Cricket Games - Should the use of helmets in cricket be outlawed?

Should the use of helmets in cricket be outlawed?

This could improve batting techniques, as well as making the players more recognisable to supporters. A few months back I saw a New Zealand batsman (I think it may have been Craig Cumming), get whacked on the helmet by a short pitched delivery. There was a big dent in his helmet, and a huge white mark (it was an ODI). Next ball, he hit for six. There seems to be no sense of danger any more for batsmen: they are protected by their equipment. Not using helmets would mean they would have to improve their techniques. I realise that lives could potentially be at risk, but the numbers of cricketers being killed or seriously injured has always been, thankfully, very few and far between. Something has to be done, as the game is too batsman dominated. I seem to recall Don Bradman always wore a baggy green cap: not a helmet. Batting average 99.94. Viv Richards: helmetless. Richie Richardson: helmetless. Poor technique brings about being hit by a ball. Helmets mean batsmen aren't bothered. Obviously, less talented batsmen (eg. tailenders, may need to wear helmets). But do Ricky Ponting or Sachin Tendulkar really need helmets? Thanks KooKee: good points. Extreme DJ: Not that aggressive? Dennis Lillee? Jeff Thomson? Can't seem to remember them killing anyone. But perhaps batsmen were better equipped to deal with short pitched deliveries in those days, precisely because they weren't protected by a helmet?

Public Comments

of course the instances of people being killed were few and far between - they've been wearing helmets!
Safety will always become before winning in any sport. I think they should carry on wearing helmet's for protection or someone could be serioulsy injured
In the sport of cricket, batsmen often wear a helmet to protect themselves from injury by the cricket ball, which is very hard and can be bowled to them at speeds over ninety miles per hour. There are recorded instances of cricketers using towels, scarves and padded caps to protect themselves throughout cricket history. Patsy Hendren was one of the first to use a self designed protective hat in the 1930s. Helmets were not in common use until the 1970s. Mike Brearley was another player who wore his own design. Tony Greig was of the opinion that they would make cricket more dangerous by encouraging bowlers to bounce the batsmen. Graham Yallop of Australia was the first to wear a protective helmet to a test match on 17 March 1978 when playing against West Indies at Bridgetown. Later Dennis Amiss of England popularized it in Test cricket. Helmets began to be widely worn thereafter. Nowadays it is almost unheard of for a professional cricketer to face a fast bowler without a helmet, and in under-19 cricket they are compulsory for all batsmen and any fielder within 15 yards of the bat. Cricket helmets cover the whole of the skull, and have a grill or perspex visor to protect the face. Fielders who are positioned very close to the batsman (e.g. silly mid off) often wear a helmet and shin guards
Would you like to be hit by a cricket ball going 80+ mph??
this has to be one of the dumber suggestions I have seen on here
NO !!! Mate I see your point, BUT helmets are now just as important to the game as pads and gloves. Batters NEED helmets without them they are in serious danger of being hurt or even killed. Bouncers CAN still be effective, i will give you an example, i'm sure you saw the 1st test match between NZ vs England. where Chris Martin bowled an absolute corker of a bouncer to Kevin Pietersen, the ball was heading towards his head/neck area, BUT KP fended it off, and he almost got caught at short leg. KP was now ruffled from that bouncer, and he played and missed for a few balls, then he eventually got out LBW, BUT without that lethal bouncer KP may have settled and drawn the game for England. I agree that the game is too batsmen dominated, BUT i don't think it's because the batsmen feel safe with helmets on, the game is batsmen domintated because of: Heavy bats Flat Pitches Standards of bowling KooKaburra ball Before helmets are even thought about being scrapped, the ICC have to consider, the bat size of the batsmen (thick edges go for BIG sixes), and flatter pitches, test matches are getting more and more boring, as both teams score loads of runs. EDIT- Lol my Darrel Hair question has now been deleted !!
How many times do you see a batsman hit on the helmet. Once in 5 matches i believe. Regarding the example you gave was it the only boucer he faced. If not than why was he not hit on helmet many a times if his technique was faulty. Not maoy people will play if there are no helmets.
no we should always wear helmets. it saved Ramnaresh Sarwan's head from getting fractured **2003 world cup**
no... Believe me , even when you are hit with a helmet on , it still gives you a whack and makes you think, with Brett Lee and co around you would be waiting for an accident to happen.
Of course not! They guarentee the players a degree of safety from hits to the head. My father once played cricket with a man who was struck on the head by a ball & died. We don't want that to happen to our players.
I think helmets have ruined the game. None of the 'greats' wore helmets. When I played and I only played reasonable club cricket but Mike Gatting Ian Gould and Wilf Slack were in the same league at the same time I often batted without gloves as I had a better feel and grip on the bat. I often used to get sledged by keepers for this but when I deposited their opening bowler back over his head and out of the ground it would shut them up!
No. Quick story here. Just before the death of Kerry Packer, Kerry had a few beers with Justin Langer. Justin asked Kerry what it took to have such great luck in life. Kerry then said, "Well Justin, I should be asking you about luck. If helmets hadn't been invented, as they were for my World Series Cricket, you would be dead. You've been hit in the head so many times." When a batsman is struck in the head, it is worrying for everyone, even the bowler. It is a pretty ugly sight seeing a batsman down for the count, and it will happen to most batsman at some stage. Often it is bad technique that leads to a batsman being hit, yes, but not always. We are talking cricket here, not boxing, so the emphasis is on elegance and brilliant play, not blood. KooKee has also raised some good points. Keep the helmet in the game.
Never because there are player out there that are anger at the order side throw wire balls that actual hide the players of the batting team. Just because they are lossing they are so anger that actual hitting a batsmen where their only opiton so it is no a safe idea for batsmens with out helmets.
Are you nuts?? The examples that you are giving are of batsmen who played in the time period when the bowlers were not that aggressive.
There'll be no going back to those days(pre-helmut) It would be foolish.
i think it should not be outlawed because anyone can get hurt as there are some fast and furious bowlers from different countries in cricket. when i was young i was bowling to my friend and luckily he was wearing a helmet. i gave a bouncer and the ball hit his helmet so hard that the helmet from his head came out. firtunately he didn't get hurt but was very close.
With the advent of ODI and T20, the importance of class and technique of the batsman has been considerablyu reduced and it is very difficult to find the batsmen of the calibre of Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar etc.in the present lot of batsmen and also in the emerging lot of batsmen as far as technique and classis concerned. Hence it is always adviceable to continue use of helmet in the interest of safety of batsmen.
No.They need to protect themselves and helmet is required otherwise a batsman can die too.
No. This is not boot camp. This is to help protect the skull & face. Helmets provide an appropriate grill to protect the facial area. If Brian Lara did not have his helmet on.... What do you think would have happen to him by Shoaib's fast express? http://youtube.com/watch?v=AxT0jx3nW9Y or that KIWI batsman eh? http://youtube.com/watch?v=kJkU4ioFWbQ or that indian batsman? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxsRDpmjx3o&feature=related
not really
helmets r must for safety
The batsman don't need to wear a helmet unless they are under 18 which is sensible. So test players don't need to wear a helmet if they don't want to so they don't need to be outlawed. As for under 18s they should have to wear a helmet to keep safe.