The mask Waldron wears

Cricket equipment has seen a lot of evolution since the game became a worldwide marketable product. From the time of no helmets, the game has seen more and more use of protective gear. Helmets have changed shape as well to make things comfortable for the batsmen and wicketkeepers who wear it. But Mary Waldron is perhaps the first one to actually get rid of the cricket helmet altogether and replace it with a baseball helmet.
The Irish wicketkeeper-batsman catches the eye easily with her unique headgear, which is basically a steel visor attached with a strapping to the back of her head. Then when she bats, she changes into a proper cricket helmet. Waldron says it makes her feel comfortable while diving around.
“It's a baseball mask. The usual helmet is too heavy and since I do a lot of diving, it just wasn't very comfortable. So I just took a look on the internet and chose it,” said Waldron.
The 29-year-old vice-captain of Ireland actually is different from others, in more than one way. While many of the other women here often play other sports, Mary represented her country in the game of football at the highest level. After skippering the U-19 team, she represented the senior national team once. However, she found cricket as her stronger suit and decided to stick to it, despite being involved in Irish club football.
“I had a friend in college from South Africa and she loved cricket and that is how I started playing,” Mary said. “Cricket is my choice now. The opportunity to play in a world cup is amazing. You never know what's going to happen in cricket, you could be on top of your game and you get a first-ball duck, which is why it's such a good game.”