Clearer Vision, Better Shots: The Power of Cricket Screens

What is a cricket screen? Why are they such a common feature of so many major cricket grounds? Why are they sometimes called sight screens? What kinds of advantages and uses do they have? How do you decide on what’s the right one for you and your team?

To answer all these questions, as well as several others, the Stuart Canvas Group is here to help.

What is a Cricket Screen?

A cricket screen is a large set of panels (often wooden, but far from always) positioned around the ground to provide important visual contrast for the batsman. The colour contrast between the panels and the ball means that when the ball is bowled, the batsman has a clearer view of the ball and its movements, giving them a better chance to strike the ball accurately when it hits.

Why are they called sight screens?

Because they allow the batsman a clear line of sight to see the ball. The dark red of the ball contrasts well against the bright white of the panels.

Why are these screens so important?

Because of the speed and split-second decision making processes involved in batting a ball in cricket.

Bear in mind, an ‘average’ speed bowler will be launching their ball at the batsman at speeds of approximately 75 miles per hour / 120 kilometers per hour. Given that the cricket pitch is a mere 22 yards or 20.12 metres, that means you have less than a second to judge where and how to angle your bat and strike the ball away. That’s just an average. Fast bowlers can be going much faster even than that, reaching speeds of 100 mph / 160 kph.

With such a short window, you need all the information about where the ball is and how it is travelling. The slight extra contrast offered by the cricket sight screen is vitally important. It gives batsmen the ability to see the ball more clearly, make a better decision about where to hit, and stay safe when you have 6oz / 150g of wood and fabric flying at you.

What different kinds of cricket sight screens are there?

Many different types.

The variations revolve around four main areas. Colour, composition, changeability, and mounting.

What kinds of colours do cricket sight screens come in?

Generally speaking colour screens are either white or black.

This depends on the type of ball being used. Most cricket teams will either use red or white balls. With red balls, white screens offer the batter better contrast. For white balls, black screens are the contrasting colour you need.

Because some grounds switch between these two colours regularly, some sight screens include the ability to change from white to black and vice versa.

The Stuart Canvas Group offers all these and more in a range of compositions to ensure you get the best possible cricket equipment your grounds needs.

What can cricket screens be made from?

There’s three common component parts for the screens themselves. Wood, polymer compounds, or woven mesh.

Wood is the classic cricket screen choice. They are very durable, beautifully crafted, and have a strong traditional aesthetic association with the glory heyday of cricket in times past. While these can move, they are much heavier than some alternatives, and in most cases cannot be disassembled, so you’re going to need substantial space on hand if you want to use these.

Polymer cricket sight screens are usually made from materials like polypropylene, and offer a lighter and more economical alternative to the wooden options. These are fitted onto a steel frame, and can be moved around more easily by an individual person.

Woven mesh sight screens are made from a thin but strong mesh of fabric which offers the white shade screen to clearly contrast for the batsman’s vision sake. These can be disassembled very easily, and allow the wind to pass through with great ease, making them much harder to tip over or damage in this fashion. The mesh can also be rolled up to put it away for storage.

What different types of mounting do cricket screens have?

There’s three main types of mounting. Mobile wheeled frames, rails, and pavilion.

Most cricket sight screens are built onto large wheeled frames that can be pushed and pulled around the grounds as needed. This can be a heavy and difficult process however, depending on how many ground hands you have, and the kind of terrain the screen is being moved on.

Some grounds prefer a rail or tracked system, where the screen is mounted on a frame set upon a set of railings installed in the ground. This can save space, and makes it easier for a single ground hand to move the screen by themselves.

The last type of mounting is pavilion installed screens. These are almost exclusively roller lines of mesh screen which make the pavilion a much more pale uniform colour, and is ideal for ground that don’t have the space for independent cricket sight screens. As well as being practical for the players, spectators can see through the mesh very clearly.

How do cricket sight screens change colour?

Sometimes a fabric cover can be placed over a wooden or polymer sight screen to allow the colour to change from white to black or vice versa. Other times, the screens are mounted on a frame with a rotating pannel function, which allows the panels to flip round so that a black / white side is facing the batsman. Also, mesh screens have two sides, so when the rolls are mounted to the frame, the orientation determines the colour.

How do cricket sight screens change the game?

They make the game fairer.

The common expression “that’s not cricket” implies that a situation is somehow unfair or otherwise less than balanced between two or more parties. The game of cricket is meant to be a high watermark of fairness and balance.

The sight screens offer an extra edge of balance to the game of cricket. Without them, the batsmen would have no choice but to be entirely reactionary to the plans and purposes of the fielding / bowling team. With that little extra visual contrast, the batsmen can plan where they’ll hit. How they will strike. What they will do. This makes the game as a whole much more interesting an exciting.
For the best games of cricket at your club, you need that extra fairness, and the best equipment will let you do that. Speak to Stuart Canvas Group today, and find the best cricket sight screens to meet your needs.