MELBOURNE, March 12 (Reuters) - New Zealand batter Kane Williamson has started a business inspired by one of cricket's most painful rites of passage, launching his own line of "premium alloy" boxes to protect players' most sensitive area.
Worn inside a player's briefs as a shield for the groin, boxes are an essential piece of protective kit for batters facing deliveries that can exceed 140 km/hr (87 mph).
Williamson said a ball from South Africa's feared fast man Dale Steyn in 2012 cracked his box and inspired the "Cover" brand he had co-founded.
"It was extremely painful and it just absolutely dropped me," the former New Zealand captain said in a statement.
"I was hit, my box split, and that made it pretty clear that the protection players were relying on wasn't up to the demands of the modern game."
Co-founder Jason Low said the box's alloy shell could handle ball speeds well over 200 km/hr and offer protection from high-speed projectiles across other hard ball sports like hockey, lacrosse and baseball.
While boxes have long been a staple of cricket kit, players are still occasionally left writhing after being struck low by a fast ball.
Australia's T20 captain Mitchell Marsh missed two games at the World Cup last month after suffering "internal testicular bleeding" from being hit in the groin by a ball at training.
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Kate Mayberry)
