MELBOURNE:

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 areas.

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.

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“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.