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This page explains what the Laws of Cricket, governing bodies and standards bodies publish. It is not a substitute for coaching from a qualified coach, and it does not replace medical advice.
How the Laws define protective equipment (2026 edition)
The 2017 Code 4th Edition (2026) handles pads, gloves and guards through definitions in Appendix A:
- Appendix A.2.2, external protective equipment: any visible item worn to protect against external blows. For a batter, that means a protective helmet, external leg guards (batting pads), batting gloves and, if visible, forearm guards.
- Appendix A.2.2, fielders: a fielder may wear only a protective helmet as external protective equipment. The wicket-keeper is the exception and may also wear keeping pads and gloves.
- Appendix A.12.2, clothing: anything worn that is not external protective equipment counts as clothing, including spectacles and jewellery, even if some items worn out of sight are there for protection.
A text search of the 2026 Laws found no mention of abdominal guards (boxes), thigh guards or chest guards by name. They are covered only by those general definitions: worn out of sight, they count as clothing.
Gloves and the bat
Law 5.6 says that, for the purposes of the Laws, the ball touching the bat includes touching the batter's hand holding the bat, or any part of a glove worn on that hand. How dismissals work is on dismissals.
Gloves and leg guards for fielders
Law 28.1 (2026 edition) says no fielder other than the wicket-keeper may wear gloves or external leg guards. Protection for the hand or fingers may be worn only with the umpires' consent. Keepers' gloves have their own rules, on wicketkeeping gloves.
Protective equipment and dangerous bowling
Under Laws 41.6 and 41.7 (2026 edition), when the umpire judges whether short-pitched bowling or a full toss is dangerous, any protective equipment the striker is wearing is disregarded. Pads and guards do not change what the Laws treat as dangerous.
ICC rules for international cricket (January 2024)
The ICC Clothing and Equipment Regulations, effective from January 2024, list pads, batting gloves, thigh pads, arm guards and other visible protective equipment as cricket equipment, and set how each may look:
| Item | Tests | ODIs and T20 internationals |
|---|---|---|
| Batting pads | Plain white; straps may be in the maker's house colours; coloured piping only below the ankle strap | Plain coloured, not white or a light colour, the same across the team; discoloured or faded pads not permitted |
| Batting gloves | More than half of the glove's protective area white | More than half white or the base colour of the team's playing shirt |
| Arm guards | Plain white | White or the base colour of the playing shirt; straps may be in the maker's house colours; no visible logos |
| Thigh pads, shin pads and similar | Any colour, but worn under playing clothing and not visible, with no visible logos | |
The same regulations ban kit altered in a way that, in a match official's view, falls below elite professional standards, giving pads with faded or flaking coloured paint as an example. The wider rules are on clothing and equipment rules.
Board rules for young players
Some boards require particular guards for juniors:
- ECB Recreational Cricket Safety Regulations (2025). Read from a copy reproduced in a Cornwall Cricket handbook. In hardball cricket, under-18s batting must wear a helmet with faceguard or grille in matches and practice; under-18 wicket-keepers standing up to the stumps must wear a helmet with faceguard or grille, or a face protector; and 16 and 17 year olds fielding within 8 yards (7.3 m) of the striking batter must wear a helmet with faceguard or grille. In each of those three cases, male players must also wear a groin protector (box). This is a regulation, not a guideline.
- Cricket Ireland Young Cricketer Directives (2020). Players in the under-16 to under-18 age groups who are under 18 must wear a head protector, and boys a box, when fielding within 6 yards (5.5 m) of the bat.
No Cricket Australia document naming junior requirements for pads, gloves or abdominal protectors was found. Junior rules in full are on junior cricket rules.
Why hands feature in the injury research
Medical studies name the hand and fingers often. A study of New Zealand Accident Compensation Corporation claims for cricket from 2005 to 2016 (BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine, 2022) found hand and finger injuries had the highest pooled rate, 9.2 per 1,000 participants, followed by the lumbar spine. A ten-year review at one English first-class county, 2009 to 2018 (South African Journal of Sports Medicine, 2021), recorded 45 hand injuries, about 11 percent of which needed surgery. These figures describe injuries, not what any piece of kit prevents. A suspected injury needs medical care; this site gives no first aid or treatment. More is on injuries named.
Sources
- MCC, The Laws of Cricket, 2017 Code 4th Edition (2026), in force from 1 October 2026
- ICC Clothing and Equipment Rules and Regulations (effective January 2024)
- ECB Recreational Cricket Safety Regulations 2025 (reproduced in a Cornwall Cricket handbook)
- Cricket Ireland, Young Cricketer Directives 2020
- BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine (2022), cricket injuries in New Zealand ACC claims, 2005 to 2016
- Ribbans, Chaudhry and Goudriaan, hand trauma in English domestic professional county cricket, South African Journal of Sports Medicine (2021)