I've Never Seen That One Before, Says Commentator As Shahid Afridi Dons Unusual And Dangerous Helmet
Published - 15 Nov 2020, 12:05 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 11:57 AM
Helmet is one of those cricket equipment which has constantly evolved over the years. A few decades ago, the players used to wear the grille-less helmets and now one cannot even think of players wearing it on the cricket field. Helmet made its entry in the game in the late 1970s.
Later, the wicketkeepers and close in fielders also started wearing helmets to avoid injuries. And over the years, one has seen different types of helmets being worn by the players. Well, a new kind of helmet was seen on Saturday during the PSL game between Karachi Kings and Multan Sultans thanks to Shahid Afridi.
And one can say that the veteran allrounder did manage to surprise many with his choice. One look at the helmet and one can say that it was not at all safe for a player. Shahid Afridi sported an unusual and dangerous-looking helmet which had the top bar of the grille removed.
The helmets which are widely used nowadays are not totally safe either as one has seen several incidents of ball sneaking through the grille and causing damage to the players. And judging by that parameter, the one used by Shahid Afridi cannot be called safe at all. The helmet has the potential to bring serious damage to the batsman as the huge gap allows the ball to penetrate between the lower grille and the top half of the helmet.
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Shahid Afridi, meanwhile, did not last long on the crease and departed after scoring run-a-ball 12. His helmet was noticed by the commentators too as they commented on it.
“He [Afridi] has got an interesting grille on Jonty, I’ve never seen that one before,” former cricketers Bazid Khan said.
Former South Africa cricketer Jonty Rhodes, however, revealed that he was not unfamiliar with the helmet and said that he used the version a while ago because it allows a proper view of the bowler, his hand and the ball.
“I played a couple of months ago and I had an issue with the top bar of the grille,” said Rhodes. “I understand where he’s at, I couldn’t see through it either. So I did get mine ground down by from a safety point of view, I was facing blokes like this.”
