Helmets make batsmen careless: Boycott

English great Geoffrey Boycott has joined the chorus of support for Phillip Hughes but believes helmets have made batsmen “more carefree and careless”.

The legendary opener claimed he was lucky to have played the majority of his career without a helmet, saying it encouraged good technique – especially against the short ball.

Boycott did not start wearing a helmet until the 1979 World Cup final – 15 years after making his international debut.

“Helmets have unfortunately now taken away a lot of that fear and have given every batsman a false sense of security,” he wrote in his The Telegraph column.

“They feel safe and people will now attempt to either pull or hook almost every short ball that is bowled at them.

“Even tail-enders come in and bat like millionaires.

“Helmets have made batsmen feel safe in the belief that they cannot be hurt and made batsmen more carefree and careless.”

Boycott’s heart went out to Hughes as he only knew too well the perils of short pitched bowling after batting on uncovered pitches without a helmet most of his career.

However, Boycott’s scariest moment came after he had finally adopted the head gear.

He faced what is still considered to be the fastest over in Test history on England’s 1981 Caribbean tour.

Boycott was tormented in the third Test’s opening over by West Indian quick Michael Holding – nicknamed “Whispering Death” – before losing his off stump on the sixth delivery.

“I once asked Len Hutton, a great iconic player, whether he hooked Ray Lindwall or Keith Miller,” Boycott said.

“He said he once tried it at The Oval and he got halfway through the shot then cut it out because out of the corner of his eye he could see the hospital – that tells you everything.

“I was lucky that I grew up without helmets in the sixties and seventies so learnt from a very early age I had to be very selective (with shots).”

Boycott backed former England captain Mike Atherton’s call that Hughes’ shocking injury was a reminder that cricket can be a brutal game but there should be no restrictions on fast bowling as a result.

“Unless us batsmen wear a suit of armour there are always going to be injuries in cricket and those suffered by Stuart Broad in the summer and now Phillip Hughes in Sydney are a sad reminder of that fact,” he said.

Broad retired hurt when the ball went above the helmet grille and struck him in the face in a Test against India in August.

“But you cannot take away fast bowling or short-pitched bowling from cricket,” Boycott continued.

“I am very sad for Phil Hughes because nobody likes to see a young man in hospital in a critical condition, and we can only hope that he pulls through and makes a full recovery.”

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