The then 21-year-old prodigy waddled towards the vacant short leg like he was at Disneyland, auditioning for Donald Duck. He crouched and clung to his bat handle for solace. The speed ball radar aggravated the agony by conjuring up the figure “139km/h”.
Television commentator Mark Richardson added some helpful punditry to the replay picture for viewers at home: “Ooh, that’s flush”.
Steyn’s less helpful reaction was audible over the stump microphone: “I’m not going to apologise”. To his credit, he had the grace to sign the fractured abdominal protector in the aftermath.
The box worn by Kane Williamson that was damaged in a delivery from South African quick Dale Steyn in 2012. Photo / Supplied
Williamson, as fans have become accustomed over his 108-match career, went on to save the test with one of the gutsiest knocks this country has seen. His 102 not out literally displayed testicular fortitude. The feat cemented his reputation as a player to celebrate.
Throw forward almost 14 years and Williamson’s looking to the horizon beyond cricket, whenever his career eventually ends.
The 35-year-old has never forgotten that moment of Steyn-inflicted horror.
“It was extremely painful and absolutely dropped me,” Williamson said.
“That made it pretty clear the protection players were relying on wasn’t up to the demands of the modern game, and the need to create a product which can provide what’s required.”
Cue the unveiling of Cover, a new sports protection brand with science-backed design to modernise and improve gear.
Years of research and development have resulted in the company releasing its maiden product. The prototype, which will be marketed at $110 – or $150 in combination with the accompanying jockstrap – is described as “a New Zealand-made premium alloy box, engineered to withstand the extreme impacts of high speed projectiles across multiple hard ball sports including cricket, hockey, lacrosse, and baseball”.
The key elements are a capacity to absorb impact and stay secure during play.
The box can allegedly handle ball speeds well over 200km/h “without visible indentation”, not that you’d be volunteering as a crash-test dummy.
The website, coverathletes.com, also claims the protector has endured a 300km/h missile. That is roughly twice as fast as the quickest bowlers in the world, a prospect those with family ambitions might choose to ignore.
The business is backed by a group of investors, including New Zealand Cricket. 2015 World Cup semi-final hero Grant Elliott, a man who knows how to deal with Steyn, is leading the commercial programme.
“In my view, it’s the best box in the world. It’s comfortable to wear, durable, and does a great job of reducing pain on impact,” he said.
Williamson has demonstrated his faith by wearing the product this summer, and says the difference is obvious.
“A few months ago, I took a quick one flush in this box and I remember thinking that should have hurt more than it did.
“This is about helping the next generation. If we can raise the standard of protection, we can improve confidence, performance, and safety for everyone who plays the game.”