of the batsman, with the exception of any fielding position behind square of the wicket on the off side. Opposition from players Many players refused to wear helmets, either believing that they obstructed their vision when batting, or, just as in the similar debate in ice hockey, feeling helmets were unmanly, a view held by many spectators. Englishman Dennis Amiss was the first player to wear a helmet in the modern game, during a World Series Cricket match, for which both the crowd and other players mocked him. Australian captain Graham Yallop was booed when he wore one in a 1978 match against the West Indies (the first time a helmet was worn in a test match) and West Indian captain Viv Richards viewed such protection as cowardly. India captain Sunil Gavaskar believed that helmets slowed down a batsman's reflexes and refused to wear one. In more recent times, many batsmen have felt that modern helmet designs have become increasingly obstructive. Most notably, England captain Alastair Cook for a time refused to wear a new helmet complying with ICC safety regulations since he felt it was distracting and uncomfortable. His England teammate Jonathan Trott also refused for similar reasons, and teammate Nick Compton (a close friend of Phillip Hughes) felt that the new regulations were overzealous. Cricket helmet manufacturers There are a number of cricket helmet manufacturers and brands available. Some of them are Gunn & Moore, Sanspareils Greenlands, and Sareen Sports Industries. Many professional cricket players choose to wear the Masuri cricket helmet with the brand being worn by approximately 70% of players competing in the 2019 Cricket World Cup. Masuri are also the original inventors of the first neck protector, an additional piece of protective equipment that attaches to the back of the cricket helmet, when they launched their Stem Guard in 2015. See also Batting helmet for Baseball or Softball References Cricket equipment Helmets