ball to the batsman who then responds by hitting the ball away. Batting and bowling are complex and dynamic skills which must be practised at length in training. However, due to the demanding nature of bowling, batsmen can train against a machine to face sufficient numbers of deliveries. An advanced training machine is under development at Loughborough University that is capable of delivering technically correct bowling deliveries in a repeatable manner. However, in order to monitor that the machine is generating accurate deliveries, a study to quantify the variability in the delivery parameters of bowlers has been undertaken, and the results are presented in this paper. Eight spin bowlers and ten pace bowlers have been studied. Each bowler was asked to deliver up to five balls, and the results have been analysed and presented. It has been found that the range of ball release speed varies from 17.5–35.0 m/s, the rate of spin imparted by the bowler varies from 11.44–231.22 rad/s, the launch angle of the ball varies from 9.7° above the horizontal to 19.2° below the horizontal and the launch position on the wicket varies from 1.97–2.38 m in height, ±1.95 m in width and 0.36–1.79 m from the bowler’s stumps.