Physiological responses of batsmen during a simulated One Day International century

Background: There is a limited amount of literature on the
physiological cost of batting. Of the studies that have been
completed, most have used protocols that are of short duration and high intensity, and it has been questioned whether this represents actual game play. Furthermore, it is difficult to study sports such as cricket due to the intermittent nature of the game. Objective: To determine the physiological responses of batsmen during a simulated One Day International century. Methods: Seventeen male batsmen from the Rhodes University Cricket Club performed a simulated batting work bout known as the BATEX© protocol. The protocol consisted of six, five overs stages, each lasting 21 minutes. Three of the stages (stages one, three and five) were low-intensity stages and the other three (stages two, four and six) were high-intensity stages. During the work bout selected physiological responses were recorded. Results: Heart rate (124±15-159±14 beats.min-1), oxygen uptake
(29.3±6.1-43.4±6.3 ml.kg-1.min-1), energy expenditure (48.1±9.2-109.2±10.5 kJ.min-1) and core temperature (37.7±0.3-38.7±0.4 oC) responses all increased significantly (p<0.05) between stage one and stage six. The respiratory exchange ratio decreased significantly (p<0.05) between stages one and six (0.90±0.19- 0.89±0.37). Conclusions: Batting is more physically demanding than originally thought, and as a result training programmes should concentrate on simulating real match play situations to improve performance and reduce the risk of injury.