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This study investigates the determination of the centre of pressure (COP) on spherical sports objects such as cricket balls and footballs using gyroscope data from Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs). Conventional pressure sensors are not suitable for capturing the tangential forces responsible for torque generation. This research presents a novel method to calculate the COP solely from gyroscope data and avoids the complexity of isolating user-induced accelerations from IMU data. The COP is determined from the cross-product of consecutive torque vectors intersecting the surface of the sphere. Effective noise management techniques, including filtering and data interpolation, were employed to improve COP visualisation. Experiments were conducted using a smart cricket ball and a smart football. Validation tests using spin rates between 7.5 and 12 rps and torques ranging from 0.08 to 0.12 Nm confirmed consistent COP clustering around the expected positions. Further analysis extended to various spin bowling deliveries recorded using a smart cricket ball, and a curved football kick recorded using a smart football demonstrated the wide applicability of the method. The COPs of various spin bowling deliveries showed adjacent positions on the surface of the ball, traversing through backspin, sidespin and topspin, excluding the flipper and doosra deliveries. The calculation of the COP on the surface of the soccer ball could only be achieved by increasing the data sampling frequency sevenfold using curve fitting. Knowledge and use of the COP position offers significant advances in understanding and analysing ball dynamics in sports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the potential ecological and economic impacts of invasive species, there is a dearth of data on the presence, impacts, and management implications of potentially invasive Orthoptera species. This lack of research and inconsistent data, including risk screenings and impact assessments, is especially evident in Europe. Consequently, assessing the status, distribution, and potential threats of nonnative Orthoptera in Europe remains challenging, impeding the development of effective management strategies. To address this gap, we call for increased efforts to collect and curate data on non‐native and possibly invasive Orthoptera in Europe. Such efforts will improve our understanding of this order's invasion dynamics, facilitate the identification of priority areas for conservation, and support the development of effective management policies and preventive measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of an identity leadership-framed reflective practice intervention on perceptions of leadership, social identity, and psychological safety in cricket. Building on previous evidence, an eight-week design included three intervention group coaches and their athletes (n = 32) and three control group coaches and their athletes (n = 34). Measurements of perceived coach identity leadership, social identity, and psychological safety were completed by cricket athletes at week 0 and week 8 for both groups. Intervention group coaches completed three identity leadership-framed reflective tasks in weeks one, three, and five, while the control group coaches continued their regular practices. Controlling for baseline scores, our analysis indicated that compared to the control group, the intervention group athletes reported significantly greater coach identity leadership behaviours, social identity, and psychological safety following the intervention. Social validation data highlighted shared identity, relationships, and learning as potential mechanisms for the positive results seen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined reliability and validity of the Fulltrack AI application to identify cricket ball landing position (line, length). Nine hundred and thirty-two deliveries were compared to 3D motion capture, the criterion measure, with 836 included in analysis (516 bowled (pace = 420, spin = 96), 320 SidearmTM; 301 facing a batter). Agreement analysis indicated an intraclass correlation coefficient of >0.96 for raw and filter 3D line and length data, compared to Fulltrack AI. The coefficient of variation was acceptable for length (<10%) and larger for line (23.82%), albeit with a smaller standard error of measurement (SEM = 0.05 m), improving with outliers removed. Bland−Altman plots confirmed good statistical agreement between devices, with limits of agreement largely within maximal allowable difference values. There are potential practical application considerations, given SEM = 0.47 m for length (diameter of seven cricket balls); with greater variability detecting length closer to the batters-end, and line closer to the bowlers-end. Validity, using a generalised additive model, showed no significant differences between devices (p > 0.05), with no condition-based interaction effects. The Fulltrack AI application enables ecologically valid assessment of bowling performance. Considering the trade-off between this and the accuracy of information is warranted when deciding how best to apply it to coaching environments to support augmented feedback. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Next-generation sequencing technology can now be used to sequence historical specimens from natural history collections, an approach referred to as museomics. The museomics allows obtaining molecular data from old museum-preserved specimens, a resource of biomolecules largely underexploited despite the fact that these specimens are often unique samples of nomenclatural types that can be crucial for resolving scientific questions. Despite recent technical progress, cricket mitogenomes are still scarce in the databases, with only a handful of new ones generated each year from freshly collected material. Methods: In this study, we used the genome skimming method to sequence and assemble three new complete mitogenomes representing two tribes of the cricket subfamily Eneopterinae: two were obtained from old, historical type material of Xenogryllus lamottei (68 years old) and X. maniema (80 years old), the third one from a freshly collected specimen of Nisitrus vittatus. We compared their genome organization and base composition, and reconstructed the molecular phylogeny of the family Gryllidae. Results: Our study not only confirmed that the genome skimming method used by next generation sequencing allows us to efficiently obtain the whole mitogenome from dry-pinned historical specimens, but we also confirmed how promising it is for large-scale comparative studies of mitogenomes using resources from natural history collections. Used in a phylogenetic context the new mitogenomes attest that the mitogenomic data contain valuable information and also strongly support phylogenetic relationships at multiple time scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance characteristics of fast bowling include high ball release speed, that reduces the shot execution time of the batter, accuracy, ensuring the ball follows the desired trajectory, and deception. This can lead the batter to misjudge the ball speed or path. Previous research has utilised a variety of biomechanical methodologies in order to further understand fast bowling techniques. The aim of this study was to systematically review biomechanical literature related to cricket fast bowling performance and narratively synthesise findings to provide a comprehensive summary of key performance characteristics. The articles were finalised according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) guidelines. PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, CINAHL, SPORT Discus and Web of Science databases were searched and assessed by title, abstract, full-text and a bibliography assessment of included full-text articles. The search strategy included keywords of cricket fast bowling, biomechanics and performance analysis. A validated scale was developed to evaluate the quality of studies and risk of bias. Across the 15 studies finalised for the review (from 2000--2022), there was consensus in some of the characteristics reported to be associated with ball release speed; however, there was disagreement or limited evidence for others. A faster run-up, efficient and sequential transfer of linear to angular momentum, quick deceleration during the delivery stride with an extended front knee from front foot contact to ball release and delaying the bowling arm leading to ball release were the major techniques variables consensually associated with ball release speed. The lack of standardisation of cohort ability and protocols may have contributed to contradictory findings across studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare clinical assessment findings between elite athletic populations with and without a clinical diagnosis of posterior ankle impingement syndrome (PAIS). Design: Cross-sectional case-control study. Setting: Elite ballet and sport. Participants: Ten male and female professional ballet dancers and athletes with a clinical diagnosis of PAIS and were matched for age, sex, and activity to 10 professional ballet dancers and athletes without PAIS. Independent variables: Posterior ankle pain on body chart and a positive ankle plantarflexion pain provocation test. Main outcome measures: Single-leg heel raise (SLHR) endurance test, range of motion testing for weight-bearing ankle dorsiflexion, passive ankle plantarflexion, and first metatarsophalangeal joint dorsiflexion, and Beighton score for generalized joint hypermobility. Participants also completed the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool (CAIT) questionnaire. Results: The group with PAIS achieved significantly fewer repetitions on SLHR capacity testing ( P = 0.02) and were more symptomatic for perceived ankle instability according to CAIT scores ( P = 0.004). Conclusions: Single-leg heel raise endurance capacity was lower, and perceived ankle instability was greater in participants with PAIS. The management of this presentation in elite dancers and athletes should include the assessment and management of functional deficits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Female fecundity is dependent on age and mated status. Young female insects accumulate considerable fat stores to fuel energetically expensive ovary development and egg production. Consequently, younger females are expected to have more stored fat than older females while the latter should have larger eggloads than the former. Mating is expected to increase fecundity because male ejaculates contain fecundity-enhancing substances that stimulate egg development, ovulation and oviposition. We experimentally tested the effect of female age (young versus old) and mated status (virgin versus mated) on fat and eggloads in female Gryllus firmus field crickets (Orthoptera: Gryllidae), in addition to testing the prediction that young or mated females have higher resting metabolic rates (RMR) than old or virgin females because the former should be significantly more engaged in the energetically expensive activity of egg production than the latter. As predicted, we found that young females had more fat and fewer eggs than old females and that fat loads negatively correlated with fecundity across all females. Young females also exhibited higher RMR, as expected if egg production is energetically costly. Contrary to expectation, however, mated status had little effect on fat load, egg production or RMR. That mating had little effect on total egg production (i.e. stored and oviposited eggs) challenges the hypothesis that male fecundity-enhancing substances in the ejaculate stimulate egg production. Our experiment also permitted us to examine the validity of two popular indices of body condition, the scaled mass index (SMI) and residual body mass (R i). Neither index accurately represented the true treatment effects of age and mated status on fat load; however, the SMI reflected true fat content in young, but not old, females. • We tested effects of age and mated status on fat and eggloads in female Gryllus firmus. • Young females had more fat and fewer eggs than old females. • Fat loads were negatively correlated with fecundity across all females. • Young females had a higher resting metabolic rate (RMR) than old females. • Mated status had little effect on fat load, egg production or RMR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significant insights have arisen from an extensive review of the current literature, highlighting the importance of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) in cricket performance analysis and mapping new directions for future research. Despite difficulties such as limited availability of data, processing difficulty, and interpretability issues, incorporating CNNs into cricket statistics is a potential effort made possible by advances in machine learning and deep learning methods. Instructors, players, and data analysts can use CNNs to better comprehend the game, extract meaningful information from video data, and improve decision-making processes. Key findings show that CNNs are effective tools for a variety of cricket analysis tasks involving batting, bowling, fielding, and player tracking. The use of CNNs represents an advancement in cricket analysis, promising to open up new aspects of performance and usher in a data-driven era of cricket genius. Augmenting data, the use of parallelization, explainable AI, and concerns about ethics, provide opportunities to address current challenges can be identified as future advances in sports analysis with CNNs. Embracing technological advancements and mapping out future research directions are critical steps towards realizing this revolutionary potential.

Background: Professional athletes navigate a multitude of unique challenges associated to sport-specific factors (e.g., training, travel and competition) and non-sport factors (e.g., performance pressure, stress and anxiety) that can interfere with healthy sleep behaviors. Sleep plays a key role in proper biopsychosocial development as well as short- and long-term biological, physical, psychological, and cognitive health. As poor sleep quality is known to impair proper brain function, this study aimed to investigate the effect of sleep quality on a professional athlete's ability to train, recover, and perform, as well as their overall emotional and physical well-being. Methods: A cohort study was performed in 40 professional male cricket athletes from the Dutch national cricket team (mean age 26.5 ± 5.1 years). The athletes were monitored across a 22 weeks in-season training period. Sleep quality and overall emotional and physical well-being were assessed using daily sleep diaries and questionnaires which scored the readiness to train, stress levels, fatigue, muscle soreness and flu symptoms respectively. Quality of sleep and subsequent association with the consecutive elements of the well-being questionnaire were assessed through statistical using the student t-test and clinical differences with the methodology of Osoba and colleagues: <5% "no change", 5%-10% "little change"; 10%-20% "moderate change"; and >20% "very much change". Results: The results demonstrated that the professional athletes assessed their sleep quality as average with a mean score of 3.4 out of 5. Lower perceived quality of sleep (<75th percentile) was correlated with a decreased readiness to train (mean score 3.2 [IQR: 3.0-4.0] vs. 3.5 [IQR: 3.0-5.0]; P < 0.001) and increased extent of muscle soreness (2.7 [IQR: 2.0-3.0] vs. 2.3 [IQR: 2-3]; P < 0.001), stress level (mean score 2.3 [IQR: 2.0-3.0] vs. 1.9 [IQR: 1.0-2.0]; P < 0.001) and perceived fatigue (mean score 2.9 [IQR: 2.0-3.0] vs. 2.3 [IQR: 2.0-3.0]; P < 0.001). Likewise, in patients with lower perceived quality of sleep, the proportion of players presenting with flu symptoms increased over 4-fold (4.1% vs. 17%; P < 0.001). Conclusions: This study highlights that good sleep quality positively influences the overall emotional and physical well-being of professional athletes. Our results emphasize the importance of targeted sleep interventions to improve sleep quality and subsequently optimize psychological and physiological wellness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, 19,587 balls bowled by fast bowlers across two One-Day International (ODI) cricket tournaments were analysed, with the aim of exploring the relationship between bowling lengths and foot-based batter decision-making. Initially, a Chi-Square test of independence was used to determine if bowling lengths were associated with the foot-based decision-making of batters. Subsequently, the relationship of specific foot-based strokes with different bowling lengths were further examined through a Logistic Regression. Post-Hoc analysis of standardised residuals from Chi-Square tests suggest an association between foot-based decision-making and dot balls (χ2(1) = 99.798, p <.001). Furthermore, Logistic Regression results reveal that all length zones except the half-tracker length show statistically significant association with front-foot and back-foot strokes. Respective coefficients of these length zones also show an organisation of specific strokes with front-foot stroke dominating lengths close to the batter (yorker, full-toss, half-volley and good length) and back-foot strokes dominating zones further away from the batter (back of a length and short length). The results confirm interdependence between batter-bowler performances and suggest that batters in ODI cricket prefer meeting the ball on the front foot in their search of scoring runs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In May 2022, David Dabydeen and Ben Jacob interviewed South African cricketer Keshav Maharaj. Maharaj – South Africa's most successful spin-bowler since the nation's readmission to international sport in 1991 – is the first descendant of an indentured worker, and only the third Indian South African, to play for South Africa's cricket team. In the conversation, Mahraj reflects on the legacies of indentureship, being part of South Africa's post-apartheid generation, his journey to the top of cricket, and his achievements on the international stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Cereal products comprise a significant portion of the human diet, serving as staple foods in various cultures. However, their high carbohydrate content and low nutritional quality pose several challenges in terms of overall dietary balance and health-related disorders. Besides, the demand for high-protein foods underscores the need for the supplementation of cereal products with sustainable protein-rich ingredients. In recent years, edible insects have emerged as a promising alternative, owing to their exceptional nutritional composition, environmental sustainability, and economic viability. Despite historical precedents of entomophagy and recent endorsements by organizations, insects are rarely industrialized in cereal products. Therefore, this review focuses on the potential use of edible insects in baked goods, noodles, and pasta products to expand their industrial-scale applications. The incorporation of edible insects into these products not only can improve the nutritional values of the final products but also may affect their techno-functional and sensory properties. Thus, it is necessary to optimize the formulation of these value-added products and educate consumers about the potential health benefits of edible insects. Overall, this study elucidates the opportunities and challenges associated with utilizing edible insects as functional ingredients in cereal-based foods, offering insights into future directions for further innovation and market acceptance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to i) determine the prevalence of anxiety/depression symptoms in professional cricketers and ii) identify factors associated with symptoms of anxiety/depression. One-hundred and seventy-seven (n = 177, response rate of 76%) professional cricketers completed the General Health Questionnaire 12 (GHQ-12). Odd ratios (OR) for anxiety/depression symptoms were related to players' career, family and education. Prevalence of symptoms of anxiety/depression was 59% (n = 104/177). Anxiety/depression symptoms increased when players were contracted for more than 2 years (OR: 5.0; 95% CI: 1.2–21.3; p = 0.028) and if they played their last offseason overseas (OR: 3.5; 95% CI: 1.3–9.6; p = 0.013). Anxiety/depression symptoms decreased by 70% when players made "productive use" of their time in the offseason (OR: 0.3; 95% CI: 0.1–0.9; p = 0.036) and contracted for 2 years (OR: 0.3; 95% CI: 0.1–1.0; p = 0.049). These findings can be incorporated into cricket mental health literacy programmes to improve awareness and understanding, and to encourage early help-seeking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orthoptera are insects with excellent olfactory sense abilities due to their antennae richly equipped with receptors. This makes them interesting model organisms to be used as biosensors for environmental and agricultural monitoring. Herein, we investigated if the house cricket Acheta domesticus can be used to detect different chemical cues by examining the movements of their antennae and attempting to identify specific antennal displays associated to different chemical cues exposed (e.g., sucrose or ammonia powder). A neural network based on state-of-the-art techniques (i.e., SLEAP) for pose estimation was built to identify the proximal and distal ends of the antennae. The network was optimised via grid search, resulting in a mean Average Precision (mAP) of 83.74%. To classify the stimulus type, another network was employed to take in a series of keypoint sequences, and output the stimulus classification. To find the best one-dimensional convolutional and recurrent neural networks, a genetic algorithm-based optimisation method was used. These networks were validated with iterated K-fold validation, obtaining an average accuracy of 45.33% for the former and 44% for the latter. Notably, we published and introduced the first dataset on cricket recordings that relate this animal's behaviour to chemical stimuli. Overall, this study proposes a novel and simple automated method that can be extended to other animals for the creation of Biohybrid Intelligent Sensing Systems (e.g., automated video-analysis of an organism's behaviour) to be exploited in various ecological scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hamstring injuries are common in cricket. Hamstring tendon injuries in cricket fast bowlers result in significant time loss and pose a challenging rehabilitation due to the physical demands of fast bowling. A well designed, interdisciplinary approach to rehabilitation is necessary to achieve optimal return to play outcomes. This article provides a framework for Sports Science and Sports Medicine (SSSM) practitioners to use throughout each phase of rehabilitation for a cricket fast bowler with a hamstring tendon injury. An accurate diagnosis using the British Athletics Muscle Injury Classification (BAMIC) is important and helps guide prognosis and rehabilitation planning. Targeted isometric hamstring exercises are favoured initially. Progression to high speed running and eccentric hamstring exercises are delayed to avoid elastic strain on healing tendon structures. At any given point during rehabilitation there is a lag between the intensity of skills sessions and the intensity of running sessions with the completion of running progressions expected before returning to maximum intensity bowling. Restoration of chronic bowling and running loads sufficient for the format of cricket the fast bowler is returning to play is essential. Beyond return to play, it is important strategies are implemented to optimise hamstring tendon health to promote performance and mitigate risk of recurrent or secondary musculoskeletal injuries. These strategies include management of high speed and very high speed running exposure, management of bowling loads, prescription of targeted hamstring exercises and optimising recovery, especially nutrition. While multi-factorial, the success of the rehabilitation of these athletes is influenced by the collaborative interaction of all SSSM practitioners involved in their management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate inter- and intra-athlete technique variability in pre-elite and elite Australian fast bowlers delivering new ball conventional swing bowling. Ball grip angle and pelvis, torso, shoulder, elbow, wrist, upper arm, forearm, and hand kinematics were investigated at the point of ball release for inswing and outswing deliveries. Descriptive evaluations of group and individual data and k-means cluster analyses were used to assess inter- and intra-bowler technique variability. Inter-athlete technique and ball grip variability were identified, demonstrating that skilled bowlers use individualised strategies to generate swing. Functional movement variability was demonstrated by intra-athlete variability in successful swing bowling trials. Bowlers demonstrated stable technique parameters in large proximal body segments of the pelvis and torso, providing a level of repeatability to their bowling action. Greater variation was observed in bowling arm kinematics, allowing athletes to manipulate the finger and ball position to achieve the desired seam orientation at the point of ball release. This study demonstrates that skilled bowlers use individualised techniques and grips to generate swing and employ technique variations in successive deliveries. Coaches should employ individualised training strategies and use constraints-led approaches in training environments to encourage bowlers to seek adaptive movement solutions to generate swing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes the localization strategies of Netflix and Disney+ Hotstar, positing India as a distinctive cultural-industrial contact zone. The Indian market's size, scale, and cultural and linguistic diversity make it a remarkable region for an epistemic inquiry into global industrial contact zones created by transnational streaming platforms. I map the relative power of Netflix and Disney+ Hotstar in relation to India's strong local film and entertainment industry. In doing so, I identify two types of localization strategies: the cosmopolitan local and the indigenized global. These strategies encompass content, aesthetics, audiences, and local industry dynamics. This essay explains the cultural and global mobility of media forms tied to cricket and Bollywood and argues that these forms accord the Indian mediascape a distinctive agency, presenting an antipodal inversion of imperialistic discourses of Western hegemonic media power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accepted by: Phil Scarf We present a player rating system for One-Day International (ODI) cricket using the Modified Duckworth-Lewis model. We used ball-by-ball data of 1764 uninterrupted One-Day International (ODI) matches played from January 2004 to June 2021 to estimate model parameters. The proposed method is then used to rate players who appeared in the ICC Men's World Cup 2019. The method is novel because the rating depends on the state of the match, so that pressure and non-pressure situations are accounted for. The method also considers a pitch effect (high or low run scoring). Moreover, the batsman performance can be compared to all-rounder and bowling performances. The results rate Shakib Al Hassan of Bangladesh as the tournament's best player, followed by R.G. Sharma (India) and J.J. Roy (England). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cricket is the second most popular sport in the world, right behind football, and it is played between 105 nations that are members of the ICC. In cricket, speed plays an essential role as the faster the speed generation the more the number of singles taken & saved during fielding. Agility is required in the infield of cricket because fielders are closer to the batsmen and have less time to react. Ladder drills improve footwork & coordination in players performance level which makes players easy to catch, strike or block or tackle. In Agility Ladder, jumps are performed without obstacles & in multidirectional ways with fast ground contact time. Aim: To compare the effect of Ladder Training versus Plyometric Training on agility & speed among cricket players. Method: 38 male cricket players (under -19) were selected by convenient sampling. Participants who met the inclusion criteria were randomly allocated into two equal groups: Ladder Training group and Plyometric Training group. Baseline data was collected by Illinois agility test & 40m Sprint test. The training duration was 3 sessions/ week for 6 weeks. Results: The data was analyzed using paired -- t test for within group and Unpaired -- t test for between group. Results showed that both the training methods produced significant improvement in agility & speed performance but ladder training method showed statistically significant difference in agility (p<0.0001) & speed (p<0.0002) than plyometric training. Conclusion: The present study concludes that Ladder training has an added advantageous effect for improving speed and agility in cricket players over plyometric training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crickets (Order Orthoptera, Infraorder Gryllidea) are under-represented in New Zealand, with a total of eight species identified and formally described thus far. These include three endemic species in the family Trigonidiidae: the trig Trigonidium (Metioche) maoricum (Walker, 1869) and the ground crickets Bobilla nigrova (Swan, 1972) and B. bigelowi (Swan, 1972). Scaly crickets (family Mogoplistidae) are naturally absent in New Zealand, but one species, Ornebius aperta Otte & Alexander, 1983, has established after introduction from Australia in the 1970s. In this work, I re-examine the small crickets (families Trigonidiidae and Mogoplistidae) from New Zealand based on 368 specimens collected throughout the country, their morphology, and their song. In the subfamily Nemobiinae, I provide new diagnostic characters to discriminate between the two native species in the genus Bobilla Otte & Alexander, 1983. Additionally, I identify two species in the genus Pteronemobius Jacobson, 1904; these are P. truncatus (Saussure, 1877) and P. cf. arima Otte & Alexander, 1983, both of which are believed to be recent arrivals from Australia. The latter had been thus far undetected in New Zealand. Finally, I describe two new species of mute Nemobiinae belonging to new monotypic genera, Austronemobius chelatus gen. et sp. nov. and Mutonemobius marmoratus gen. et sp. nov. In the subfamily Trigonidiinae, the species Trigonidium (Metioche) maoricum is moved back to the subgenus Trigonidium (Trigonidium) Rambur, 1838 based on morphology. Amended descriptions are provided for this genus and species. The Australian species Trigonidomorpha sjostedti Chopard, 1925 is synonymised with Trigonidium australianum (Chopard, 1925), and the genus Trigonidomorpha Chopard, 1925 is synonymised with Trigonidium Rambur, 1838. In the family Mogoplistidae, I show that Ornebius aperta has established in the Auckland, Waikato, Taranaki and Coromandel regions. Based on song and morphology of the male terminalia, populations in Northland may belong to a separate species, referred to in this work as Ornebius aff. aperta Otte & Alexander, 1983.

This study aims to investigate the effect of using augmented video feedback (AVF)-verbal encouragement feedback (VEF) on the motivation and technical performance of novice cricket athletes. A true experimental method with a random control trial (RCT) design for 11 weeks was adopted in this study. 60 beginner male cricket athletes from the State University of Jakarta (Indonesia) were involved asparticipants in this research. They were divided into two groups, experimental (AVF-VEF, n = 30, 19.2 ± 1.06 years) and control (CG, n = 30,18.9 ± 1.17 years) one. Sport motivation scale-II (SMS-II) and batting, bowling, and fielding were chosen as instruments. Two-way repeated measures ANOVA conducted on motivation and technical performance tests showed a significant effect of Time (all, p

Background Next-generation sequencing technology can now be used to sequence historical specimens from natural history collections, an approach referred to as museomics. The museomics allows obtaining molecular data from old museum-preserved specimens, a resource of biomolecules largely underexploited despite the fact that these specimens are often unique samples of nomenclatural types that can be crucial for resolving scientific questions. Despite recent technical progress, cricket mitogenomes are still scarce in the databases, with only a handful of new ones generated each year from freshly collected material. Methods In this study, we used the genome skimming method to sequence and assemble three new complete mitogenomes representing two tribes of the cricket subfamily Eneopterinae: two were obtained from old, historical type material of Xenogryllus lamottei (68 years old) and X. maniema (80 years old), the third one from a freshly collected specimen of Nisitrus vittatus. We compared their genome organization and base composition, and reconstructed the molecular phylogeny of the family Gryllidae. Results Our study not only confirmed that the genome skimming method used by next generation sequencing allows us to efficiently obtain the whole mitogenome from dry-pinned historical specimens, but we also confirmed how promising it is for large-scale comparative studies of mitogenomes using resources from natural history collections. Used in a phylogenetic context the new mitogenomes attest that the mitogenomic data contain valuable information and also strongly support phylogenetic relationships at multiple time scales.

Advancements in technology have recently allowed us to collect and analyse large-scale fine-grained data about human performance, drastically changing the way we approach sports. Here, we provide the first comprehensive analysis of individual and team performance in One-Day International cricket, one of the most popular sports in the world. We investigate temporal patterns of individual success by quantifying the location of the best performance of a player and find that they can happen at any time in their career, surrounded by a burst of comparable top performances. Our analysis shows that long-term performance can be predicted from early observations and that temporary exclusions of players from teams are often due to declining performances but are also associated with strong comebacks. By computing the duration of streaks of winning performances compared to random expectations, we demonstrate that teams win and lose matches consecutively. We define the contributions of specialists such as openers, all-rounders and wicket-keepers and show that a balanced performance from multiple individuals is required to ensure team success. Finally, we measure how transitioning to captaincy in the team improves the performance of batsmen, but not that of bowlers. Our work emphasizes how individual endeavours and team dynamics interconnect and influence collective outcomes in sports.

Purpose: To determine whether the most important physical qualities in elite Australian male and female cricket pace bowlers change with age and phase of the cricket season. Methods: An existing longitudinal database (7 cricket seasons) of selected and routinely collected physical testing data from 103 male and 58 female elite Australian pace bowlers age 18–30 years was retrospectively analyzed. Male and female physical testing data from the isometric midthigh pull, 1-repetition-maximum bench pull, run-of-3, and countermovement jump (male only) were analyzed separately by performing linear mixed models on each of the physical qualities. Type III analysis-of-variance tests were conducted to determine if a significant effect existed within the fixed effects of age, season phase, and the age × season phase interaction. Appropriate pairwise comparisons were conducted. Results: Absolute and relative measures of force in the isometric midthigh pull and strength in the 1-repetition-maximum bench pull tests were significantly greater in older male and female pace bowlers. Older male pace bowlers demonstrated significantly faster absolute and relative best run-of-3 times. Conclusions: Most physical qualities across both male and female pace bowlers demonstrated an improvement with age. This is likely due to a training effect and would be anticipated to lead to a gradual enhancement of ball release speed, in accordance with previous research. Future research should look to investigate the relationship between the development of physical qualities and ball release speed among elite male and female pace bowlers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we have developed an augmented reality cricket broadcasting application that uses player face recognition during play to display player personal data. The system utilizes the AdaBoost algorithm for player and player face detection, employing a PAL based face recognition model to recognize the faces of players on the field. The system is trained on a large dataset of cricket game footage and achieves high accuracy in detecting and recognizing players’ faces even with several conditions such as occlusion, non-uniform illumination, expression and pose variation. The system has the potential to enhance the viewing experience of cricket games by providing real-time player identification and statistics. The system can also be used in other sports to provide similar benefits. The paper discusses the system’s methodology, results, and implications for the future of sports broadcasting. Overall, the system provides a promising solution for automatic player face detection and recognition in sports broadcasting.