The Baconator
International Vice-Captain
Have to wear one at my age level ATM. I've been hit once , when I top edged a sweep off it, and subsequently got out handled the ball biffing the ball away from the keeper.
dont cross bat then! u can score runs without, iv found after cutting out the cut and pull that my average has gone up 3 fold, to the point where ive gone from handy no 9/10 to no3 and mainstay of our batting line up, you dont need every shot in the book to be sucessful, eg, that richardson guy for nz, he started off as a bowler didnt he?adharcric said:Anyone who doesn't wear one is just stupid, IMO. It's not about having good reflexes. The ball can top-edge off a cross-batted shot and smack you straight in the face. Things like this actually happen. If you care about your well-being at all, you should be wearing one.
If it isn't comfortable, go look for a different helmet, deal with it or be prepared to get owned.
That's irrelevant. The cross-batted stroke is just one way to accidentally hurt yourself. It's also unlikely that you'd play a ball coming at your face with a straight bat. You'd duck or pull and who knows if it takes a sharp bounce and hits you flush in the face ... people can do what they want, but I just think it's stupid to take a risk like that. Same goes for the box.albo97056 said:dont cross bat then! u can score runs without, iv found after cutting out the cut and pull that my average has gone up 3 fold, to the point where ive gone from handy no 9/10 to no3 and mainstay of our batting line up, you dont need every shot in the book to be sucessful, eg, that richardson guy for nz, he started off as a bowler didnt he?
Yeah, pretty much. Certainly at professional level (as the original poster asks), I wouldn't contemplate going out there without one. Back when I played I often wore one without a grille/visor, but that was more due to laxness of team resources than anything else.adharcric said:Anyone who doesn't wear one is just stupid, IMO. It's not about having good reflexes. The ball can top-edge off a cross-batted shot and smack you straight in the face. Things like this actually happen. If you care about your well-being at all, you should be wearing one.
If it isn't comfortable, go look for a different helmet, deal with it or be prepared to get owned.
IMO it's only annoying if you're not used to it. Just like running with pads can be annoying for guys who are used to tennis-ball cricket, batting with a helmet on can be annoying and uncomfortable for those unused to it. It also may mean that you have a poor-quality helmet. Personally, I would say wearing a helmet and a cup helps my game because it gives me more freedom to play strokes to balls directed towards my body.Turbinator said:I completely hate wearing one, it is the most annoying thing, without one, chances of you getting out are less. Without one you see the ball much clearly and the fielders around you. You also run better between the wickets without one. Yet I would never go into bat without one. Your head is a very important part of your body and is prone to injuries, that's why always wear a helmet. Maybe not when a spinner is on.
If you get a helmet that fits you properly you can't even notice it.Turbinator said:I completely hate wearing one, it is the most annoying thing, without one, chances of you getting out are less. Without one you see the ball much clearly and the fielders around you. You also run better between the wickets without one. Yet I would never go into bat without one. Your head is a very important part of your body and is prone to injuries, that's why always wear a helmet. Maybe not when a spinner is on.
If they're anything like most Under 10s, they're not aiming at your head. They just have no control over where the ball ends up.andmark said:I play for a team and I have batted against some preety fast bowlers and they aim for my head and I cant work out why they do it?
S'pose you have to ask yourself - "Am I as good as Viv was?"Lillian Thomson said:Viv Richards never wore a helmet and was never hit. I don't wear one either because it's not necessary at lower levels. I never wear a box either, I've only been hit once. It was quite painful and I ended up being put in charge of the Christmas Rotary Club Funds for that year.