The fast and the wounded
20-Aug-2013
Australia have a promising young line of seamers in James Pattinson, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, who have all shown promise in international and domestic level. However, recent stress fractures to Pattinson and Cummins have left the selectors worried. Peter Brukner, the Australian cricket team doctor, writing for The Age, examines Australian pacers over the years, and how injuries set them back.
There are probably three main factors that contribute to the high risk of these injuries in young fast bowlers: age, technique and workload. History tells us that bowlers under the age of 24 are at increased risk of developing lumbar stress fractures, presumably because their bones have not fully matured and lack the necessary strength to withstand the high loads imparted on them by bowling at 140km/h. Over the past 50 years, a long line of young Australian fast bowlers have broken down, from Dennis Lillee and Bruce Reid to the present group. Only Craig McDermott in that period has been able to play at a young age at Test level without injury.