A ricocheted shot off Salman Nizar’s helmet nestled in the hands of Sachin Baby ensured Kerala a maiden Ranji Trophy final berth. The sturdiness of the headgear saved his life after Gujarat’s Arzan Nagwaswalla’s full-blooded shot hit flush on the state emblem on his helmet. For a moment, the whole train of events also dragged everybody’s mind back to the tragic end of Australia’s Phillip Hughes. The powers that be converged to study the quality of helmets in use. The ICC and MCC also rewrote the rule book in 2017, making it legal, the catches off the helmet worn by a fielder, except in slip positions. But that apart, the quality and manufacturing methods of helmets saw constant changes over the decades, from the day when former England batter Patsy Hendren wore a hat with cotton padding made by his wife in a match. In the 1970s, former England captain Dennis Amiss wore a modified biker’s helmet in Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket where some of the best fast bowlers of the time had assembled. \”Probably, the arrival of some fearsome pacers in the 70s from the West Indies and Australia changed the whole scenario. Helmets and other body guards were needed against them to protect your limbs,\” a former cricketer told PTI.
