Variability in movement patterns during One Day Internationals by a cricket fast bowler.

PURPOSE The time-motion characteristics and the within-athlete variability in movement patterns were quantified for the same male fast bowler playing One Day International (ODI) cricket matches (n=12). METHODS A number of different time motion characteristics were monitored using a portable 5-Hz global positioning system (GPS) unit (Catapult, Melbourne, Australia). RESULTS The bowler's mean workload per ODI was 8+/-2 overs (mean+/-SD). He covered a total distance of 15.9+/-2.5 km per game; 12+/-3% or 1.9+/-0.2 km was striding (0.8+/-0.2 km) or sprinting (1.1+/-0.2 km), whereas 10.9+/-2.1 km was spent walking. One high-intensity (running, striding, or sprinting) repetition (HIR) occurred every 68+/-12 s, and the average duration of a HI effort was 2.7+/-0.1 s. The player also completed 66+/-11 sprints per game; mean sprint distance was 18+/-3 m and maximum sprinting speed 8.3+/-0.9 m.s(-1). CONCLUSIONS The movement patterns of this fast bowler were a combination of highly intermittent activities of variable intensity on the base of approximately 16 km per game. This information provides insight for conditioning coaches to determine the physical demands and to adapt the training and recovery processes of ODI fast bowlers.