Cricket is a team game with a lot of heritage. It’s been played in the UK for hundreds of years and is still extremely popular. All around the world it’s considered a very modern, exciting and fast paced sport, especially in a country like India where it’s an extremely popular national past-time. There are lots of things that make cricket unique: it’s a long term game and lasts at least a whole day of play, perfect if you like to immerse yourself fully in sport. It’s a very statistical and even occult game, if you want to follow it then you need to have a knack for stats. And there are lots of moments of excitement, and tension can reach a high pitch over a day’s play.
Cricket is a team game, where two teams amicably take on each-other. Whilst the game might be ostensibly the most civilized sport of all, there are elements of danger and certain potential risks. This means that there is lots of cricket gear you need, both to have a proper game and to ensure that everyone is safe on the field of play.
What is the sound of crickets? It’s probably that recognizable sound of leather hitting willow, that lovely “pock” sound. The willow in this case is the cricket bat and it’s obviously one of the most important pieces of equipment if you want to have a proper game. A cricket bat will be smooth and flat on one side but rounded on the other. The cricket ball itself is very recognisable. It is a unique ball, about the size of a baseball, wrapped in thick, red leather. Cricket balls are notoriously tough and hard and so they can cause a lot of damage, which is why there is all sorts of protective cricket equipment that should be worn also.
Some players need more protective cricket equipment than others. For example, the batsmen and close fields should wear cricket helmets. This obviously protects the face from serious injury. As a cricket ball is bowled the way it deflects off the bat is hard to predict and so cricket helmets are a must. Similarly padding should be worn and the batsman needs to be wearing most of this, for obvious reasons. Whilst pads might reduce mobility slightly, it is important that they are worn when playing with a hard cricket ball, which could cause injury.
Cricket clothing is more about tradition than it is about protection or performance, however the loose whites do help players in terms of movement. Cricketers will also wear spiked shoes that they can get optimal traction on the grassy surface. When you first start to play cricket you might not have all this equipment, however as you begin to play more formal games it becomes a pre-requisite for a good game of leather on willow.