The influence of the pre-delivery stride on subsequent fast bowling technique in elite male cricketers

Bull, H, Alway, P, Felton, P ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9211-0319 and King, M, 2026. The influence of the pre-delivery stride on subsequent fast bowling technique in elite male cricketers. Journal of Sports Sciences. ISSN 0264-0414

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Abstract

Research in cricket fast bowling has primarily investigated technique from back foot contact onwards. This study aims to explore the effect of the pre-delivery stride (step pre-back foot contact) on technique characteristics previously linked with performance and injury risk. Six pre-delivery stride, and 16 performance or lumbar bone stress injury-related technique characteristics were determined for 29 elite male fast bowlers. Fifteen significant correlations were observed between the pre-delivery stride and the performance and injury-risk characteristics (p < 0.05). From a performance perspective, greater pre-delivery run-up velocity and lower take-off angles were associated with increased front leg plant angles at front foot contact and knee flexion at ball release. From an injury perspective, greater anterior pelvic tilt at take-off, jump height, and landing vertical velocity at back foot contact were associated with more flexed rear leg kinematics at back foot contact and anterior pelvic tilt at front foot contact. These findings suggest individual-specific pre-delivery stride run-up velocities and take-off angles exists to synchronously optimise technique to enhance performance and reduce injury risk. This knowledge is essential for enhancing the coaching and rehabilitation of fast bowlers, supporting coaches to account for the effect of the pre-delivery stride on subsequent fast bowling technique.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Journal of Sports Sciences
Creators:	Bull, H., Alway, P., Felton, P. and King, M.
Publisher:	Informa UK Limited
Date:	17 February 2026
ISSN:	0264-0414
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1080/02640414.2026.2631333 DOI 2582199 Other
Rights:	© 2026 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
Divisions:	Schools > School of Science and Technology
Record created by:	Laura Borcherds
Date Added:	26 Feb 2026 09:17
Last Modified:	26 Feb 2026 09:17
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/55337

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