Wicketkeepers Without Gloves

[Slats4ever]

Was standing at cover the other day nursing a sore pinky after misfielding a ball thinking about the warriors of old who used to stand behind the stumps without gloves. Possibly the craziest job in the history of cricket.

 

[Dark Hunter]

Not quite the same, but i played against a guy a year or two ago who was keeping without pads. Keeping without gloves would be insane though, specially if you had someone express in your team.

 

[silentstriker]

Thats like fielding at short leg without a helmet.

 

[PhoenixFire]

It's not actually as stupid as it might seem at first. If you can imagine slip catching, the ball comes faster sometimes off the edge of the bat, than it does when it is being left. From say a Medium-Fast or Medium Pacer, the only problem would maybe be the constant hitting of the palms, rather than the initial stining. Obviously only a fool would do this, because of the comfort and lightness of the keeping gloves now, they are no problem to wear at all.

 

[archie mac]

It should also be remembered that most if not all of those keepers kept to underarm bowling

 

[magsi23]

Thats like fielding at short leg without a helmet.

or batting in international cricket without a guard

 

[Perm]

Seems incredible to imagine this, but archie mac has a fair point in saying that a lot of these bowlers were bowling underarm.

 

[Dick Rockett]

It's not actually as stupid as it might seem at first. If you can imagine slip catching, the ball comes faster sometimes off the edge of the bat, than it does when it is being left.

It's the law of averages - the keeper takes the ball way more often, so the chances of being injured are higher, hence the gloves.

 

[33/3from3.3]

It's funny to me that someone would mention this, as on saturday the opposition keeper had no gloves while i was batting. I kept trying to hit the ball down and behind me, like nicking it downwards i did it once, got a two, by the keeper misfeilding . he then wore gloves

 

[Slats4ever]

It should also be remembered that most if not all of those keepers kept to underarm bowling

excuse my historical ignorance but when was cricket underarm?

 

[vic_orthdox]

excuse my historical ignorance but when was cricket underarm?

 

[Slats4ever]

besides that

 

[archie mac]

excuse my historical ignorance but when was cricket underarm?

Sometime in the 1830s the MCC legalised round arm bowling (arm could go no higher then the shoulder when letting the ball go), but it had been going on from the 1820s I think. Before the 1820s it had all been underarm bowling for a few hundred years.

From memory they leagalised over arm bowling (what we have now) in 1868 (I could be wrong, can check it up if you would like)

 

[Dydl]

Considering the fact that almost every team has a fast bowler now, it would be foolish not to wear gloves when keeping to them. Adam Gilchrist's hands still sting when he keeps a ball from Brett Lee, even when he is wearing gloves. Just imagine how they would feel without glvoes..

 

[Dravid]

It wouln't hurt as much in ODI as it would in tests because more balls hit the bat in ODI cricket than in Test cricket.

 

[andmark]

Its not crazy

 

[albo97056]

not not crazy

bowlers in those days prob were upwards of 70mph at the most anyway