Cricket Helmet Regulations

When watching cricket either on TV or live, it is normal to see batsmen wearing a helmet. It has also become more common for wicketkeepers to do the same when standing up to the stumps for slower bowlers. The obvious reason behind wearing head protectors is to reduce the severity of head and facial injuries caused by impact speeds and hits. Helmets do reduce the impact of the ball hitting the batter, but it doesn’t completely take away the risk of injury. Players should always check that their helmet is up to safety standards, and wear one when playing.

Let’s learn more about the key features of cricket helmet regulations from this article!

Is It Compulsory to Wear a Helmet in Cricket?

For anyone over the age of 18, no! Strangely, it is not compulsory to wear a helmet at all. It is strongly advised that one is worn at all times, but it is not uncommon to see batters remove their helmets when facing spin bowlers. What is compulsory is that the helmet conforms to British standards BS7928 2013.

However, it is a compulsory requirement for under 18 cricketers to wear cricket helmets when batting in a game of net session and for wicketkeepers to wear a head protector (helmet).

What Happens if the Ball Hits the Helmet in Cricket?

Whilst a cricket batter is wearing a helmet, the same laws apply as they do to leg guards and gloves. If the cricket ball comes in to contact with a bat before or after hitting the helmet, then the batter can be caught.

For head protectors that have been taken off and left on the field there are sanctions. The batting side score 5 penalty runs if a helmet on the ground is hit by the ball. This also applied if the fielding team through the ball and it strikes the helmet.

What is the “ICC Concussion” Rule?

August 2019 saw this addition to the ICC rule book and one which makes sense. The batting team can now replace someone who has been struck on the head whilst batting and can no longer continue playing. This needs to be a like for like move, an ICC official will be on hand to make sure everything is above board. This law applies to both the men’s and women’s cricket game and was used twice in the men’s World Cup 2019 when the same bowler, Jofra Archer, struck Steve Smith (Australian) and Hashim Amla (South African) in the head.

Cricket Helmet Regulatory Bodies

The International Cricket Council (ICC) have set clear guidelines in relation to protective equipment, especially head protectors. Their definition of head protector includes a helmet with a faceguard or grille. Whilst they do not make it compulsory to wear helmets, all helmets used must conform to the relatively new British standard BS7928:2013. This means that the face guard has been thoroughly tested to assess the penetration of a ball through the face guard. Obviously, this does not account for people who leave too big a gap between the grille and peak of the head protectors. The helmet must also be labelled to state if it has been tested using an senior and junior cricket ball or both.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) adopt these guidelines from the ICC. For women’s helmets, the ECB guidelines state that the helmet must be tested against a junior and senior ball or by just a junior size ball. A women’s ball is between the senior and junior sized cricket balls in terms of dimensions.

British Standard in 2013

The BS7928:2013 helmet standard was introduced in 2013, the new 2015 standard is not yet compulsory at the time of writing. There have been movements in terms of equipment regulations regarding helmets across cricket.

Men’s Cricket Players

All helmets worn in the men’s game must conform to ICC standards. In some countries like Australia, there are movements towards always making all batters in the domestic game wear a helmet against all types of bowling. This is something that the ECB are keen to enforce too.

Female Cricket Players

There were no pre-existing guidelines specifically for the female game nor are there any now. The only recommendation is that women’s cricket helmet has been tested against junior size balls due to the smaller size.

Junior Cricket

Since the year 2000, the ECB published specific guidelines for under 18’s and the wearing of helmets. All batters and wicketkeepers standing up to the stumps, must wear a protective helmet with a faceguard. Initially, a parent or guardian could give consent for their child to NOT wear a helmet and that they would take full responsibility for any injury incurred. Fortunately, this option has been removed and the wearing of head protectors is not the norm for under 18s junior players.

Helmet Manufacturers Compliant with ICC Regulations

So, when buying new helmets, it is important to check that the helmet conforms to ICC regulations. Compliant helmets should be labelled to show this, but this could be missing. Below is a list of helmet manufacturers that conform to ICC standards as of December 2019.

By visiting the available helmet manufacturers websites, you can check the vast majority of specific helmets they manufacture to see that they conform to existing cricket equipment regulations, or if you have a non compliant helmet.

When a new helmet is produced by the manufacturer, the company must provide proof at all times that their helmet meets this standard so that it can reduce possible head and facial injuries. Generally, a facial contact projectile test is performed in order to make sure that the cricket helmets comply with the safety standard that are valid.

Closing Thoughts About Cricket Helmet Regulations

It is important to remember that wearing a head protector doesn’t necessarily prevent injuries, but they massively reduce the severity of those. Helmet regulations are changing all the time in order to maximise safety to cricketers in both domestic and professional settings. Always keeping up to date with these new regulations and their changes increases your chances of staying as safe as possible whilst playing cricket.

Remember to wear your helmet at all times! Stay safe!