Best Ear and Head Protection for Cricket

How Can Playing Cricket Affect Your Ears

The speed and impact from a hard and heavy cricket ball can do quite a bit of damage when it hits your head. If it is to head on to your ear, this can cause a number of further complications. 

Ear drum Rupture

The force of a hard ball hitting your ear has the potential to cause a rupture to the ear drum, resulting in pain, pontential infection, tinnitus and hearing loss. 

Inner Ear Trauma

A hard hit with a cricket ball to the head can potentially damage the structures in your inner ear including your cochlea and vestibular sytem. This means you could be left with permanent hearing damage, tinnitus or dizziness.

inner ear trauma

Tips for Cricketers To keep Their Ears and Head Safe

  • The best way to protect your ears is by using head gear with a facial grill that protects your ears too
  • Make sure the headguard you use is correctly fitted, if too loose it could move on impact and the ball could end up hitting your head
  • Trauma to the ear via sport is becoming more and more common be aware of the risks and prevention methods and help share prevention methods with other players

Best Cricket Helmets

With a demand for faster, higher paced sports has come an increase in a more fierce battling technique, this has lead to a number of facial and head injuries while batting.

After a number of high profile cricketer injuries, British Standards for Helmets in cricket was developed in 1998 which formed the basis of the strength required for a safe cricket helmet. The standards were renewed in 2013 with the aim to prevent the cricket ball from accessing the area between the helmet peak and the facial grill and that the grill be made to reach out further from the face. A profesional cricketer needs to wear a helmet that meets the 2013 British Standard (BS7928:2013).

A cricket ball can be bowled up to 90 miles per hour. A helmet should be worn with a faceguard when facing a hard cricket ball whether this batting, or being the wicket keeper. A good cricket helmet should cover the whole skull and protect the face with a grill or visor. A strong hard helmet is designed to deflect a cricket ball as well as protect the wearer from impact. It is also worth noting the helmet only protects certain areas of your head therefore use of a Stemguard that will protect your neck from injury also serves as a worthwhile purcase.

 

Albion Cricket Ultimate Helmet

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The Albion Ultimate Classic Helmet is made from a carbon fibre reinforced polymer shell making it more than tough and ideal to protect your head from an incoming cricket ball. The type of carbon fibre used is tightly woven which creates even better protection. Being carbon fibre as well as being strong is ultra light. It isn't the most snuggiest of fits and will happily suit a more rounded shape head. There is a large amount of ventilation with three round holes that allow excellent circulation.

The interior is fitted with super high intensity EVA liner that covers a huge amount of surface area within the helmet. To the back of the helmet are Albion fit pads that come in 4, 8 and 12mm sizes which are used to obtain the perfect fit. There are no velcro or dial adjusters to this helmet. It is worth renewing the fit pads before each cricket season to provide the best fit and to make sure the helmet doesn't move, this will also promote good hygiene.

The face grille is made of high quality Steel, there is an alternative option of grade 5 titanium on some models. The face grille is attached to the helmet using very strong chrome nuts which has been an upgrade on the previous model, the chrome nuts can be repositioned to move the faceguard to a position that protects you the best and move it forward or back. The chrome nuts in particular help to ensure this faceguard is kept in place which is a key element of it meeting safety standards. The faceguard is contoured with four tiers covering a wide surface area and follows the lines of the face more closely to protect your face and limit the opportunity for a ball to hit you between the peak and the grille.

The ear protection of the helmet uses a hard plastic protection with hole ventilators that slots into the ear section of the faceguard. These ear protection pieces are interchangable to different colours and if they get damaged it is easy to purchase replacements.

Quick release chin strap, Foam insert technology pads for superior fit and super soaker front pad. This helmet comes with a free canvas bag to help keep your helmet clean and meets the latest ICC/BS 2013 safety standards.

Masuri Vision Elite Cricket Helmet

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The Masuri Vision Elite helmet uses an extra eye level grille on top of the usual facial grille set up, making the space between the helmet and the grille smaller and much less chance of a cricket ball getting through. The grille is made of thick tough steel, this does make the helmet a litte heavier than other models but makes this helmet all about meeting safety needs.

The helmet also uses a Halo Reinforcement System which is an extra strength helmet rim made from reinforced plastics that increases protection and reduces the likelyhood of the helmet deforming on impact. There is no protection to the back of your head and neck but you can buy Masuri Stem guards additionally which will help to protect this area also. In regards internal padding this helmet excels as there is impact absorption foam throughout with thick absorbant sweat guards at the front, infact there is a 3 layer protection system incorporating strategically placed vents through the helmet for air to circulate and keep your head cool. With this particular model of helmet there is a great deal of cushioning for your head which leads to better overal comfort.

To adjust the helmet to the back there is a sophiticated dial adjustment to tightly fit your head. There is ear protection padding within the faceguard however there is no ventillation with it. The Masuri Vision Elite helmet meets the latest ICC/BS 2013 safety standards.

Shrey

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The Shrey Master Class Air Helmet is a well design cricket helmet designed to reduce impact to important areas all around the head.  This helmet also looks sleek with the fabric cover design across the top and the peak of the helmet.  It uses a stainless steel grille, there are models that come with a titanium option which makes the helmet overal much lighter. This helmet even with the steel grille is lighter than the Masuri Vision Elite. Your visual view through the helmet is slightly limited as the grille does come up quite high however this is to meet safety standards. This is a very comfortable helmet featuring a Advanced Air Flow System with twin vents at the top of the helmet, this however I feel is a little on the low side for ventilation as in comparison to the Masuri, it has ventillation to the front and back as well as the top. Inside the helmet is a sweat band where your forehead will sit and a thick comfortable velcro strap to tighten the helmet to your head. This helmet is quite a snug fit on your head.

Additionally the helmet is extended at the back with a high density foam stemguard for increased safety  around the back of your head and neck. The stemguard is easy to attach and remove from the end of the grille.

Covering each ear is the same high density foam that is used in the stemguard. It sits on the inside of the facial grille where your ears are. The foam is shaped to protect your ears and includes ventilation to help air flow, awareness and sound. The Shrey Master Class Air Helmet confirms to the latest ICC/BS 2013 safety standards.

Check prices of other Cricket Helments on Amazon.

Quick Tips

If you experience tinnitus the first person to talk to is your GP.