Protect cold maiden maybe (5)
I believe the answer is:
cover
'protect' is the definition.
(covering is a kind of protecting)
'cold maiden maybe' is the wordplay.
'cold' becomes 'C' (eg on taps).
'maiden maybe' becomes 'over' (maiden is a type of over in cricket).
'c'+'over'='COVER'
(Other definitions for cover that I've seen before include "Fielder" , "Totally obscure" , "Sit on - suffice for" , "Lid, travel (distance)" , "Blanket" .)