Lower limb muscle strains are as common in elite cricket as they are in other team sports. They can occur during fast bowling, when running between the wickets in batting, running to chase the ball in fielding and during conditioning training. The hamstring strain is the most common lower limb muscle strain and is more common in male than in female players. Elite players appear to be at greater risk than community players. Rates have increased in recent seasons, possibly due to increasing levels of fitness meaning that players run harder between the wickets, when bowling pace and in the field. Another factor is the relative rise of T20 cricket, with an emphasis on trying to both run as many quick singles as possible and also save runs in the field. Hamstring strains are more common in Australia than in other countries because of the larger average size of the playing field. Cricketers need to have a well-managed return-to-play plan from muscle strains as they are highly prone to recurrence and because cricket remains a sport largely without substitute players being available, it is very costly to team performance to lose a player mid-match to a recurrent and potentially preventable injury.