Cricket is known as ‘The Gentlemen’s Game’, yes, but it is full of some seriously fiery dangers that come in the form of a fast ball. Cricketers are always seen wearing a helmet to protect their head from the potential damage that can be caused by a fast ball. However, what is not seen on the outside are, in many ways, the most important guards of all- the abdominal guards, the chest guards.
Why Abdominal Cricket Guards are Musts?
There have been multiple incidents in the history of cricket till date where a batsman has been severely injured by a fast delivery, be that on the helmet or the chin or the hand. In 1998 Indian cricketer Raman Lamba died on the field being hit by a fast fall on the head while fielding, in 2014 Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes died being hit on the neck by a bouncer while he was batting.
Protection from Fatal Injuries
In Lamba’s case, unfortunately, there was no protection to be advised of and Hughes was wearing his helmet and yet, those fatalities could not be prevented. Both of these were very uncommon incidents. I mean, we have seen a batsman being hit on the helmet on numerous occasions and even on the chin. But those strikes didn’t turn out to be fatal because of the helmet itself. Had the ball hit the head directly, there would be no scope even for checking whether the person in concern is breathing anymore, just like Lamba.
Similarly, if the ball hits the chest, it will immediately stop the heart. Just imagine a wood-made, hard ball coming at you at an average speed of 140-150 kmph and hitting your unprotected chest instead of your bat. What do you think your chances of survival are?
Not trying to scare the young cricketers, just putting out the facts as they are. All the parts of the body can be hit in various ways while playing cricket, because once a bowler throws the ball he doesn’t really have a rewind button to take back an undesirable throw and neither does the batsman or wicket-keeper or the close-in fielders or anyone for that matter.
Confidence to Make the Best Use of Speed with Bat
There are benefits of wearing the abdominal and chest guards while playing cricket in other ways than just protecting your body, well, those are actually bi-products of the protection purpose. Those guards provide a cricketer with the most required confidence to move freely while putting their best efforts to perform on the field.
Because a batsman knows that his/her most vulnerable organs- the heart, the head, the chest, the abdomen, the genital area, the hip- are protected against those hurricane-fast deliveries, s/he can be brave enough to move ahead and pay all his/her attention to make the best use of the speed.
Hands and legs are also protected by wearing pads and those are equally important because you must be in proper shape to play the game you love so much. But your survival is of even more importance and that is why the abdominal and chest guards should be of the utmost importance in cricket. And yet, those are not talked about as much.
Choosing the Perfect Abdominal Guards
The abdominal guards are recommended to wear for protection against the ball’s impact, especially for the batters and wicket-keeper. Even the close-in fielders are also advised to wear these guards. Now that you know how important it is to wear abdominal guards while playing cricket, let’s take you through the information required to choose the right guards for your abdomen, chest and other sensitive areas and ensure you pay all your attention in batting or fielding at your best in every match you play.
Types of Cricket Chest Guards
Abdominal and chest guards are typically made of soft materials like padding or foam. The abdominal guards are designed in different ways for the male and female cricketers. The male abdominal guards have a more convex and cup-like shape, while the female ones are flatter and have more padding. These two types of guards are properly marked for easy identification.
There are three types of cricket chest guards: traditional, body hugging and hybrid. The traditional one is the oldest type and is worn over the cricketer’s shirt or the upper part of the jersey. The body hugging one is self-explanatory. It fits in a closer way while providing better movement range and protection. The hybrid one is a combination of the other two guards.
Factors to Consider in Choosing Abdominal Cricket Guards
Once you know about these types of guards, you can now decide which type will suit your body the most. While choosing the abdominal and chest guards for cricket, there is actually no rocket science; however, you need to consider a few factors while choosing the right guards for yourself and those factors include: size, fitting style, age, gender, level of the match, and of course, your personal preferences.
How to Choose the Right Guards?
You choose your guards based on the material and size that fits you properly. Always take the correct measurements and consult with the manufacturer regarding their size chart and your fitting preferences. Always remember to choose the size that fits your body properly, yet it’s not too tight and leaves enough space for easy movement while not hanging loose from the body.
Maintenance of Abdominal & Chest Guards
How to Wear Cricket Abdominal & Chest Guards?
After you have found the right type of abdominal and chest guards to protect your body from the ball’s impact while playing cricket, it’s very important to wear them the right way and maintain them properly for optimal, long-term usage. The abdominal guards are worn directly over the genital area. Make sure the curved face of the guard is facing outward while you’re wearing them and secure the guard with a jockstrap or compression pants.
The cricket chest guards are designed in two parts: a loop and a padded area and these two parts are joined by a velcro/strap. Right-handed batsman is to wear the loop over the right shoulder and the left-handed batsman is to wear it on the left shoulder. While strapping the padded area with the loop, make sure the guard snuggles the chest and covers the area.
Maintenance of Cricket Abdominal & Chest Guards
To use your guard for a long-term in a proper shape, clean the guards with a damp piece of cloth and remove all the sweat & dirt. A mild detergent may also be used to clean the abdominal & chest guards, however, using bleach or fabric softeners can damage the materials.
Store the guards in a cool, dry place away from the direct sunlight and never crush or fold them as that will damage the material and hamper the protection purpose. It is needless to say that you must change your guards every 1-2 years, as the materials lose their effectiveness within this period of time, or whenever you notice some wear & tear on the guards.
Final Verdict
Cricket guards- be that abdominal guard or leg pad or whichever one- are recommended to wear to make sure the cricketers can perform at their best without any stress regarding their body’s protection. Therefore, it is very important to pay close attention to the size & fitting of the guards as well as your budget while choosing one for yourself. To sum it all up, here’s a check-list:
- Take your body measurements very carefully
- Select the material that feels best to your skin
- Try the guards to test fitting before final purchase
- Set aside a healthy budget, but don’t splurge unnecessarily
- Do the maintenance of your cricket guards as instructed
Need one stop guide on choosing the perfect kit for your cricket career? Be sure to check out:
How To Choose The Right Cricket Kit Bag That Fits All Your Needs?
