Cricket Helmet : Safety First To Prevent Head Injuries

The first cricket helmet was designed in 1974, and the first testicular guard (Box) was created in 1874. The cricket helmet was created to protect against severe brain damage caused by being struck on the head by a cricket ball. The cricket helmet was designed as a means of defense against short fast pitched bowling deliveries that hit batters on the head. As the game grew more popular everywhere in the world and also in Australia, batters began to utilize helmets as a defensive measure while close fielders and wicket keepers utilized them for that purpose. Batsmen may still get injured when using helmets, and serious quick bowlers operate at the highest level of the game.

A Brief History of the Cricket Helmet

Although cricket helmets have taken a while to be accepted as a form of protection, the fact is that fast bowlers bowl at speeds up to 90 miles per hour, 150 kilometers per hour, and yet they have been slow to be embraced by cricket.

With the increased acceptance of helmets worn by batters in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the game that had historically valued tradition and oddities made the common sense breakthrough.

The earliest cricket helmets, on the other hand, were made of leather and were used by cricketers from as early as 1931. They have, however, been worn by cricket players since the 1930s, when Patsy Hendren wore a homemade helmet with three peaks to protect himself while playing against the West Indies.

Players have created rudimentary skull caps from these early devices, and players exploring various designs and making homemade skull caps were two that sprung to mind.

You can see the helmet's progress in these photographs, starting with Sunil Gavaskar with his Skull Cap and ending with Dennis Amiss wearing a motorbike style helmet.

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Dennis Amiss and Tony Greig began to don cricket helmets with motor cycle influences in the 1970s, as they strove to combat the real danger posed by their generation's fast bowlers, particularly in World Series Cricket.

The English cricketer Geoffrey Boycott, during a Test match against the West Indies in 1978, was the first batsman to don a helmet.

New Helmet Technology: Recent Developments

The most up-to-date discoveries in helmet technology have allowed it to be produced on a wide scale across the cricket world, making it more accessible to many young cricketers.

The steel visor is constructed of either moulded plastic or man-made fibres set in resin, and fits into the helmet by the ears. It is bolted on to the helmet using reinforced fittings.

We can see from the examples in these photos that two are conventional helmets and one is a ‘next-generation' helmet with better ventilation to keep the players' heads cooler.

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The balance between comfort and safety is one of the most essential things to consider when purchasing a cricket helmet. The helmet should be comfy yet safe check out our collection at western sports centre for your next helmet. Make sure there are enough ventilation holes on the helmet so you don't have to cook inside it when it's hot outside. It's tough enough to bat in the heat without having to cook within your helmet. Check for a safety certification sticker on the helmet to ensure that it meets high standards of production.

Fielders and Wicket Keepers Wearing Helmets

Fielders wear cricket helmets while fielding near the batter, generally at short leg or silly mid off, waiting for an opportunity to grab a catch. Helmets were worn by wicketkeepers in the sub-continent beginning in the early 20th century, particularly on wickets where the ball bounced and kicked up erratically. Most keepers now wear helmets while standing up against the stumps, focusing on spinners and medium pacers.

Safety Rules

It is now compulsory for under-19 cricket players to wear a helmet while batting or fielding within close proximity of the bat.