Cricket equipment, as the Laws, the ICC and the standards bodies set it out.

This section is a reference to the rules on cricket equipment, not a buying guide or a coaching manual. The Laws in force are the MCC's 2017 Code 4th Edition (2026), from 1 October 2026; where the 3rd Edition (2022) said something different, the pages say so. A cricket ball is hard and fast and can cause serious head and face injuries, which is why helmet rules take up several pages here; none of them replaces a coach or a doctor.

How these pages are written

• Every Law has its number and edition. Ball sizes, bat limits and stump dimensions are given as the 2026 text states them, with the 2022 figures where they changed. They agree with the bat and ball checker.
• ICC rules name their document and date. For example the Clothing and Equipment Regulations (effective January 2024), the Men's Test Playing Conditions (effective June 2025) and the Men's ODI Playing Conditions (effective October 2026).
• Disagreements show both sides. The ICC's own documents name two editions of the helmet standard, BS 7928:2013 and BS 7928:2013+A1:2019; botanists and foresters disagree on whether bat willow is a hybrid; reports of the 2026 pink-ball Test trial differ. Each version is given with who says it.
• Nothing here certifies gear. No page says a helmet or any other item is certified, safe or legal. The standard, the label and the rule of the body running the cricket decide.
• Helmets are not concussion prevention. The ECB says head protectors mainly reduce the risk of skull and face fracture rather than concussion, and the NSW State Coroner, Michael Barnes, found on 4 November 2016 that the ball that killed Phillip Hughes in 2014 struck an area of his neck that his helmet did not protect.
• Makers' claims are labelled. What bat and ball makers say about willow, seams and performance is marked as their claim. Shops are not named.
• Care is named, not taught. Knocking-in and oiling are named only; no page gives preparation, repair or fitting instructions.
• Some documents are not cited. A few governing-body documents found during research carry confidentiality labels. This site does not cite them or use facts that rest only on them, and the pages say where that leaves a gap.

The ball, the bat and the wickets

The ball sets out Law 4: the new Size 1, 2 and 3 balls, the 2022 men's, women's and junior ranges they replaced, and who controls the ball in a match. Red, white and pink balls explains that colour comes from playing conditions, not the Laws, with the ICC's ODI and Test ball rules, the first day-night Test in 2015 and the 2026 pink-ball trial.

The bat covers Law 5 and Appendix B: the size limits and gauge, Types A to D, the 2026 change letting laminated Type D bats into open-age cricket, and the ICC's rule that only Type A bats are used in ODIs and Tests. Willow and bat-making covers the cricket bat willow tree, watermark disease, makers' claims about English and Kashmir willow, and the MCC's 2021 statement that bamboo bats are not allowed. Stumps and bails gives Law 8 and Appendix D to the hundredth of a centimetre.

Helmets and neck guards

Helmet standards explains BS 7928 and its editions, the tests as the ICC describes them, and the gap for women's balls. Helmet rules by body sets out who must wear a helmet, and where, under the ICC (from 1 June 2023), Cricket Australia, NZC, the ECB and Cricket Ireland. Neck protectors covers the guard the Laws count as part of the helmet: optional in ICC cricket, compulsory under Cricket Australia from 2023-24 and under NZC's 2024-25 policy for its international and Major Association domestic players. The history of these rules since 2014 is on helmet rules: the history.

Protective kit and clothing

Pads, gloves and guards covers how the Laws define protective equipment and the boards' junior rules on guards. Wicketkeeping gloves gives Law 27 and Appendix E and the helmet rules for keepers standing up. Footwear notes that the Laws have no shoe rule and gives the ICC's 70% white rule. Clothing and equipment rules summarises the ICC's January 2024 regulations item by item.

Recalls and care

Recalls lists product-safety regulator notices only, with dates, and says where none was found. Bat care, named names knocking-in and oiling and sets out what the Laws allow on a bat, when the ICC and NZC say a helmet should be replaced, and who looks after the ball.

Related reading

How a match runs under the Laws is in Learn, including the 2026 Laws changes. Concussion, the Hughes inquest and junior rules are in Safety. Buying guides by category are in Guides, and terms are explained in the glossary.