Abnormal colour vision is a handicap to playing cricket but not an insurmountable one

Abstract

Background: Two studies have reported that abnormal colour vision is under‐represented among cricketers, presumably because cricketers with abnormal colour vision have difficulty seeing the red ball against the green grass of the cricket field and the green foliage around it. We have previously reported on the difficulties of five cricketers with abnormal colour vision but we have also reported that one of Australia’s finest cricketers was a protanope. This survey was undertaken to confirm the under‐representation of abnormal colour vision among cricketers and to ascertain whether those playing tend to be (1) those with a mild colour vision deficiency, (2) bowlers rather than batsman and (3) prefer to field close to the batsman rather than in the outfield. Methods: The colour vision of 293 members of seven Melbourne Premier cricket clubs was tested using the Ishihara test. Those who failed were examined further to confirm their abnormal colour vision, to assess its severity with the Farnsworth D15 test and to classify it as either protan or deutan using the Medmont C100 test. A questionnaire about cricketing ability and problems playing cricket was administered. Results: Twenty‐six (8.9 per cent) of the cricketers had abnormal colour vision, of whom six played in the First Grade (6.7 per cent of First Grade players). The proportion of cricketers with a severe deficiency was significantly less than expected for the First Grade players. There were only two protans. Bowlers were not over‐represented among the colour vision defective cricketers but those preferring to field close to the batsman were significantly over‐represented. Conclusion: Abnormal colour vision is a modest handicap to playing cricket, especially at the higher levels of the game. It may impede batting and the ability to field in the outfield.

Vision and Visual History in Elite/Near-Elite-Level Cricketers and Rugby-League Players

“…Thus, overall, 4.7% of our males had red/green colour deficiency compared to an expected 8% in European Caucasian males [ 56 ], who comprised the overwhelming majority of our males. This discrepancy may be due to our modest sample size, but it is consistent with findings that colour vision deficits are under-represented in high-level cricketers in England [ 57 ] and with another study [ 58 ] in which fewer first-grade cricketers than expected were found to be colour-vision deficient. None of the female cricketers were found to be colour deficient, and this is consistent with the much lower prevalence of red/green deficiency expected in females compared to males [ 56 ].…”

Cricketers are not tickled pink by the new coloured ball

“…7,29 Three participants in this study self-reported a colour vision deficiency, which is relatively fewer than what would have been expected on the basis of frequency in the male population (about 8% of males). Either some players remain unaware of their colour vision deficiency, or rather that our results are consistent with others who have found an underrepresentation of individuals with a colour vision deficiency in first-class cricket 30 , further supporting the idea that a colour vision deficiency may present a potential barrier to optimal performance in cricket.…”

Is screening for congenital colour vision deficiency in school students worthwhile? A review a

“…A significant proportion of individuals with a congenital colour vision deficiency have reported difficulties with ‘everyday tasks’ requiring colour vision, such as in recognising colours in sport or the television . First grade cricket has a lower representation of individuals with colour vision deficiencies; however, their performance was found to be similar to that of cricketers with normal colour vision . It was thought that there was an element of self‐selection of cricketers with congenital colour vision deficiency that could adequately compensate .…”