The effects of helmet design and bowling speed on indices of stress in cricket batting

Elite cricketers believe that the use of helmets may help to reduce anxiety when facing fast bowling although they risk visual impairment in time-stressed circumstances. This study aimed to determine the effects of helmet design and bowling speed on heart rate (HR), anxiety arid batting performance. Elite batsman (n=12) faced 20 deliveries from a bowling machine at slow (21 m s−1) and fast (42ms−1 ) speeds under three different headgear conditions— helmet with bars, visorless helmet and no-helmet. State measures of anxiety were taken before and after each batting condition by questionnaire. Heart rate (HR) was monitored throughout the test session. Batting performance was filmed and rated for quality by expert coaches on the basis of bat contact, foot movement, element of attack and timing. Repeated measures analysis of variance revealed no significant differences in HR or performance between helmet conditions. Batting performance was significantly better against slow bowling than fast (p<0·01) and no significant differences were found for HR between the bowling speeds. No significant correlations were found between HR, performance and state anxiety scores but there was a significant negative relationship between perceived quality of performance and post-batting A-state (r= −0·62; p<0·05) in the barred helmet condition only. It is concluded that elite cricketers experienced little change in the level of performance-related anxiety when wearing helmets of varying designs, even when faced with bowling of considerable speed. There was no evidence of performance decrements when wearing helmets with bars and visors which suggests that the use of maximum protection against the possibility of facial damage does not seriously affect the batsman's ability to track and play the ball.