The Rules That Surround Taking Cricket Equipment On Planes

Today we will see what cricket equipment you can take on aircraft. If you are traveling as part of a team on a chartered private plane, you can take your cricket equipment onboard and store it securely. Private planes and team charters do not require passengers to go through airport security and have a terminal or waiting area at a different part of the airport than the commercial aircraft use. Providing the pilot is ok with what you want to bring onboard, you can take what you wish to into the cabin.
However, this is different when flying on a commercial airline. Since airlines beefed up security following the terrorist attacks in the United States on September 9, 2001, when a group of hijackers deliberately crashed aircraft into the Twin Towers in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, DC, air travel changed drastically. These rules were tightened further a couple of months later after Richard Reid tried to detonate a homemade bomb hidden in his shoes on a flight from Paris to Miami.
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Most cricket equipment needs to be checked luggage
Nowadays, anything seen as a possible weapon is confiscated by the TSA or other airport security agencies. There was a time when pilots often left the cockpit door open, but no more with reinforced cockpit doors needing to remain closed and locked during flights.
Photo: TSA
If you are flying on a commercial airline, you can only carry some of the items associated with cricket onboard a plane. The bat, the wickets, spiked shoes, and even helmets can all be used as weapons. For this reason, cricket equipment must be checked-in and carried in the hold.
Regions across the globe have similar rules regarding this. For instance, the UK government states that cricket bats aren’t allowed in hand luggage on the country’s flights.
To ensure your bat is not damaged, wrap it in bubble wrap and put it inside a sturdy box within your equipment bag. Also, to avoid the risk of it being confiscated, place helmets and cleated shows in your checked baggage.
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About the sport of cricket
While most people in the United Kingdom and British Commonwealth know what cricket is, millions have no clue about it or what it involves. Like the American sport of baseball, cricket is a team sport that involves hitting a ball with a bat.
Historians tell us cricket was first played in southeast England in the Middle Ages, with the earliest reference to the sport appearing in 1597. Cricket is played between two teams comprising 11 players each. The aim is to hit the ball and run between the wickets. The wickets are placed at a distance of 22 yards apart, with a batter at each wicket. When the ball is hit, both batters run between the two wickets to score runs.
The job of the team defending is to knock the stumps off the wickets. If the bowler (pitcher) can beat the batter and hit the wicket, the batter is out. The same thing goes for when the batter is running between wickets. If a fielder can knock the stumps off the wicket while the batter is running between them, the batter is out like being tagged out at the home plate.
What are your thoughts about the rule regarding cricket equipment on planes? Let us know what you think in the comment section.