Cricket helmet

Cricket helmets
Indian batsmen wearing helmets

In the sport of cricket, batsmen often wear a helmet to protect themselves from injury or concussion by the cricket ball, which is very hard and can be bowled to them at speeds over 90 miles per hour (140 km/h). Cricket helmets cover the whole of the head, and have a grill or perspex visor to protect the face. Often constructed with a carbon fibre and Kevlar shell, the helmet is designed to deflect cricket balls as well as shield the wearer from impact, and its liner includes an inflatable element to tightly fit the helmet to its wearer's head.[1]

Fielders who are positioned very close to the batsman (e.g. silly point or short leg) often wear a helmet and shin guards. Nowadays it is almost unheard of for a professional cricketer to face a fast bowler without a helmet. Some batsmen prefer not to wear a helmet when facing spin bowling.

History

There are recorded instances of cricketers using scarves and padded caps to protect themselves throughout cricket history. Patsy Hendren was one of the first to use a self designed protective hat in the 1930s. Helmets were not in common use until the 1970s. The first helmets were seen in World Series Cricket, with Dennis Amiss being the first player to consistently wear a helmet.[2][3]

Mike Brearley was another player who wore his own design. Tony Greig was of the opinion that they would make cricket more dangerous by encouraging bowlers to bounce the batsmen. Graham Yallop of Australia was the first to wear a protective helmet to a test match on 17 March 1978, when playing against West Indies at Bridgetown.[1] Later Dennis Amiss of England popularised it in Test cricket. Helmets began to be widely worn thereafter.

The last batsmen at the highest (Test match) level to never wear a helmet throughout his career was Viv Richards, who retired from the international game in 1991.

Modern day cricket helmets

Modern day cricket helmets are made in compliance recent safety standards of ICC.[4] Materials used for making cricket helmets are impact resistance materials like ABS Plastic, Fibreglass, carbon fibre, titanium, steel and high density foam etc. Main parts of a cricket helmets are grill (made with steel or carbon fibre), chin strap, inner foam material, outer impact resistant shell etc.

Legislation

As of 2017, the International Cricket Council has refused to pass laws requiring the wearing of helmets, rather leaving the decision to each test nation to decide for themselves.[5] However, although it is not obligatory for a batsman to wear a helmet, should he chose to do so, the helmet must comply with specific safety requirements, a rule all the test playing nations have agreed to.[6]

In first class cricket, as of 2016, the England and Wales Cricket Board requires all batsmen, wicketkeepers and fielders closer than 8 yards from the wicket to wear helmets.[7][8] This is mandatory even when facing medium-pace and spin bowling.[9] Cricket Australia requires batsmen to wear helmets at all times.[10] New Zealand Cricket and the Board of Control for Cricket in India do not require batsmen to wear helmets.[11][12][13]

Opposition from players

Many players refused to wear helmets, either believing that they obstructed their vision when batting, or, just as in the similar debate in ice hockey, feeling helmets were unmanly, a view held by many spectators. Englishman Dennis Amiss was the first player to wear a helmet in the modern game, during a World Series Cricket match, for which both the crowd and other players mocked him.[14] Australian captain Graham Yallop was booed when he wore one in a 1978 match against the West Indies (the first time a helmet was worn in a test match) and West Indian captain Viv Richards viewed such protection as cowardly.[15][15] India captain Sunil Gavaskar believed that helmets slowed down a batsman's reflexes and refused to wear one.[16] In more recent times, many batsmen have felt that modern helmet designs have become increasingly obstructive. Most notably, England captain Alastair Cook for a time refused to wear a new helmet complying to ICC safety regulations since he felt it was distracting and uncomfortable.[17] His England teammate Jonathan Trott also refused for similar reasons, and teammate Nick Compton (a close friend of Phillip Hughes) felt that the new regulations were overzealous.[18]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "England opener Michael Carberry's space-age helmet turns heads". The Daily Telegraph (Sydney). News Corp Australia. 22 November 2013. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
  2. ↑ Briggs, Simon. "Amiss unearths helmet that changed the game". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 15 January 2013.
  3. ↑ "The bravery of the batsman". The Economist. 26 November 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2014. until the late 1970s helmets were unheard of; batsmen wore nothing to protect their noggins except a cloth cap. When they began to creep into the game—Dennis Amiss, an English batsman, is usually cited as the first to wear one regularly during the 1978 World Series Cricket tournament—they were essentially adapted motorcycle helmets. Batsmen who donned them were sometimes mocked as cowards.
  4. ↑ "ICC announces new regulations for helmet safety". Cricinfo. Retrieved 2017-04-20.
  5. ↑ "ICC introduces new helmet regulations". Icc-cricket.com. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  6. ↑ "ICC announces new regulations for helmet safety". Espncricinfo.com. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  7. ↑ "ECB confirms professional cricketers must wear helmets". Espncricinfo.com. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  8. ↑ "Helmets must be worn by professional cricketers in England next season". The Guardian. 27 November 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  9. ↑ "Helmet use to be made mandatory in first-class cricket in England". Bbc.co.uk. 26 November 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  10. ↑ Wigmore, Tim (25 November 2015). "Australia leads the way on helmet safety, but not all cricket nations have followed". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  11. ↑ "New Zealand Cricket to bring in new safety measures, but helmets set to stay optional". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  12. ↑ "CRICKET WELLINGTON - New Zealand Cricket's Helmet Policy". Cricketwellington.co.nz. 17 November 2016. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  13. ↑ "Cricket is a game but life isn't: BCCI must learn from the past to make helmets compulsory at all levels". Firstpost.com. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  14. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2017-12-06. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
  15. 1 2 Linden, Julian. "Cricket-Batsman's death turns attention on helmets". Uk.reuters.com. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  16. ↑ "Gavaskar didn't wear helmets because of reading habit". India Today. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  17. ↑ Selvey, Mike (15 April 2016). "Alastair Cook treads a fine line with his batting helmet stubbornness - Mike Selvey". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  18. ↑ Hoult, Nick (18 April 2016). "Jonathan Trott joins Alastair Cook in rejecting new safety approved helmet". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
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