Cricket clothing and equipment
Encyclopedia
Cricket is traced back to 1550. It was first played in Guildford, Surrey. Later in 1598, cricket was cited in an Italian English dictionary written by Florio. In the year 1676, British residents in Aleppo played cricket abroad for the first time.
In cricket
a wide range of equipment is required. Cricket clothing is slightly loose fitting so that it is comfortable.
Batsmen are allowed to wear gloves while batting. The batsman can be also caught out
if the ball touches the glove instead of the bat, provided the hand is in contact with the bat. This is because the glove is considered to be the extension of the bat. The batsman may also wear protective helmets usually with a visor to protect themselves. Helmets are usually employed when facing fast bowlers
. While playing spinners, it might not be employed.
Fielders cannot use gloves to field the ball. If they wilfully use any part of their clothing to field the ball they may be penalised 5 penalty runs to the opposition. If the fielders are fielding close to the batsman, they are allowed to use helmets and leg guards worn under their clothing.
The wicketkeeper, due to being directly behind the batsman and therefore having the ball bowled directly at him is allowed to wear leg guards, a helmet, a light internal glove and a large external glove like a mitt.
In cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
a wide range of equipment is required. Cricket clothing is slightly loose fitting so that it is comfortable.
Equipment
- Ball – A red or white ballCricket ballA cricket ball is a hard, solid leather ball used to play cricket. Constructed of cork and leather, a cricket ball is heavily regulated by cricket law at first class level...
with a corkCork (material)Cork is an impermeable, buoyant material, a prime-subset of bark tissue that is harvested for commercial use primarily from Quercus suber , which is endemic to southwest Europe and northwest Africa...
base, wrapped in twineTwineTwine is a light string or strong thread composed of two or more smaller strands or yarns twisted together. More generally, the term can be applied to any thin cord....
covered with leatherLeatherLeather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.-Forms:...
. The ball should have a circumference of 23 cm (9 inches) unless it is a children's size. - Bat – A wooden batCricket batA cricket bat is a specialised piece of equipment used by batsmen in the sport of cricket to hit the ball. It is usually made of willow wood. Its use is first mentioned in 1624....
is used. The wood used is from the KashmirKashmirKashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
or EnglishEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
willowWillowWillows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
tree. The bat cannot be more than 38 inches (96.5 cm) long and 4.25 inches wide (10.8 cm). AluminiumAluminiumAluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
bats are not allowed. The bat has a long handle and one side has a smooth face. - Stumps – 3 wooden poles known as the stumpsStump (cricket)Stump is a term used in the sport of cricket where it has three different meanings:# part of the wicket# a manner of dismissing a batsman# the end of the day's play .-Part of the wicket:...
. - Bails – Two crosspieces are known as the bailsBail (cricket)In the sport of cricket, a bail is one of the two smaller sticks placed on top of the three stumps to form a wicket. The bails are used to determine when the wicket is broken, which in turn is one of the critical factors in determining whether a batsman is out bowled, stumped, run out or hit wicket...
- Sight screen – A screen placed at the boundary known as the sight screen. This is aligned exactly parallel to the width of the pitch and behind both pairs of wickets.
- Boundary – A rope demarcating the perimeter of the field known as the boundary.
Clothing and protective wear
- A polo shirt which is worn by everyone in the match (T-shirt with collar)
- Long trousers (often white, but stained red in parts from polishing the ball)
- Jumper (a woollen pullover, if necessary)
- JockstrapJockstrapA jockstrap is an undergarment designed for supporting the male genitalia during sports or other vigorous physical activity...
into which a "cup" is inserted and held in place - Abdomen guard or "cup" for male batsmen and wicket-keepers (often referred to as a cup, box or abdo guard). It is usually constructed from high density plastic with a padded edge, shaped like a hollow half-pear, and inserted into the jockstrapJockstrapA jockstrap is an undergarment designed for supporting the male genitalia during sports or other vigorous physical activity...
of the batsmen and wicket-keeper. This is used to protect the testicles against impact from the ball - Sun hats, cricket capCricket capA cricket cap is a type of soft cap, often made from felt that is a traditional form of headwear for players of the game of cricket, regardless of age or gender. It is usually a tight-fitting skullcap, usually made of six or eight sections, with a small crescent shaped brim that points downwards...
or baseball capBaseball capA baseball cap is a type of soft cap with a rounded stiff brim. The front of the cap typically contains designs or logos of sports teams ,... - Spiked shoes to increase traction
- Helmet (often with a visor), worn by batsmen and fieldersFielding (cricket)Fielding in the sport of cricket is the action of fielders in collecting the ball after it is struck by the batsman, in such a way as to either limit the number of runs that the batsman scores or get the batsman out by catching the ball in flight or running the batsman out.Cricket fielding position...
close to the batsman on strike. - Leg pads, worn by the two batsmen and the wicket-keeper, used to protect the shin bone against impact from the ball, fielders that are fielding in close to the batsmen may wear shin guards as well.
- Thigh guard, arm guards, chest guard, and elbow guards to protect the body of the batsmen.
- GlovesBatting glovesBatting gloves are a component in baseball sportswear. The glove covers one or both hands of a batter, providing comfort, warmth, improved grip, and shock absorption when hitting the ball...
for batsmen only, thickly padded above the fingers to protect against impact from the ball as it is bowled - Wicket keeper's gloves for the wicket-keeperWicket-keeperThe wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being guarded by the batsman currently on strike...
which are larger and look like mitts. Usually includes webbing between the thumb and index fingers.
Batsmen are allowed to wear gloves while batting. The batsman can be also caught out
Dismissal (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a dismissal occurs when the batsman is out . Colloquially, the fielding team is also said to have snared, bagged or captured a wicket. At this point a batsman must discontinue batting and leave the field permanently for the innings...
if the ball touches the glove instead of the bat, provided the hand is in contact with the bat. This is because the glove is considered to be the extension of the bat. The batsman may also wear protective helmets usually with a visor to protect themselves. Helmets are usually employed when facing fast bowlers
Types of bowlers in cricket
In the sport of cricket there are two broad categories of bowlers: pace bowlers and spin bowlers. Pace bowlers rely mostly on the speed of the ball to dismiss batsmen, whereas spin bowlers rely on the rotation of the ball.-Pace bowlers:...
. While playing spinners, it might not be employed.
Fielders cannot use gloves to field the ball. If they wilfully use any part of their clothing to field the ball they may be penalised 5 penalty runs to the opposition. If the fielders are fielding close to the batsman, they are allowed to use helmets and leg guards worn under their clothing.
The wicketkeeper, due to being directly behind the batsman and therefore having the ball bowled directly at him is allowed to wear leg guards, a helmet, a light internal glove and a large external glove like a mitt.