• Dulan Kodikara, Mandy S Plumb, and Dara M Twomey.
• School of Health & Life Sciences, Federation University Australia, Australia. Electronic address: d.kodikara@federation.edu.au.
• J Sci Med Sport. 2020 Dec 1; 23 (12): 1161-1165.

ObjectivesTo present an epidemiological profile of hospital-treated head, neck and facial cricket injuries from 2007/08 to 2016/17 in Victoria, Australia.DesignRetrospective analysis of emergency department and hospital admission data.MethodsAn analysis of Victorian hospital-treated head, neck and facial cricket injuries of all cricket participants over 5 years old between July 2007 and June 2017.ResultsOver the decade, 3907 head, neck, facial (HNF) cricket injuries were treated in Victorian hospitals. The number of HNF cricket injuries substantially increased in the 2014/15 season from 367 to 435 injuries and remained over 400 in the subsequent years. More injuries were reported for male compared to female participants, 3583 compared to 324 injuries. When adjusted for participation in competitive cricket, the injury incidence rate was 1.3 per 1000 participants for males and 0.4 per 1000 participants for females. The 10-14year age group most frequently required hospital treatment. Open wounds were the most common type of injury (1166, 29.8%) and the main mechanism for HNF cricket injury for this decade was hit/struck/crush (3361, 86.0%).ConclusionsThis study provides a novel and current insight of the incidence and details of HNF injuries among cricket participants in Victoria over a decade. It is evident that males and younger participants, regardless of gender, have a higher risk of sustaining a HNF injury. This study provides a solid evidence base for stakeholders in developing strategies to minimise head, neck and facial injuries to make cricket a safe sport for all.Copyright © 2020 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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