Always had a resistance to those who found romance in hot weather cricket. It had to do with a colleague of mine suffering a heat stroke in our school Colts XI of which I was the profoundly uncelebrated skipper. I think I was so anointed because I was the tallest in the team and not because of any great prowess. Seemed to me even in those nascent days a perfect formula for disaster to stand there frying like a banana fritter in the blazing sun or running between the wickets and, even worse, having a massive run up to fling the ball at full speed. But it was the manly thing to do so we did it.
The death of Namibia wicketkeeper-batsman Raymond van Schoor in Windhoek while he was batting on 15 from a heat stroke last week only underscores the point that one is asking for it. Even though it was only 34 degrees Celsius Schoor heated up.
Cricket and American football are two sports where the uniform contributes to the general discomfort. In recent years the pile on of protective gear and heat absorbing silken or synthetic clothes have added to the risk factor but no one has really taken it seriously. Not in cricket, anyway.
The not so attractive TV close up of a batsman pouring out a river of sweat by squeezing his helmet is now a common shot but all it does is indicate the stupidity of playing in the hot weather with pads, gloves, inner safety-wear, helmets and what have you.
A marine in combat has less stuff on him and we are a step away from Kevlar vests. Just look at the wicketkeeper today, he is beaten only by the relatively static goal keeper in field hockey for padding and protection.
There is so little research going into the gear and what it is doing to intensify the risk to the players from the weather. How it looks on TV and the bright almost fluorescent colors that welcome the heat have become the norm. From uniform to costume is but a small step.
Even just standing at mid off in searing purple or blazing orange is like a cookie baking in an oven.
There is a certain irony in the present situation. While everyone is gung ho about the improvements in safety equipment and the use of new materials and technologies they are doing it at the expense of basic comfort and body temperature. Not enough research is going into this aspect. Greed has made the itineraries even in domestic formats an all -year-round affair. Add the lure of sponsored circuses and players are out there four days a week. Why won’t they be hit adversely by what came to be known as the Martin Lawrence affect. The well known star jogged in heavy clothes and a wool hat in 100 °F (37.8 °C) to lose weight. He collapsed with a temperature of 107 °F (41.7 °C) and spent three days in a coma. He could have been playing cricket.
Test match white is still the best bet against the mercury but the truncated games have surrendered to a self damaging glamor. In India, for example, there are over 8000 official matches a year played at all levels in temperatures that cross 40 degrees Celsius. A survey done in Sydney had this to say:
“Children are at greater risk, of developing heat illness, than adults. All Umpires, coaches and managers are required to monitor all players for heat illness.
If any signs of heat illness are detected those players must be immediately removed from play and cooled. Severe cases should be treated as a medical emergency (delirium, seizures, coma). Wicket-keepers, batters, and fast bowlers are especially subject to heat stress due to the intense exercise and/or padding and helmets.”
Much of the reason why logic gets flung out of window from the school stage is because of the fear of being called a sissy and peer pressure from over-competitive coaches for kids to perform even if they are risking their young lives.
While soccer has the dubious lead for deaths on field averaging three a year how dangerous heat is when you think of Harry Potter actor David Legeno who from a stroke in Death Valley, California. The martial arts exponent was hiking in 100 degrees.
Perhaps it is time to revisit the issue of sports gear. After the NFL player Korey Stringer collapsed of heat exhaustion while on the rolls of the Minnesota Vikings the research institute named in his honor has been experimenting with a new fabric called Enduracool and it’s not the only one of its kind. It drops your body temp when used.
Moral of the story: sometimes cold comfort is an advantage.
