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ECB fast bowling directives change
Kevin Shine, ECB lead fast bowling coach, wants to strike a balance in the development of young fast bowlers
The ECB fast bowling directives have changed following a two-year consultation process. The outcome is that bowlers up to under-15 level are now able to bowl longer spells and more overs in a day.
Under the new guidelines bowlers at under-16 and under-17 level are now permitted to bowl an extra over per spell, but those in the under-18 and under-19 category have had the total number of overs they can deliver per day reduced from 21 to 18.
These guidelines will come into effect for the start of the 2010 season.
The fast bowling guidelines are designed to raise awareness of the need to nurture and protect young fast bowlers through their formative years. Research has shown that fast bowlers are by far the most likely players to be missing playing and training time due to injury.
| AGE | PREVIOUS MAX OVERS PER SPELL | PREVIOUS MAX OVERS PER DAY | UPDATED MAX OVERS PER SPELL | UPDATED MAX OVERS PER DAY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Up to 13 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 10 |
U14, U15 | 5 | 10 | 6 | 12 |
U16, U17 | 6 | 18 | 7 | 18 |
U18, U19 | 7 | 21 | 7 | 18 |
For the purpose of these guidelines a fast bowler should be defined as a bowler to whom a wicket keeper in the same age group would in normal circumstances stand back to take the ball
Kevin Shine, ECB lead fast bowling coach, said: “The elite fast bowling group has been researching injury prevention, performance enhancement and workloads for the past four years.
“The new recommendations mean youngsters under the age of 15 can now bowl an additional over in a spell and two overs more in a day. These figures are over and above the original directives.
“It is clear that our young bowlers need to bowl more so that they can develop match winning abilities and habits and I look forward to the revised directives giving individual fast bowlers and teams more of a chance to play match winning cricket.”
The results included input from clubs, county boards, ECB elite performance group, which includes, ESCA, ECB performance, ECB development, England elite player development, ECB operations, and HMC schools.
Official site of the England and Wales Cricket Board
Your comments
I feel we should have more guidance on what can be bowled in the nets. Is any guidance available
Steve Brown on 24/02/10
So ostensibly an extra 6 balls per age group is the result of a two year consultation? Hmmmm. Having seen an increase in the amount of stress-related injuries in young bowlers, I just wonder if we have learned anything at all.
Monitoring workloads is whose responsibility? And one only has to witness young lads bowling at county age group nets WELL over these limits indoors, to wonder what's the point of directives in the first place. Personally, I don't feel directives on fast bowlers are workable (not measured day to day, or cumulatively) and I do not see any evidence that they indeed reduce injury, which is why they were presumably introduced?
It might be helpful if there is a cohesive policy on how to COACH fast bowling as the vast majority of cricket coaches really have no idea. If an action is safe, efficient and repeatable with good mechanics, there would seem little need to impose these directives at all IMO.
Ian Pont on 02/11/09
I believe these directives are often breached when young players take part in more than one match in a day eg a schools game followed by a club or representative game. If the directive is sacrosanct then steps must be taken to limit the number of matches. I have heard that the directive is augmented by recommendations as to the number of games to be undertaken in a given period - I can't find evidence of this as yet.
David Hogg on 02/11/09