Australia batter Steve Smith is the newest addition to the list of players using black anti-glare strips below their eyes. This was made famous by West Indies great Shivnarine Chanderpaul. Smith tried the anti-glare strips when Australia had a floodlit training session before their pink-ball second Test against England in the Ashes series, which begins on Thursday at the Gabba.
Smith said during Australia’s last day-night Test against West Indies: “The pink ball in general is just a completely different game. Personally, I find it quite tricky just picking the ball up at certain times of the day and things like that, and the way it behaves is completely different to a red one. I think people like the spectacle. But as a player, particularly as a batter, it’s very challenging. The game can so quickly, and things change really quickly, which you probably don’t get so much with a red ball. But yeah, people like watching it, I suppose, so I guess it’s here to stay.”
These eye-black strips placed on the cheekbones help reduce glare from floodlights and prevent light from reflecting into an athlete’s eyes. They are common in American sports.
Chanderpaul, who used them often, told Gulf News in a 2018 interview: “I always used it whenever it was very glary. I stick them on and it does help take 60-70 percent of the glare off my eyes, and that was good for me.”
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