Relationship between Anthropometric Measures and Physical Performance in Cricketers: A Cross-Sectional Analysis
Abstract
Background: Cricket requires coordinated movement, strength, agility, and physical conditioning, while anthropometric characteristics may provide useful contextual information for athlete profiling. However, the relationship between anthropometric characteristics and functional movement performance in cricketers remains insufficiently characterized. Objective: To determine the associations between selected anthropometric characteristics and functional movement performance among active male cricketers. Methodology: This cross-sectional study included 151 male cricketers recruited from five cricket clubs and academies in Lahore, Pakistan. Anthropometric characteristics included height, body weight, body mass index (BMI), waist and hip circumferences, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), body fat percentage, and limb and chest girths. Functional movement performance was assessed using the Functional Movement Screen (FMS). Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 23.0, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to examine associations between anthropometric variables, limb dominance, and FMS scores. Results: BMI showed a significant positive correlation with functional movement performance (r = 0.223, p = 0.006), whereas waist girth demonstrated a significant negative correlation (r = -0.179, p = 0.028). WHR, body fat percentage, chest girth, hand dominance, and leg dominance were not significantly associated with FMS scores. BMI was strongly and inversely correlated with height (r = -0.651, p < 0.001) and positively correlated with mid-thigh girth (r = 0.419, p < 0.001) and mid-arm girth (r = 0.269, p = 0.001). Conclusion: Selected anthropometric characteristics, particularly BMI and waist girth, were associated with functional movement performance in male cricketers, whereas WHR, body fat percentage, chest girth, and limb dominance were not. Integrating anthropometric profiling with functional movement screening may provide useful information for individualized cricket conditioning and performance monitoring.