Identification of personal and ground safety measures in cricket and football games and examination of the relationship of safety measures with the performance of cricket and football players. In addition to diet and a healthy lifestyle, participation in sports and physical activities has been very significant in a healthy life. Playing sports helps to trim down the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. However, in the field of sports, particularly in action and physical sports, the risk of injury is always there. Its reasons may be diverse; in some cases, it may be due to defective or sub-standard playing equipment or playing field; in another, it may be either due to lack of proper warming up the body, or it may be on account of the fitness level of the player. Literature has confirmed that around 20% of sports-related injuries are treated in hospitals (Popovych et al., 2019c). So far as the ratio of the incidents of sports injuries in terms of their severity is concerned, they are mild in nature, however, a sizable number of these happen to have been serious such as knee injuries and sudden concussions, etc. These types of injuries prevent the player for a longer period of time out of the field of sports.

On the other hand, there are a number of safety measures to prevent sports injuries like safe equipment, proper sports infrastructures and personal preparedness, proper playing techniques, and fitness of the player. In addition to following the rules of the game and having injury prevention knowledge; following instructions of the trainers and coaches also serves vital in minimizing the chances of occurrence of sports injuries. The role of safety measures in sports has a significant role in perspectives of rendering the player safe in terms of injuries likely to occur in sports activities and improved sports performance.

Cricket is a team game played in controlled surroundings. It is normally played outdoors where players are confronted with the natural weather, sunlight, and open-air environment. Cricket is a fast-flowing game in which the physical agility and mobility skills of the players are involved. There are a number of safety and health-related aspects which require prior and due attention on the part of the player enabling them to perform up to the maximum without confronting any type of disruption on account of any sports injury or incapacity of any other performance-related bodily organs of the player.

Like Cricket, competition in Football mostly takes place in the open air in a natural environment. Football is known as the most tough and active contact sport which simultaneously requires strength, power, speed, stamina, endurance agility, flexibility as well as neuro-muscular coordination. This game is also viewed as more technical as well as tactical. This game exerts strain on the player's body due to frequent bursts of running and struggling to take or keep control of the ball. There are a few specific personal and ground safety measures in Football that may prove very useful in minimizing the chances of occurrence of sports injuries during the game. Different types of sports gear have been used to avoid injuries during practice as well as competition. The most commonly used safety equipment includes pads, gloves, helmets, shoes, mouth guards, testicle guards, thigh pads, etc. In developed countries, there are national policies to promote physical activities and sports, endorsed by the sports sector and local authorities. But, only a few sports organizations took strategies for safety in sports. Each sport requires its own specific safety measures due to its own characteristics and injury profile which needs a customized set of safety measures to prevent the risk of injuries. No measure and no equipment completely rule out the chances of occurrence of injuries in sports however, a few personal and ground safety measures and protective equipment in Cricket and Football play important roles in this regard.

Football is a naturally exciting and entertaining activity with fast-paced big actions. It is a manly event and novices may end up after sustaining minor injury during the early days. The common injuries from Football include ankle-sprain, hamstring pulls, muscle cramps, knee-joint injuries, and stress fracture; which appear while playing during injury. Cricket game is a non-contact sport and the main reason behind the occurrence of injuries in Cricket is associated with the overuse phenomenon. Furthermore, since it is played in hot seasons, dehydration and heat damage are common among the players. In Cricket, players are normally confronted with sprains, strain, pulled muscles, fractures, wounds, heat stroke, fatigue, and exhaustion. On the contrary, Football is a contact sport and, in addition to the personal and environmental issues, the action of the opponent during tackling or heading in the shape of collusion may sometimes prove hurting activity causing injury. Preventing injury while playing Cricket and Football needs proper attention to the personal capacity, external environment, playing equipment, and the condition of the playing area.

Popovych & Blynova (2019) have reported that most playground injuries occur during working days and in the months of April and May. They also stated that from 2001 to 2008, 40 deaths in the US were associated with equipment (playground). Out of these 40 deaths, 68% had died from strangulation through equipment and 15% died from falling on the surface of playgrounds. It was also reported that girls sustain treated injuries, 45%, slightly less often than boys, 55%. Popovych et al. (2019a) have compiled safety rules and measures for the prevention of injuries in Cricket encircling ground, players, environment, and execution of the rules and regulations.

Since sports is the field of action and interaction among the players on their way to domination in performance, injury, hurt, stress, anxiety, disappointment, frustration, and, on the other hand, fun, entertainment, satisfaction, and domination in performance go side by side (Popovych et al., 2019b). Woessner et al. (2024) evaluated common injuries in Football, Basketball, and gymnastics. In Football games, they described the most frequent injuries like muscular strain, fracture, lower limb muscular pain, dehydration, and muscular sprain and stress fracture. For these, they suggested safety measures or strategies like proper tackling, proper protective equipment, and proper hydration. Newman et al. (2023) illustrated that sports and physical activity are transforming the societies in which they practice. They explained that, in competitive and non-competitive sports, neither governments nor sports federations are able to manage the safety problems alone. In other words, these agencies deliver policy and practices in an uncoordinated way that they ignore the need for a concurrent policy for safety measures in sports.

According to Meng and Qiao (2021), the sphere of sports injuries has been quite vast generally associated with sports action, sports equipment, sports technology, and sports environment. Acute and overuse injuries have been the two major types of injuries confronted by junior, senior, and elite athletes (Taylor & Attia, 2000). Sports injuries have been one of the basic factors limiting the chances of players to excel and attain a high level of performance. Addressing this vital aspect of sports has been a matter of great significance in terms of improving the performance of the players and extending their sports life (Hanlon et al., 2019). Research has confirmed that the accumulative role of sports injuries is very frustrating with reference to preventing the athlete from action rather than directing them to forced surgery, quitting the field of action, impeding the smooth flow of progression of player's performance, and in acute cases resulting in lifelong disability (Timpka et al., 2018). The field of sports and the occurrence of injuries have been inevitable whether it is action sports, team sports, recreational sports, competitive sports, or individual sports. Occurrence of sports injuries is a sad back and a type of accident causing the affected one psychological, emotional, physical as well as social agony, disappointment, frustration, and pain (Richlan et al., 2023). Brewer (2023) described that irrespective of the nature, action sports have always been susceptible to injury despite taking different types of preventive and precautionary measures. King et al. (2023) have documented that most cases of sports-related injuries are associated with sports events involving running and body contact.

1. To identify the significant personal and ground safety measures in Cricket and Football.

2. To examine the level of awareness of personal and ground safety measures among Cricket and Football players.

3. To analyze the relationship between safety measures and performance of the Cricket and Football players.

Hypotheses

1. H0: Cricket and Football games have no significant personal and ground safety measures.

2. H1: Cricket and Football games have significant personal and ground safety measures.

3. H0: Cricket and Football players have no significant awareness of personal and ground safety measures.

4. H1: Cricket and Football players have significant awareness about personal and ground safety measures.

5. H0: Personal and ground safety measures have no positive relationship with the performance of Cricket and Football players.

6. H1: Personal and ground safety measures have a positive relationship with the performance of Cricket and Football players.

The researcher adopted a survey methodology for this research study. The population for this study comprised 100 players from different clubs of Cricket and Football from four universities in the district of Abbott Abad. A purposive sampling technique was used for the selection of the sample. Safety Measurement Scale (SMS) and Self Performance Reporting Measurement Scale (SPRMS) were used for the collection of data regarding the effect of safety measures on the performance of the players. Descriptive statistics (Mean/Median, Standard Deviation, Ratios), in addition to Regression analysis, Correlation, and T-test were used in the analysis of data.

Regression Model: Y = ?0 + X1 ?1 + X2 ?2 + ?

Where Y = Performance, X1 is Personal Safety Measures, X1 is Ground Safety Measures, and ? = random error term.

Note: Statistical test was applied with ? = 0.05 level of significance

To analyze the relationship between personal and ground safety measures with performance was the basic purpose of the study. A sample size of 100 players of Cricket and Football players was selected and their responses were collected through personal and ground safety measure scales. The results are discussed below.

The results of the t-test are listed in Table 1, these results show that there is a non-significant (p<0.05) difference between the mean values of the levels of the Cricket and Football players regarding personal and ground safety measures. Therefore, it is concluded that the players of both games Cricket and Football have the same level of awareness in relation to personal and ground safety measures.

Correlation Analysis

**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed);

The table shows the results of the correlation analysis of the study variables. The results indicate that the performance of the Cricket and Football players has positive and significant (p<0.05) correlation with personal safety measures (r=0.59) and ground safety measures (r=0.90). The results also show that ground safety measures have a high correlation with performance as compared to personal safety measures.

Regression Analysis

To determine the effect of personal safety measures (PSM) and ground safety measures (GSM) on sports performance (SP) among Cricket and Football players, the regression analysis is applied to the study variables. The study regression model is defined as below:-

Model

Sport Performance = f (Personal Safety Measures, Ground Safety Measures) + Random Term

SP = ?₀ + ?₁ (PSM) + ?₂ (GSM) +?

Where ?₀ is the intercept of the regression line, ?₁ & ?₂ are the slopes (rate of change) of the line and ? is the random or error term.

R= Correlation of observed & predicted values, R²= R-Square, SE= Standard error of estimate

The above table depicts the figures reflecting performance of the Cricket and Football players in relation to PSM and GSM. The value of R-square (0.82), for the model shows that 82% of the variability in the performance of the players can be explained by the regression model. The value of R-square is greater than 0.6, which shows that the model is the best fit.

df=Degree of Freedom, F=Statistic of F-Distribution, p=Probability value for testing of hypothesis

The above table depicts the values of ANOVA, reflecting the performance of the Cricket and Football players on the basis of PSM and GSM.

Table-5

Regression Coefficients of the Models ( n=100)

SE= Standard error of estimate, t=Statistic of t-distribution, p= Probability value

The un-standardized regression coefficients in the figures show that PSM and GSM have a positive effect on players' performance. Further, p and t values indicate that PSM has an insignificant (p<0.05) effect while GSM has a significant (p<0.05) effect on the performance of Cricket and Football players.

The basic objective of the study was to evaluate and determine the awareness of safety measures among Cricket and Football players and the effect of these measures on their performance. For this purpose, 100 players of Cricket and Football were selected. The average age of the players was 18.70 ±1.83 years. The sample contained 50% Cricket and 50% Football players. The mean and standard deviation (SD) of the personal safety measures, ground safety measures, and performance scales were 3.34±0.40, 3.34±0.70 and 3.13±0.46, respectively. It was concluded that awareness about safety measures and performance levels of the players were significantly above the moderate level. The non-significant difference was reflected in the results in perspectives of the awareness levels of both the group's Cricket and Football players. The performance of the Cricket and Football players has a positive and significant correlation with personal safety measures and ground safety measures. The personal and ground safety measures had a positive effect on players' performance. The personal safety measures were insignificant while ground safety measures had a significant effect on the performance of Cricket and Football players.