Cricket Injuries: Fast Bowlers, Hamstrings, Helmets and Concussion

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Third over of the spell, the ball is swinging, and the young quick charges in again: leap, back foot down, front foot down, arm over. The bowler walks back to his mark with a hand on his lower back and says nothing. Fast bowlers rarely do. Cricket isn’t a contact sport, but it has a clear set of injuries: the fast bowler’s back, hamstrings, the throwing shoulder, fingers that meet a hard ball, and head knocks from a hard ball that often travels at high speed. Here’s what the research and the boards say about each, and when to get it checked.

This page is general information, not medical advice. If you’re hurt, see a sports medicine doctor, physical therapist (PT) or certified athletic trainer (AT). For the bigger picture, start at our cricket hub.

The most common cricket injuries

In Cricket Australia’s injury data from ten seasons of senior men’s cricket (2006–07 to 2015–16), the hamstring strain was the most common injury, while lumbar stress fractures in fast bowlers were the most prevalent: they kept players out the longest and accounted for 15% of all missed playing time. Fast bowlers averaged 20.6% of their squad unavailable at any time, far more than any other role. Over seven later seasons, the top match injuries for elite Australian men were hamstring strains, side and abdominal strains, concussion, lumbar stress fractures and wrist and hand fractures; for women, hamstring strains, concussion, quadriceps strains and lower-leg stress fractures.

Fast bowlers and the lower back

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) puts it plainly: each fast-bowling delivery loads the lower (lumbar) spine with forces estimated at about three times body weight, while the spine bends back, forward, sideways and twists. In the right amounts, that load builds bone (up to 44% denser than a typical person’s in elite bowlers, the ECB says). Bowled too much, too fast, or after too long a break, it causes small areas of bone damage that can progress from bone stress (swelling seen on a scan) to a stress fracture, usually a crack in a thin part of the vertebra called the pars interarticularis. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) calls this spondylolysis and notes that it can follow sports that repeatedly stress the lower back.

The ECB lists two key risk factors. Age: teenagers in or just after a growth spurt are at the greatest risk, because, as Cricket Australia says, bones grow quickly before they become strong. The ECB estimates it takes about 15 years of development and training to build the bone strength that resists this damage. Workload: too many overs in a week (especially much more than any other week), too few overs over a month (bone strength drops; the ECB says it falls after only two weeks off) and too little rest between bowling days. A review of MRI studies found disc degeneration in 21–65% of fast bowlers and bony abnormalities in 24–81%, with more intense workloads and a “mixed” bowling action among the risk factors that can be changed. A spinal stress fracture can keep a young bowler out for up to 8 months or longer, the ECB says.

Warning signs: AAOS says the usual symptom is low back pain that gets worse with activity and better with rest; it can feel like a muscle strain and spread to the buttocks or back of the thighs. Back pain in a young fast bowler that lasts more than a few days is a reason to see a sports medicine doctor, not to bowl through it.

Workload guidelines for young fast bowlers

Both major cricket boards publish limits. They differ in the details, so follow the ones your league uses.

Age	ECB: max overs per spell / per day	Cricket Australia: max overs per spell / per day
Under 11	5 / 10 (ECB groups all ages up to 13)	2 / 4
11–13	5 / 10	4 / 8
13–15 (U14, U15)	6 / 12	5 / 12
15–17 (U16, U17)	7 / 18	5 / 16
17–19 (U18, U19)	7 / 18	6 / 18

• Rest between spells (ECB match rule): after a spell, a bowler can’t bowl again until the same number of overs has been bowled from that end. Cricket Australia suggests at least 20 minutes between spells at training.
• Days per week: the ECB recommends no more than 4 bowling days in any 7, with only one pair of back-to-back days. Cricket Australia’s “1-3-5” rule for under-17s means a rest day after each bowling day, at most 3 bowling sessions a week and at most 5 overs a spell; its “2-4-6” rule for ages 17–19 allows 2 days in a row, 4 days a week and 6-over spells.
• Weekly targets: the ECB’s 2025 guidelines suggest a weekly range, for example 16–20 overs for ages 12–13 and 22–26 for ages 16–17. Bowling well above or below the range may raise risk.
• Growth spurts: the ECB suggests a bowler growing more than 7 cm (about 2.75 in) a year follow the guidelines for the age group below.
• Training counts: the ECB counts full-effort deliveries in nets and soft-ball cricket too, because the forces are similar.

Elite research agrees: steady loads beat spikes and long gaps (details on the training page). How to plan a bowling week is on our cricket training page.

Hamstrings and side strains

In English county cricket from 2010 to 2019, hamstring injuries were most frequent in one-day cricket, most often while running between the wickets in the short formats and in the delivery stride or follow-through in multi-day cricket. Rates were highest in April, the start of the season, and much lower by September. That points to preseason preparation. In soccer, the Nordic hamstring exercise cut hamstring injuries sharply in trials (see our soccer injuries page), and a survey of UK professional cricket clubs found all those with a prevention program used Nordics or other eccentric exercises. Sharp pain in the side during delivery (a side strain) is a reason to stop and get assessed.

Throwing shoulders

Every fielder throws. In eight seasons of elite Australian women’s cricket, shoulder injuries averaged 12.9 per 100 players per season. Sudden shoulder injuries happened mostly while fielding (69%), often diving or throwing, and gradual ones mostly in pace bowlers. Recurrent injuries took longer to come back from. Shoulder pain when throwing or losing throwing distance deserves a check.

Fingers, hands and wicketkeepers

A hard ball hitting an outstretched finger is cricket’s oldest injury. AAOS describes “mallet finger”: the ball forces the fingertip to bend, the tendon tears or pulls off a chip of bone, and the tip droops and won’t straighten on its own. AAOS advises seeing a hand specialist as soon as possible, ideally within a week; most heal in a splint worn full time for 6–8 weeks. In English professional men’s cricket, hand injuries led to more injury insurance claims than any other body part. Swelling over a knuckle, a crooked finger or a finger you can’t bend or straighten needs an X-ray.

Head and face impacts, helmets and neck guards

A cricket ball weighs 140–166 grams (about 5–6 oz) and is extremely hard, the ECB notes. Head protection rules now reflect that:

• ECB (England and Wales): players under 18 must wear a helmet with a faceguard when batting against a hard ball, in matches and practice; ages 16–17 also when fielding within 8 yards (7.3 m) of the batter; under-18 keepers standing up must wear a helmet or face protector. Helmets are recommended to meet British Standard BS 7928:2013, and the ECB strongly advises all cricketers to wear a neck protector whenever they wear a helmet.
• Cricket Australia: BS 7928:2013 helmets are required in CA-managed competitions and strongly recommended in community cricket; since 2023–24, neck protectors are mandatory for batters facing fast or medium pace in CA-sanctioned competitions.

A certified helmet says which standard it meets, and the ECB advises players using the smaller women’s or junior ball to pick one tested against both ball sizes. More on helmets and pads is on our cricket gear page.

Concussion: recognize, remove, and the concussion-substitute rule

A helmet lowers the risk of serious injury but “cannot guarantee” a concussion won’t happen, the ECB says. In an ECB study of 194 helmet strikes in elite men’s cricket, 29% led to a concussion. Collisions between fielders, diving into the ground and hitting boundary boards can concuss, too.

Recognize and remove. The CDC’s HEADS UP advice applies at every level: if you think a player may have a concussion, take them out, and keep them out that day until a health care provider clears them. “When in doubt, sit them out.” Signs include looking dazed, clumsiness, headache, dizziness, nausea and blurry vision. Call 911 for the danger signs: one pupil larger than the other, worsening headache, slurred speech, weakness or numbness, repeated vomiting, seizures, increasing confusion, or loss of consciousness.

Coming back. The ECB’s recreational guidelines say anyone with a suspected concussion should be assessed by a health professional within 24 hours, do no cricket for at least 24 hours, and not return to competitive cricket for at least 21 days, and only after 14 symptom-free days, through a graded return. The CDC describes a similar step-by-step return; final clearance comes from a licensed provider.

Concussion substitutes. Since 1 August 2019, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has allowed concussion replacements in all men’s and women’s international cricket and first-class cricket worldwide. The team doctor makes the call, and the replacement must be “like-for-like”, approved by the match referee. It means a team doesn’t have to play a player short, which takes pressure off keeping a concussed batter out there.

Gear many cricketers use for protection and prevention

No product prevents injuries on its own. Many players use a BS 7928-certified helmet like the FORZA Pro STL, a clip-on neck protector like the FORZA Neck Protector (made for FORZA helmets; other brands make their own), and a strap like the NordStick for Nordic curls at home.

When to see a sports medicine doctor, PT or athletic trainer

• Right away (emergency): any concussion danger sign, a possible broken bone, a ball strike to the neck, or numbness and tingling.
• Within a day or two: a suspected concussion, a finger that won’t straighten, sudden sharp pain in the hamstring or side, or a shoulder that “went” on a throw.
• Soon: low back pain in a young fast bowler that lasts more than a few days, pain that comes back every time you bowl or throw, or pain at night or at rest.

A sports medicine physician diagnoses and orders scans; a physical therapist guides rehab and the gradual return to bowling; an athletic trainer or team physio is often first on the scene. Look after the basics between games on our cricket recovery page, and see youth cricket for more for parents.

Cricket injuries: FAQs

What is the most common injury in cricket?

Hamstring strains, in Cricket Australia’s elite data. Lumbar stress fractures in fast bowlers are rarer but cost the most playing time (15% over ten seasons).

Why do fast bowlers get stress fractures in the back?

Each delivery loads the lower spine with about three times body weight while it bends and twists, the ECB says. Too much bowling over a short period, too little rest or a sudden return after a break can cause bone damage faster than it repairs, especially in teenagers whose bones are still developing.

How many overs can a young fast bowler bowl?

It depends on age and on whose guidelines your league uses. Under the ECB’s match directives, under-13s may bowl 5-over spells and 10 overs a day, and 16- to 19-year-olds 7-over spells and 18 overs a day. Cricket Australia’s limits are a little lower for most ages, for example 4 overs a spell and 8 a day for ages 11–13.

What is a concussion substitute in cricket?

Since August 2019, ICC rules let a team replace a player with a concussion in international and first-class cricket. The team’s medical staff makes the decision, and the match referee approves a like-for-like replacement who can bat and bowl.

Do I need a neck guard on my cricket helmet?

Cricket Australia requires them for batters facing pace in its competitions, and the ECB strongly advises wearing one whenever you wear a helmet.