Protective Equipment

Protective Equipment at a glance

Products in this range	15
Price range	$7.99 – $65.00 AUD
In stock	13 of 15
Brands	Gray-Nicolls, Kookaburra
Sold by	Cricket For All, Gilles Plains, South Australia

Brands in this range

• Gray-Nicolls — 8 items
• Kookaburra — 7 items

Products in this range

All 15 products in this collection, with current catalogue price and availability.

Product	Brand	Price	In stock
Kookaburra Test Protector White/Black Abdominal Guard - Junior	Kookaburra	$9.00	Yes
Kookaburra Super Pro Protector White/Black Abdominal Guard - Junior	Kookaburra	$12.00	Yes
Kookaburra Test Protector Lime/Black Abdominal Guard - Junior	Kookaburra	$9.00	Yes
Gray-Nicolls Abdo Guards-White-S Jnr	Gray-Nicolls	$7.99	Yes
Gray-Nicolls Test Arm Guard-Y	Gray-Nicolls	$24.99	Yes
Gray-Nicolls Test Arm Guard-J	Gray-Nicolls	$24.99	Yes
Gray-Nicolls Elite Abdo Guard-Yths	Gray-Nicolls	$19.99	Yes
Kookaburra PRO 5.0 PRO GUARD - JUNIOR	Kookaburra	$65.00	Yes
Gray-Nicolls Elite Abdominal Guard - Junior	Gray-Nicolls	$19.99	Yes
Gray-Nicolls Test Arm Guard-SJ	Gray-Nicolls	$24.99	Yes
Kookaburra Pro 6.0 Chest Guard - Junior	Kookaburra	$30.00	No
Kookaburra Players Protector Abdominal Guard - Junior	Kookaburra	$15.00	Yes
Kookaburra Pro 6.0 Forearm Guard - Junior	Kookaburra	$18.00	No
Gray-Nicolls Test Chest Guard-Y	Gray-Nicolls	$29.99	Yes
Gray-Nicolls Test Chest Guard-Jnr	Gray-Nicolls	$29.99	Yes

What you get at each price point

Across this range, a quarter of options sit below $9.00, half below $18.00, and a quarter above $29.99.

Entry options in this range:

• Gray-Nicolls Abdo Guards-White-S Jnr - Gray-Nicolls, $7.99
• Kookaburra Test Protector Lime/Black Abdominal Guard - Junior - Kookaburra, $9.00
• Kookaburra Test Protector White/Black Abdominal Guard - Junior - Kookaburra, $9.00

Premium options in this range:

• Kookaburra PRO 5.0 PRO GUARD - JUNIOR - Kookaburra, $65.00
• Kookaburra Pro 6.0 Chest Guard - Junior - Kookaburra, $30.00
• Gray-Nicolls Test Chest Guard-Jnr - Gray-Nicolls, $29.99

Protective equipment: what each piece does

Beyond helmet, pads and gloves, the protective set covers the areas a cricket ball actually finds.

Abdominal guard (box)

Non-negotiable at every level and every age, batting and wicketkeeping. Worn inside supportive briefs or a purpose-made jockstrap. Sizes run junior through senior - a guard that is too large sits away from the body and is worse than useless because it deflects rather than absorbs. Replace after any significant impact and when the edge padding perishes.

Chest guard

Worn under the shirt, covering the sternum and lower ribs. Most valuable against genuine pace, on bouncy surfaces, and for junior players still learning to get inside the line. Sizes are by chest measurement. Some designs are handed - the leading shoulder side carries more coverage.

Arm guard

Worn on the leading forearm (left arm for a right-handed batter). Protects the forearm from the ball that lifts off a length. Should extend from just below the elbow to the wrist without restricting the top-hand grip. Frequently skipped by juniors and frequently the reason for a broken forearm.

Elbow guard

Sometimes combined with the arm guard. Covers the point of the elbow, particularly exposed when playing across the line or ducking.

Fitting principle

Protection works by staying in contact with the body at the moment of impact. Anything that slides, rotates or sits proud has moved out of position by the time the ball arrives. Every piece should be strapped firmly enough that a hard shake does not move it.

Building a complete protective set

Cricket protection works as a system. Each item covers an area the others do not, and injuries happen in the gaps. A player with an expensive helmet and no arm guard is protected against the injury that is rare and exposed to one that is common.

The full set, and what each piece is actually for

Item	Protects against
Helmet	Ball to the head and face; the highest-consequence injury in cricket
Abdominal guard	Groin impact; mandatory at every level and age
Batting pads	Shin, knee and instep from balls beating the bat
Batting gloves	Fingers and thumbs, particularly the bottom hand
Thigh guards (inner and outer)	Deep muscle bruising from balls that beat bat and pad
Arm guard	Forearm fracture from a ball lifting off a length
Chest guard	Sternum and rib impact, particularly against pace and on bouncy wickets
Elbow guard	The point of the elbow when playing across the line or ducking

Priority order when budget is limited

1. Helmet to current standard, correctly fitted. Non-negotiable.
2. Abdominal guard. Cheap and mandatory.
3. Pads and gloves that fit properly - fit matters more than price.
4. Thigh guards, inner and outer.
5. Arm guard, especially for juniors and anyone facing genuine pace.
6. Chest guard for juniors, and for players on bouncy surfaces.

Spending on a premium bat before completing the protective set is the most common junior kit-buying mistake.

The principle that governs all of it

Protection works by staying in contact with the body at the moment of impact. Anything that slides, rotates or sits proud of the body has moved out of position by the time the ball arrives, and dissipates far less energy than the same item correctly fitted.

This is why oversized protective equipment is genuinely more dangerous than correctly sized equipment, and why buying a junior a guard to "grow into" is a false economy in a way that buying an oversized shirt is not.

Materials and how they age

Most cricket protection uses high-density closed-cell foam, sometimes over a moulded shell. Foam absorbs energy by compressing. That compression is not perfectly elastic: after heavy impacts and over years, foam hardens and loses rebound.

Signs a protective item needs replacing:

• The foam feels hard rather than springy under thumb pressure.
• Visible permanent compression or cracking in the padding.
• Perished, brittle or torn edge binding.
• Straps or elastic that no longer hold tension.
• Any item that has taken a direct, heavy impact - particularly helmets.

Fitting checks before every use

Cricket protective equipment is only as good as the two minutes spent putting it on. Straps firm, wings outward on pads, guard handedness correct, helmet grille locked, abdominal guard seated inside supportive briefs. Most protective failures in club cricket are fitting failures rather than equipment failures.

Protective equipment terms

• Abdominal guard / box - rigid groin protection worn inside supportive briefs.
• Arm guard - forearm protection worn on the leading arm.
• Chest guard - sternum and rib protection worn under the shirt.
• Closed-cell foam - the high-density energy-absorbing material used in most cricket protection.
• Handedness - many guards are shaped for a specific side and are not interchangeable.

Common questions about protective equipment

Is an abdominal guard mandatory?

At every level and every age, batting and wicketkeeping. It is worn inside supportive briefs or a purpose-made jockstrap. A guard that is too large sits away from the body and deflects rather than absorbs, so size matters.

Who should wear a chest guard?

Junior players still learning to get inside the line, anyone facing genuine pace, and players on bouncy surfaces. It sits under the shirt over the sternum and lower ribs. Sized by chest measurement.

Which arm does an arm guard go on?

The leading forearm - the left arm for a right-handed batter. It should run from just below the elbow to the wrist without restricting the top-hand grip.

Why do juniors skip arm guards?

Because they are uncomfortable if poorly fitted and not visibly "necessary" until something happens. Forearm fractures from a ball lifting off a length are among the more common serious junior batting injuries, and an arm guard prevents most of them.

How do I know protective gear still works?

Foam compresses over time and after impacts. If a guard has taken a heavy blow, if the foam feels hard or has lost its rebound, or if the edge padding has perished, replace it. Protection works only while the material can still absorb energy.

What to buy alongside

A helmet and abdominal guard are the two pieces most competitions require before a player takes strike.

Related ranges

• Shop All Protective Equipment — 47 products
• Junior Cricket — 335 products
• All Cricket Gear Except Balls — 1451 products
• Gray-Nicolls — 491 products
• Junior Cricket Abdominal Guards — 7 products
• Kookaburra — 502 products
• Junior Cricket Arm Guards — 4 products
• Junior Cricket Chest Guards — 4 products

Buying from Cricket For All

Cricket For All is an Adelaide cricket centre and online store at Unit 1-2, 621-623 North East Road, Gilles Plains, South Australia. Free standard shipping applies to eligible Australian merchandise orders of A$100 or more before cart rewards. Standard shipping is A$15 otherwise; express is A$20. Exclusions and weight limits apply. See the current shipping policy at https://www.cricketforall.com.au/policies/shipping-policy for full terms.

The store sits inside a working cricket centre with indoor lanes and bowling machines, so equipment advice comes from nationally accredited coaches who see the same gear in use daily rather than from a catalogue. Trading hours are Monday to Thursday 12:00pm-10:00pm, Friday 12:00pm-9:00pm, and Saturday and Sunday 10:00am-6:00pm. Phone (08) 7095 5777 or email retail@cricketforall.com.au.

Price, variant and availability details reflect the catalogue when this page was compiled; the live product page carries current pricing and stock.