Cricket garb has come a long way since Sir Vivian Richards would come to the wicket with little more protective equipment than a cap, chewing gum and a twirling Duncan Fearnley bat.
Even in the unlikely event that you are fortunate enough to see the red cherry like a beach ball in the manner of the Antiguan legend, having the right protective equipment has become a prerequisite to getting the most out of your time in the middle.
The usual young batter coming to the wicket may well be donning a helmet, chest guard, thigh guard, forearm protector, in addition to the usual gloves, box and pads even Richards deigned to wear.
Long gone are the cricket steel toe-capped boots (which might as well have taken off a road workman and dipped in white paint) or the sight of a fast bowler cutting a hole in the top of his shoe.
Modern equipment has better protection and allows players to move easily, while being tailored for all too.
Former England cricketer and current commentator Lydia Greenway has been a key mover in this space, setting up The Female Cricket Store to promote equipment which cater to the 1m+ school-age girls who now enjoy the sport.
“You used to wear small adult pads and never question it: you’d have a big strap hanging down from your pads, would struggle to run and on occasion, the ball would flick it on the way to the keeper and give you out,” Greenway said.
“For young girls, the main benefit is pads being slightly narrower and lightweight to suit women’s calves, with straps shorter on gloves as well to fit wrists better.”
The choice now is so plentiful, that finding out where to start can be the challenge. As Daniel Inkpen from equipment specialists Kent Cricket Direct explains, nowhere is this a bigger issue than in choosing your lid.
“There are 13 different types of helmet shapes,” Inkpen says. “They all meet the specifications. The main difference is what fits you.”
Best protective gear at a glance
- Best overall: Masuri Legacy Helmet - £56, Pro:Direct
- Best girls’ entry batting pads: SM HK Special Pads - £24, SM Cricket
- Best for women’s footwear: Me+U Women’s Cricket Shoes - £89, Cricket Direct
- Best budget arm guard: Gunn & Moore Cricket Wrist Guard - £9.95, Amazon
- Best chest protector: Kookaburra Pro Guard 500 Upper Body Protector - £22.99, Discount Cricket Outlet
- Best thigh guard: Valkyrie Combo Thigh Guard - £44, The Female Cricket Store
- Best wicket keeping gloves: Gunn & Moore Original - £150, Kent Cricket Direct
- Best mid-range batting gloves: Gray Nicolls GN200 - £28.74, Amazon
- Best girls batting gloves: SM SK111 - £54, The Female Cricket Store
- Best box: Fortress Abdo Guard - £4.99, Amazon
With this in mind, we wade through the crowded market to find you the gems.
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Masuri Legacy Helmet
Best for: overall/youth helmet
The choice of helmet is, along with the bat, the one which cricketers are likely to spend the longest fretting over, the one which it is wise to try before you buy with the choice often down to individual preference of fit.
That said, it is hard to find better value in the market than the Masuri Legacy Helmet. As with all of the major brands’ helmets, it matches ECB specifications with a moulded outer shell with shock absorber inner lining.
“It is very compact and comfortable, with a good neck guard which doesn’t feel too heavy,” Greenway said.
Available in S, M, L and XL sizes.
Buy now £56.00, Pro:Direct
SM HK Special Pads
Best for: Entry Level Girls Pads
Boasting many of the features of the top of the range equipment, designed with England skipper Heather Knight, this is a fantastic product for young girls beginning in the game.
The SM HK Special Pads are fitted with plastazote padded curvature to wrap around the slenderest thigh, a malleable knee bolster for ease of movement and protective padded shin bolsters to give full confidence.
The shorter straps, with strong hook and loop closure, ensure a fit for the differing size of young batter and the overall package is so light that is will barely restrict young players from racing for a quick single.
Buy now £24.00, SM
Me+U Women’s All Rounder shoes
Best for: Women’s footwear
As many an amateur runner has discovered, injuries can often be put down to wearing the wrong footwear. Despite women’s cricket’s exponential growth, for too long cricket shoes were not suited for their players.
“Me+U are the first from anywhere in the UK to make a specific cricket shoe for the female foot,” Greenway, who helped develop the product, said. The Me+U Women’s All-Rounder provides additional protective support to women’s higher arch while also giving forefoot and heel support to transfer load into the ground, whether batting or bowling.
“I had a lot of ankle injuries when I was playing. I might not have done [if I were] wearing these,” Greenway adds.
Buy now £89.00, Cricket Direct
Gunn & Moore Cricket Wrist Guard
Best for: Budget arm guard
It is no good going into bat wrapped like a mummy: players need the right protective equipment which leaves them with the ability to use their front arm to guide the bat with confidence and speed, no matter the bowler.
The Gunn & Moore Cricket Wrist Guard offers a strong protective element with a hard outer shell, with high-density foam absorbing shock from any blow. It is then covered with towelling giving the appearance and feel of sweat bands worn by cricketers like Curtly Ambrose or Shane Warne.
The bargain price gives young batsmen the ability to don gear favoured by many in professional batters, while wiping sweat from one’s brow after swatting the ball to the boundary.
Buy now £9.95, Amazon
Kookaburra Pro Guard 500 Upper Body Protector
Best for: Chest Protector
In the early stages, talented batters pile runs and misery on bowlers in equal measure. However, whether through elevation through cricket age ranks or the physical development of their contemporaries, bowlers will begin to make the pull and hook shots a dangerous endeavour.
The necessary protective elements come from foam inserts to ensure the body’s side and ribs are protected if a quick ball sneaks through. Fitted inside an elasticated vest with base layer fit, the result is a sleek body protector which fits comfortably under the shirt with barely any restriction of movement.
“It tests to the same level as others and a lot of people are moving towards it as it is less bulky for kids,” Inkpen says.
Buy now £22.99, Discount Cricket Outlet
Valkyrie Combo Thigh Guard
Best for: Thigh Guard
The combination thigh guard is becoming increasingly popular and far less intrusive than the original thigh pads which felt like sticking a swimming float down your leg.
“We sell it as body armour because it gives people more confidence,” Inkpen says. An improved design this year has made the Viking Valkyrie Combo Thigh Guard an even more comfortable accessory.
Built to protect both thighs when batting, as always with Valkyrie products, the product is crafted with high-end materials. The padded HD foam protects girls when bowlers get speedier and bounce less predictable. Allowing talented young women to retain the confidence which got their batting to this level while not restricting her movement.
“Others don’t offer this feature for girls,” Greenway adds. As always the embossed Valkyrie design adds a stylish edge to even the most prosaic of accessories.
Buy now £44.00, Viking Cricket
Gunn & Moore Original WK Gloves
Best for: Adult wicket keepers
These don’t come in junior sizes and had to be scrutinised by MCC Laws because they seem unfair.
The gloves are advertised as offering keepers an increased grip of up to 50 per cent, the sticky Teknik palm makes the sweet spot in the middle of the glove appear bigger ensuring even the most butter-fingered would have a chance of holding on to a catch if it hits the gloves. The aniline leather also gives it a comfort that old keepers could have dreamt of.
The only issue, aside from the price, is the lack of excuse it gives for any drops.
Shop Gunn & Moore’s Amazon store here.
Buy now £150.00, Kent Cricket Direct
Gray Nicolls GN200 Batting Gloves
Best for: Youth batting gloves
Any batter will tell you the importance of the right gloves, needing to straddle the necessities of protecting exposed bones and gripping the bat.
“You get two main types, straight ones, sausage fingers we call them, or ones with loads of joints and more flex,” explains Dan Inkpen at the Kent Cricket Direct Store. “There’s no difference in protection really, but a lot of people like the joints. You’ve got more flex and movement and you can feel the bat.”
And the danger of having your digits broken? “You’re not going to feel it if you get hit by a village or club standard ball. Unless you’re playing county you’re not going to need more.”
Buy now £28.74, Amazon
SM HK111 Batting Gloves
Best for: Youth girls batting gloves
“This is our best seller at The Female Cricket Store,” Greenway says of the Heather Knight Range.
Fitted with Ether Flex Sheet protection for the thumb and lining, this is specially designed for young women and girls to bat strong and long. The moulded fibre shells and plastazote rods enable easy grip on the handle. Redesigned this year, they are up to 30 per cent more hardwearing than previously, without losing any of the grip. Crucially the specially tailored narrow wrist towelling with embossed hook and loop makes it feel an extension of a young female players’ hand.
Buy now £54.00, The Female Cricket Store
Fortress Abdo Guard
Best for: Abdomen protection
It is claimed that the first box was worn in 1874, a century before the first helmet was donned in a cricket match, giving some indication about men’s priorities and fears when facing the leather ball.
All abdo guards (the current name for the box) are tested to ensure they fulfil the primary intention. This Fortress model with durable ABS plastic is no exception and the padded outer lining with PU lining covering the foam surround ensures a comforting fit.
It’s impossible to claim you won’t notice wearing it, but neither would you want to be without it.
Buy now £4.99, Amazon
Verdict
In what can be a costly market for parents, the Masuri Legacy Helmet at a reasonable price gives parents the opportunity to kit out their child with professional-style equipment which enables protection but not at the expense of being able to play the game.
