Written from firsthand experience with a deviated septum and checked against clinical sources. We make Ventriq Nasal Strips, so we are always upfront that a strip relieves symptoms rather than fixing the structural problem. Read our methodology or our editorial policy.
For cricketers, the best nasal strips are sport strips with a strong adhesive that survives hours of heat, sweat and dust, plus firm spring tension that holds the nasal valve open through a long session in the field. A strip will not turn you into a better bowler or fielder, but it lowers the resistance your nose creates on every breath, which matters over a format that can run for three hours in a T20 or the better part of a full day in a one day or Test match. If your nose tends to collapse under exertion, or you carry a structural issue like a deviated septum, a strip compensates for some of that restriction before you take the field.
I started using nasal strips for sleep after a Consultant Otolaryngologist at a private hospital in Dublin diagnosed me with a significantly deviated septum and recommended septorhinoplasty. I played rugby for over a decade and my nose took plenty of damage along the way, broken more than once in collisions. I put the surgery off to keep playing, and I built Ventriq to give myself a way to breathe properly in the meantime. I noticed the difference at night first, then during training. Cricketers know a version of this too, standing in the field for hours, chasing a ball to the boundary, then trying to settle your breathing again before the next over starts.
Why Nasal Breathing Matters in Cricket
Cricket is unusual among sports in how much low intensity time it contains. A fielder might spend most of an innings walking, jogging and standing, then need a sudden sprint to cut off a boundary or complete a run. A fast bowler repeats a demanding run up and delivery stride every few minutes across a full spell, then has to recover enough to do it again next over. A batter facing a long innings has to manage energy across hours, not minutes. How you breathe during all that recovery time has a real effect on how fresh you feel late in the day.
Nasal breathing slows your breathing rate, warms and humidifies the air before it reaches your lungs, and triggers a calmer autonomic response than mouth breathing. The nose also produces nitric oxide as air passes through it. Nitric oxide acts as a bronchodilator and a vasodilator, which means nasal breathing helps open your airways and relax your blood vessels, improving oxygen uptake at a tissue level. Over a long day in the field, staying on nasal breathing during the quiet stretches keeps you calmer and less fatigued going into the next burst of effort.
The catch is that the nose struggles to move enough air during a hard sprint or a fast bowler's approach to the crease. Part of that is a normal physical limit everyone shares. But for people with a structural issue it is worse. A deviated septum reduces the cross sectional area of one nasal passage, and combined with the nasal cycle, where the tissue inside your nose alternates which side is more congested on a roughly four hour rotation, the restricted side can feel almost completely blocked during a long, hot session in the field.
How Nasal Strips Help Cricketers
A nasal strip works on the outside of the nose. It spans the lower cartilage and uses a spring action to lift the lateral nasal wall outward, widening the internal diameter at the nasal valve. The nasal valve is the narrowest point in your entire airway, and it is the same spot that pinches inward if you press gently on the side of your nose while breathing in hard.
For a cricketer with a deviated septum, the strip helps most on the side where the deviation crowds the valve area, which matters across a long spell of bowling or a full session standing in the sun. For a cricketer with no structural issue, the main benefit is stopping dynamic valve collapse, where the cartilage gets pulled inward during a sprint between wickets or a chase to the rope. In both cases the practical payoff shows up during the long low intensity stretches, when holding nasal breathing keeps you calmer and better able to focus on the next ball.
I use the Ventriq Sport Nasal Strips for training and match days. They are stiffer than a standard sleep strip, built to stay put through sweat, and the adhesive holds through a full day on the field without peeling at the edges. That matters in cricket, where a session can run for hours in direct sun, and a weak strip will lift long before the closing overs.
What to Look for in a Cricket Nasal Strip
Not all nasal strips are built the same, and for cricket a few things actually matter:
- Adhesive strength: standard strips give up as soon as you sweat or apply sunscreen. You need a strip made for sport, with an adhesive designed to grip through a long day outdoors.
- Spring tension: more tension means more lift and a more open airway. A soft strip made for sleep will not give you the same airflow during a fast bowler's spell or a hard sprint between the wickets.
- Fit and position: a strip that sits too high on the bony part of your nose does nothing. It has to sit across the lower cartilage where the nasal valve is.
- Skin tolerance: a Test match can run across several days. You want a strip that does not leave your skin raw if you are reapplying it morning after morning.
I have tried a lot of strips over the years. Most were fine for sleep but failed the moment sweat, sunscreen or a long hot day got involved. The Ventriq Sport strip holds better and keeps lifting the airway open for the length of a full session.
Does It Actually Improve Performance?
I will be straight about this. The research on nasal strips producing measurable performance gains in trained athletes is mixed. Some studies show small improvements in perceived effort and breathing efficiency. Others show no meaningful change in VO2 max or power output under laboratory conditions. A strip is a breathing aid, not an engine upgrade, and it will not add pace to your bowling or power to your shot.
What I can tell you from my own experience is that the subjective difference is real. Breathing through your nose during the long quiet stretches of a match feels less effortful and less drying, and it is easier to stay composed and focused on the next delivery when you are not gasping through your mouth after every sprint. Whether that turns into measurable output on the scorecard depends on the player and the situation. If you want the deeper look at the evidence, I have covered it in Boost Your Workout: How Nasal Strips Enhance Athletic Performance, Benefits of Nasal Strips for Sport and Do Nasal Strips Improve Athletic Performance.
Nasal Strips if You Have a Deviated Septum
If you have a deviated septum and you play cricket regularly, nasal strips are probably more useful for you than for the average player. You are starting every session with your airway already restricted, so anything that gives part of that width back levels things out a little, especially across the long hours cricket demands. External strips work best when the restriction sits at the nasal valve rather than deep inside the nasal cavity, which is the most common pattern after a knock or a break to the nose. I have written more on this in Best Nasal Strips for a Deviated Septum.
If your breathing also wrecks your sleep and slows your recovery after a long day in the field, How to Sleep Better with a Deviated Septum covers what has worked for me overnight.
My Recommendation
For cricket, get the Ventriq Sport Nasal Strips. They were built for sport and they stay on through a full day in the field. If your main need is breathing and recovering better overnight after a long match, the Ventriq Sleep Nasal Strips are the right pick for bedtime, and plenty of players use both: sport strips for training and match days, sleep strips overnight. If you cross train, the same thinking applies to running and cycling, and if you also play a contact sport I have covered nasal strips for rugby too. If long days in the sun leave you snoring at night, have a look at Do Nasal Strips Stop Snoring and Best Nasal Strips for Sleeping.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are nasal strips allowed in cricket?
Yes. Nasal strips are a mechanical breathing aid with no drug action, so they are not on any WADA prohibited list, and nothing in the Laws of Cricket bans them. You will see international players wearing them on the field.
Can I use a sleep nasal strip for a match?
You can, but most sleep strips are not made for sweaty or sunscreened skin and will start peeling within an hour or two. A sport specific strip uses a stronger adhesive built to hold through a full day outdoors.
Where exactly should I place a nasal strip?
Position it across the fleshiest part of your nose, over the lower cartilage rather than the bone. If you feel the spring tension lifting your nostrils when you breathe in, it is in the right place. Sit it too high and it does nothing.
Do nasal strips help fast bowlers recover between overs?
They help you keep breathing through your nose for longer during the walk back to your mark, which can make that recovery window feel calmer and less rushed. They will not raise your aerobic ceiling or add pace, but reducing airway resistance can make your breathing more efficient across a long spell.
Do I need a deviated septum for nasal strips to work?
No. Dynamic nasal valve collapse, where the side of the nose pulls inward under hard breathing, is common even in people with a perfectly straight septum. A strip prevents that collapse and improves airflow either way.
Will a nasal strip stay on through a full day of heat, sweat or a rain delay?
A quality sport strip is designed to hold through sweat and humid conditions for a full session. A short rain delay will not lift a well placed strip. If conditions are very wet or you have reapplied sunscreen, wiping the skin clean and dry before you apply a fresh strip will help it grip for the rest of the day.
