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Abstract
This study investigated the bowling arm kinematics of 21 elite fast bowlers (mean ± SD; age = 27.8 ± 3.9 years) while performing in test, tour and one day international matches. Thirty‐one of the 34 deliveries analysed exhibited straightening at the elbow joint (straightening min = 3°, max = 22°, mean ± SD = 9 ± 5°), which by strict definition in the 2000 laws of cricket made them illegal. Five deliveries from three bowlers exhibited hyperextension of the bowling elbow (19 + 5°). When assessed against an arbitrary threshold of 15° for elbow straightening, ball speeds for deliveries above this threshold (39.5 ± 2.0 m/s) were significantly faster (effect size = 1.4; p = 0.006) than deliveries below it (37.1 ± 1.4 m/s). When grouped by delivery length, the bouncers and short deliveries recorded more elbow straightening (12 ± 6.6°) than the good length deliveries (9 ± 4.4°) and the full deliveries (8 ± 5.7°), although these were not statistically significant differences. The results of this study support the implementation of a tolerance threshold for assessing the legality of fast bowling actions. Further research is recommended into in‐match kinematic modelling, laboratory based assessments of illegal bowling actions, perceptual aspects of bowling actions and remedial methods to reduce elbow straightening in bowling actions.
