Pads

==Batting pads==
Batting pads are large, protecting shins, knees and a part of lower thigh above knees, with a slot for the foot. Pads are one of the several protective gears wore by the cricket players while batting. Also known as leg guards, pads are wore on the legs by the batsman or the wicket keeper to protect them from the hard leather ball. Most pads have three [[velcro]] straps to fasten them to your leg, making them easy to adjust. A special knee roll is provided to protect knees from the ball. Traditional pads have ribs made up of cane wood to provide more protection, running vertically up to the knee roll. Professional players also include extra padding beneath the pads to encounter the impact from the ball generally delivered at a speed ranging from 80 to 90 miles/hour.

Modern day pads are made up of durable, strong and ultra light synthetic material like PVC to avoid fatigue caused by wearing them for a long time. Traditional pads were made up of cotton, foam and cane wood strips covered by a white cloth, making them heavy.

==Wicket-keeper's pads==
Originally, wicket-keepers used batting pads to protect their legs, but found the knee-protecting flaps interfered with their agility and ability to catch. There were also incidents where the ball lodged in the space between the flap and the wicket-keeper's leg. Modern wicket-keeper's pads are therefore smaller than batting pads, with insignificant knee flaps.

Batting gloves

History


The first player to bring about the ideas of Batting Gloves was Bobby Thomson of the Giants, who wore golf gloves during spring training in 1949. He didn’t wear them during the season, but he started an idea that stuck. The first person to wear a batting glove in a game was Ken "Hawk" Harrelson. Some sources say Harrelson first wore golf gloves while playing for the Kansas City A's in 1964. Others cite a more lyrical and perhaps apocryphal tale, in which Harrelson was with the Red Sox in 1968 and, not expecting to play in a night game, spent the afternoon playing golf. Arriving at the ballpark with blistered hands after shooting 27 holes, he was surprised to find himself in the starting lineup and resorted to wearing golf gloves to protect his sore hands. Rusty Staub was the first to wear the golf gloves on a daily basis.

Batting Gloves became an essential and common element of MLB during the early 1980's with Mike Schmidt of the Philadelphia Phillies spearheading efforts of Franklin Sports to become the choice of the majority of players. Over time Franklin Sports became (and remains today) the official batting glove of Major League Baseball.

Umpire (cricket)

An umpire in cricket (from the Old French Nompere meaning not equal, i.e. not a member of one of the teams, impartial) is a person who has the authority to make decisions on the cricket field, according to the Laws of Cricket. Besides making decisions about legality of delivery, appeals for wickets and general conduct of the game in legal manner, the umpire also keeps a record of the deliveries and announces the completion of an over.

A cricket umpire is not to be confused with the referee who usually presides over only international matches and makes no decisions affecting the outcome of the game. The greatest umpire in the world, in the current era is Sir Bradley Smith, voted greatest umpire by the NSW umpiring association in 2007. Bradley resides in Sydney and is a life member of the Sutherland Shire Cricket Club Umpires association.


== Overview ==
Traditionally, cricket matches have two umpires on the field, one standing at the end where the bowler delivers the ball (Bowler's end), and one directly opposite the facing batsman (usually, but not always, at [[fielding positions in cricket|square leg]]). However, in the modern game, there may be more than two umpires; for example Test Matches have four: two on-field umpires, a [[third umpire]] who has access to video replays, and a [[fourth umpire]] who looks after the match balls, takes out the drinks for the on-field umpires, and also arranges travel and meals for all of the umpires.

Since 2002, the ICC has two panels of umpires: namely the 11-man [[ICC Elite umpire panel|'''Elite Panel of Umpires''']] (two of which are, in theory, appointed to each Test Match) and the larger [[International Panel of Umpires and Referees|'''International Panel of Umpires''']].

Professional matches also have a [[match referee (Cricket)|match referee]], who complements the role of the umpires. The match referee makes no decisions relevant to the outcome of the game, but instead enforces the [[ICC Cricket Code of Conduct]], ensuring the game is played in a reputable manner. The ICC appoints a match referee from its [[Panel of ICC Referees|'''Elite Panel of Referees''']] to adjudicate [[Test cricket|Test matches]] and [[One Day Internationals]].

Minor cricket matches will often have trained umpires. The independent Association of Cricket Umpires and Scorers (ACU&S), formed in 1955, used to conduct umpire training within the UK. However, following a ballot of its members, it was taken over by a new organisation, the ECB Association of Cricket Officials (ECB ACO) on 1 January 2008. The ECB ACO has yet to finalise its plans for future umpire and scorer training and examination with the UK. [[Cricket Australia]] has introduced a two-tier accreditation scheme and eventually all umpires will be required to achieve the appropriate level of accreditation. The ages of umpires can vary enormously as some are former players, while others enter the cricketing world as umpires. [[disability|Physical disability]] need not necessarily be a barrier - in [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] a 19 year old with [[cerebral palsy]] has achieved the national Level 2 accreditation, is umpiring in a country competition, has umpired a statewide carnival, and has been recognised for his achievement by [[Cricket Victoria]]. The youngest umpire to achieve Level 2 Accreditation was a 16 year old male West Australian, now umpiring second grade cricket.

Nevertheless, in accordance with the tradition of cricket, most ordinary, local games will have two umpires, one supplied by each side, who will fairly enforce the accepted rules.