BJSM E-edition: Cricket

After Australia’s 1882 victory over England at The Oval in London, its first Test win on English soil, The Sporting Times published an obituary for English cricket. "In affectionate remembrance of English cricket which died at The Oval, 29 August 1882. Deeply lamented by a large circle of sorrowing friends and acquaintances, R.I.P. - N.B. The body will be cremated and the Ashes taken to Australia.” In over a century of Test cricket series between Australia and England, the Ashes have changed hands many times – and this year, many of our readers will be celebrating and others mourning that Australia has retained the Ashes on English soil for the first time in 18 years. In the limelight again (for other reasons this time), former Australian captain Steve Smith suffered a sickening blow to the neck from a 92.4 mph bouncer (a type of delivery pitched short so that it bounces up to chest or head height of the batsman) during the second Test. Watching Smith collapse revived images of the Phillip Hughes tragedy that made the sporting world stand still in 2014, and reignited ongoing debate about head injuries in cricket. A collective sigh of relief could be heard around the ground as Smith managed to stand up and was forced off the ground by the medical team, however he returned less than an hour later to return to bat after passing concussion tests. The following day Smith developed a headache, was diagnosed with delayed onset concussion and was withdrawn from the Test, becoming the first ever player to be substituted under cricket’s new concussion rules. During that Test, there were three other head impacts, but Smith was the only player to develop concussion. Cricket has recently changed its concussion rules to align with other sports, such as football (soccer for our Aussies) and rugby, which require any player suspected of having concussion to be assessed by a physician, or a physiotherapist if a physician is not available, before returning. Concussed players can be withdrawn from games and can be replaced by a designated substitute, subject to approval by the match referee. Australia, England and South Africa are the only teams that tour with a team physician, but this might soon change given the new rules.

Although the media spotlight is currently on concussion, the BJSM community understands there are many other cricket injuries of which clinicians must be wary. In this e-edition, we focus on injury surveillance, back pain, throwing-related injuries, managing work load… and yes, also head injuries, to help you improve your practice. With a mix of consensus statements, original articles, editorials, podcasts and blog posts, there’s enough content here to last you until the next quest for the Ashes. If you have comments, questions, want to suggest topics for future editions or join the conversation, use #BJSMOnlineEdition on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. We hope you enjoy these supplementary BJSM editions and as always, wish you a physically active day! Your BJSM online editors