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I believe that cricket has gone backwards with all the new developments with the safety gear. The modern day players don't have the technique that players 20 or 30 years ago had and that is the truth. The bowlers haven't got any quicker as Jeff Thompson in the 70's was bowling at 160 Km'/h which is what a very elite group have achieved since. There are not many bowlers around who have achieved this feat yet batsmen are being hit more frequently today.
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Viv Richards never gave an inch and would only wear his cricket cap. He was hit once and never again. Ian Botham was his team mate at the time and he just said you spit the teeth out and carry on.
I think more and more batsmen will get hit in the future as they have been moddle coddled by the sport whilst learning how to play the game. Look at school kids and I am talking the very young ones who at 10 years of age are wearing helmets. The child bowling at that age is strong enough to get the ball to the stumps, but it wont be dangerous. Maybe at 16 or 17 then it should be up to the parent or child but no one should tell you that it is the law and you have to.
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The freak accident that killed Phil Hughes all those years ago now changed the sport forever. It was unlucky on Phil there is no two ways about it as he was a talented player and was facing one of the fastest bowlers in the world at that time. The helmet was the right call and now the added flaps but what is next. Soon the guys may a s well wear a suit of armor as they have so much padding on.
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A bit over the top now as virtually everything is covered. Why would any batsmen be scared today with all his bits protected?
When I played we had our batting pads, our gloves and a box and if you were rich a thigh guard. I never wore a box as the school kits only had two and most likely had been worn by thousands of kids before me. You just batted more carefully and never let on that you were basically playing commando. By adding all this safety gear as a must for kids today it just limits the number of kids who can afford to play.I also think it adds a fear factor at the same time by forcing them to wear the helmets.
I honestly don't have any strong opinions on this either way... but I imagine the examples you gave of excellent cricketers were maybe one in a million... how many average cricketers in their day were hurt and seriously injured? How many amazing cricketers did we never see because they got too injured to play the game at the elite level? We'll never know because there aren't any statistics on this... but honestly, I don't think someone's life should changed dramatically through injury because they enjoy a sport. The examples you gave are incredible athletes... but the protection isn't for them, it's for all the people that don't have those incredible reflexes. I can't imagine that padding slows down reflexes, it just allows people to play without ruining their life.
I just think it hampers sportsmen from reaching what they could achieve. By putting a helmet on a 10 year old kid you are already sending the wrong message. Maybe at 16 years it could be a decision he/she makes for themselves. Honestly hockey is way more dangerous than cricket and they don't run around in helmets, but in 10 years time I can see it happening.
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We are going to see more and more of this across all sports. The same thing has happened with the Baseball batting helmet and the pieces that they have added on to it over the past couple of years. Perhaps if the players weren't making so much money they wouldn't be so concerned about whether they get injured and can play or not.
I just find it so wrong. No one likes to get injured but there has to be an element of risk for you to perform as it keeps you on the edge. Common sense and survival skills need to come into play.
Just symptomatic of society in general. That slight fear of being hit kept you sharper and on your game . At school it was gloves and pads...and your school was the same as mine in regard to boxes!
Instead of expensive safety gear, might as well scrap it all and play with a tennis ball
My thoughts exactly, let them play with a rubber ball.
I think cricket is a good and interesting game.
Cricket is always cricket.
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Couldn't agree with you more. Seeing this across multiple sports as ice hockey, american football. The equipment bonanza is really limiting the sport to privileged kids..
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