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Cricket Equipment -
Useful Information |
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The sport of Cricket requires a wide range of
equipment and clothing. First, the essential: The
cricket ball is
red or white, made from a cork base, wrapped in
twine, then covered with leather. A regulation adult
ball should be 23 centimeters (9 inches)
circumference.
The cricket bat
is wooden, and made from the Kashmir or English
willow tree. The cricket bat cannot be more than 38
inches (96.5 cm) long, and has a maximum width of 4
¼ inches (10.8 cm). The bat has a long handle and a
smooth, flat face. Cricket equipment also includes
traditional cricket clothing as well as protective
gear.
Cricket clothing consists of a polo shirt (a t-shirt
with a collar), long trousers (often white, but may
be stained red in parts from polishing a red cricket
ball), a sun hat, or baseball cap, and spiked shoes
(for traction). A jumper—a woolen pullover—may be
worn if weather necessitates it.
As for protective gear, the batsmen, and a maximum
of one fielder close to the batsmen, wear helmets,
often with visors. Leg pads are worn by the two
batsmen and the wicket-keeper, and protect the
shinbone from the ball. Fielders close to the
batsmen are allowed shin guards also. The batsman
wear considerable more armor, including thigh
guards, arm guards, chest guards, and elbow guards.
The batsmen also wear gloves, which are thickly
padded above the fingers. Male batsmen wear an
abdomen guard or “box,” sometimes referred to as a
cup. It is usually constructed from high-density
plastic with a padded edge, shaped like a hollow
pear, and inserted into the jockstrap of the batsmen
and wicket-keeper to protect their masculine
ornaments. These precautions are due to the chance
of the batsmen being hit by the ball when it is
bowled. The wicket keeper wears larger, webbed
gloves for fielding, somewhat like a baseball mitt.
Batsmen’s gloves
are considered an extension of the bat, and the
batsmen can be caught out if the ball touches the
glove instead of the bat. The batsman’s helmet,
usually with a visor, is optional, and normally worn
when facing fast bowlers. It is not always worn
while playing spinners.
Fielders cannot use gloves to field the ball. If
they use any part of their clothing to field the
ball, it may cost their team five penalty runs.
Fielders close to the batsman are allowed protective
headgear, however.
The wicket keeper, who is directly behind the
batsman and thus has the ball bowled directly at
him, sometimes at considerable speed, is allowed to
wear considerable protective cricket equipment,
including shin pads, a helmet, a light internal
glove and a large external, mitt-like glove.
Needless to say, the wicket keeper, unlike the
fielders is allowed to handle the ball with gloves.
For test cricket matches, the players wear shirts
and trousers that are completely white, with the
team logo on their shirt. Helmets and caps are in
the team colors. If a sweater is used, the v-neck
border is allowed to display the team’s color.
Umpires must wear black trousers and a white shirt.
In ODI matches, any of the team’s cricket equipment
can be colored according to the team’s colors, and
umpires can wear colored clothing also.
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