Cricket Helmet: Its Top Features and Material Used

Cricket Helmets were used first in 1930 but could not get their place until 1970 (as per Wikipedia). As cricket balls travel up to a speed of 100 miles per hour, the risk of head and other injuries are too high, especially when the ball is thrown by a fast bowler. So the helmet is the most important gear of cricket equipment.

Cricket Helmets are generally made to provide a different levels of comfort, safety and resilience. Like other gears in cricket, the key feature of cricket helmet is to provide maximum protection without interfering in player’s natural techniques.

Cricket Helmet Features

Covering

The shell of cricket Helmet is a vital component; it acts as an original shield providing maximum protection and helps in absorption when greater force is exerted from the outside. Inner materials are fitted to provide extra layer of safety by the outer shell.

Grill

Grill is front of the helmet which acts as second protection layer to the face and reduces the visibility at the same time; considered to be major drawback. These are generally made from poly-carbonate and other materials, providing advance level of stiffness and strength.

Also read: Most Important Protective Gears in Cricket

Padding

Padding that is fitted inside the cricket helmets basically acts as third layer for absorption and helps in minimizing the impact of fast balls. Furthermost it ensures to put the helmet on player’s head even after a fast ball hit. So it provides good fit and comfort zone to players on the ground.

Chin Strap

Chin strap is considered to be second half of padding as it works in conjunction with padding to ensure an ideal fitting with greater comfort zone.

Chin guard further allows the chin strap to wrap around the chin and it acts as shock absorber in the case of greater impact from fast balls.

Different Materials used in Cricket Helmets

ABS Plastic

It is also known as Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene. It can easily mould into various shapes and good at absorption at the same time. Being lightest in weight, its ideal material for cricket helmets. However its major drawback is that it’s not as strong as carbon fibre or fiberglass therefore might not be durable as compare to other materials.

Fibreglass

Cricket helmets are widely made from fibreglass. As discussed above these are stronger as compare to ABS and provides better durability with strong strength. However, these are heavier and one needs to compromise so as to get better protection.

Carbon Fibre

These are mixed with Kevlar (heat-resistant and strong synthetic fibre) to provide features of fibreglass along with lighter in the weight. So it is considered to be the best option for making helmet shells but one may have to compromise with the pricing as these are expensive in market.

Steel

Steel is also known as carbon steel. It is first choice of people when one need to make cricket helmet protective grills. It is cost effective, stronger and very easy to work.

Titanium

Titanium grill cricket helmet offers highest tensile-strength to the weight ratio when compared to any metal. It can provide the same strength of steel whilst lighter in weight as compare to steel and from these characteristic it has become ideal replacement for steel and got in use by major companies.

High density Foam

It covers large variety of major material with top features. Many HD foams are derived from PU and EPS based plastics mixed with various metals which are responsible for creating bubbles. It is the density and size of these bubbles that makes a unique property of HD foams.

Foams that contain small bubbles will offer great shock absorption from fast balls but can restricted with flexibility whereas big bubbles offer larger flexibility but can be restrict to its shock absorption.

The biggest advantage of HD foams, they are very light weight as they are made of air. These entire advance features makes HD foams first choice for making padding.

Wrap Up

I hope after reading this article you are now very well aware that what type of cricket helmet can offer you best protection. Cheers!