New Zealand cricketer urges to make helmet compulsory for bowlers

Over the years batting has become a brutal affair, the bat wielders have evolved into ferocious hitters and thrash the ball with all their might. Most of the big hitters have a certain inclination to hit down the ground and thus, the security of the umpire as well as the bowler is a rising concern. There have been instances when a player suffered a major injury due to lack of protective gears.

Taking that into consideration even some of the umpires have started wearing helmets, one of the international umpires Bruce Oxenford even uses a shield in his hand. Lately, in New Zealand‘s domestic circuit Otago bowler Warren Barnes donned a helmet during their contest against Canterbury in a Twenty20 Supersmash match. The headgear is a combination of a mask and a helmet, which protects the forehead and the crown.

Headgear for bowlers

The cricketer recently spoke to the media and revealed the reasons behind the usage of the headgear. “The face mask was originally there to stop me from getting hit, as my follow through kept my eyes off the ball more than other bowlers. But as we have seen in a few cases around the world any bowler has the chance to get hit” Barnes was quoted as saying to observebd.com.

He also emphasized the vitality of the gear and highlighted it as a major element going into the future. “I do hope more and more bowlers look into some sort of face protection especially around the T20 game. As batters are hitting the ball harder and harder every year, it only makes sense to protect the bowlers, as in most cases they are the closest person the batter when it gets hit” he added.

It won’t be a surprise if more bowlers opt to use headgear at least in T20 leagues.

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