The science behind the game: Inside cricket’s first sports medicine textbook

In this episode of the SASMA Podcast, cricket clinician Nick Pereira sits down with John W. Orchard and Benita Olivier — editors and co-authors of Cricket Sports Medicine — to unpack the making of cricket’s first dedicated sports medicine textbook and what it means for the future of the game.Bringing together contributors from across the global cricket landscape, the textbook represents a landmark step in bridging the gap between research, rehabilitation, performance, and real-world clinical practice. Across 39 chapters, it explores the unique medical and performance demands of cricket, from injury epidemiology and rehabilitation to youth athlete development and return-to-play decision making.Drawing on his experience as former Chief Medical Officer of Cricket Australia, Dr Orchard shares insights from decades working at the highest level of the game, including the persistent challenge of lumbar stress injuries in fast bowlers, the realities of load management, and how clinicians can better use injury surveillance and classification systems in practice. Prof Olivier provides the academic lens, discussing the collaborative process behind the textbook, the importance of standardising knowledge in cricket medicine, and the ongoing challenge of translating evidence into meaningful clinical outcomes.The link to purchase the textbook is available below: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-96-6321-7