Cricket equipment – safety first

Make sure you have the right cricket equipment for a good, safe game

Obvious dangers

There are some obvious dangers to playing cricket – you’re in the path of a hard ball hurtling towards you at great speed! Some specialist cricket equipment is also necessary for certain fielding positions, like wicketkeepers and for batting. You also need to be physically fit as a game can last for many hours. The nature of a game where repetitive motions when bowling, throwing, and the need to be on the field of play for long spells mean the injuries a cricketer can pick up can be wide ranging.

Proper pads

If a ball has ever hit you on the legs, you’ll know why you need decent pads when you’re batting.  Modern pads are light which makes running easier, but they still provide the required protection.  Vital cricket equipment for wicketkeepers is a decent pair of gloves, and a helmet is a must for all players when batting.

Injuries

Injuries to fingers are the most common, and injuries to elbows and lower arm are common when batting.  Bowlers are prone to back injury and lower limb injuries like twisted ankles and stress fractures. Overall sprains, fractures and bruising are the most common cricket injuries. The most common injury results from a player being hit directly with the ball, so check your cricket equipment is giving you maximum protection.

Safety first

To make the game safer there are some precautions and rules to remember:

• Warm up and stretch before a day's game. A 10 minute warm up of stretches and jogging is normally enough.
• Restrict the number of overs a bowler completes in a session. This depends on his physical condition and maturity. Young bowlers should not be overused as it can lead to injury. 
• The face guard on the helmet should be adjusted to make sure the size of the ball being used cannot pass between the peak of the helmet and the face guard.
• A helmet with a face guard should also be worn if fielding in close. The proper cricket equipment should be worn while batting. This includes helmet with faceguard, body padding, leg pads, forearm pads, gloves and an abdominal protector.
• Comfortable fitting cricket shoes should be worn.  
• Check the field of play for any hazards, broken glass etc, and remove if necessary.
• Maintain the intake of fluids throughout the days play. It's important that adequate supplies of water are available, as the body can lose between 2-3 litres of sweat in an hour in hot conditions.
• Make sure a hat, sunglasses and sun block are used in the appropriate conditions.

Taking sensible precautions and having the correct cricket equipment should save you from injury on the pitch. Head to Talent Cricket for your safety gear.