Accuracy of a bat-mounted sensor for the measurement of bat speed among elite female cricket players

Currently, there are no validated field-based measures of bat speed in cricket. This study sought to validate a baseball bat-mounted sensor for use in cricketers. Nine professional female cricketers (19.9 ± 2.8 years, 166.6 ± 4.8 cm, 68.7 ± 8.6 kg) performed 40 swings across four shot types (Cut, Drive, Pull, Slog-Sweep). Bat speed from a bat-mounted sensor was compared to optical motion capture (MoCap). Bat speed differed between shot types and ranged from 52.8 to 87.9 km/h. Device accuracy was determined by Bland-Altman bias and precision. The Drive shot had the smallest bias (−1.0 km/h; 1.4%), followed by the Slog-Sweep (2.0 km/h; 2.7%), Pull (2.0 km/h; 2.8%) then Cut shot, (2.5 km/h; 3.9%). The Cut shot had the greatest precision (2.7 km/h; 4.1%), followed by Pull (3.4 km/h; 4.7%), Slog-Sweep (4.0 km/h; 5.3%) and Drive (4.4 km/h; 6.3%). Kendall's tau analysis showed that proportional errors increased with higher bat speeds for all shots except Pull, (p < 0.05). The evidence supports use of the sensor for bat speed among female cricket players for all shots between speeds of 52.8–87.9 km/h. Caution is warranted for additional shot types, and speeds outside the explored range.