1 December 2015


Action by the ECB to make the wearing of batting helmets mandatory in professional cricket from the 2016 season against all forms of bowling, including spin, makes sense.

In their recent announcement the ECB stopped short of extending this mandatory requirement to the adult recreational game, making a “strong” recommendation instead. If helmet protection had been forced on clubs, there would have been concern about intrusive health and safety, which would have ramped up equipment costs and compliance procedures.

The ECB will be introducing new concussion guidelines via their sports science and medicine department. Research is being carried out with Birmingham University into concussion in cricket, and Loughborough Institute of Sport Technology are to analyse helmet design, head injuries and safety.

The case of Phil Hughes drew attention to the inherent danger of cricket, though his death in Australia a year ago was a freak occurrence that could not have been prevented. The Australian was wearing a batting helmet, but a fast short delivery struck him on the neck rather than the head, rupturing a blood vessel. However any blow taken on the helmet tends to cause concussion.

In the recreational game concussive blows to the batsman's head are thankfully rare, but the Club Cricket Conference would advise all wicketkeepers always to wear face protection when standing up – a commonsense precaution against the danger of a flying bail. Batsmen should be aware of top-edging shots into their own face, as commonsense again should dictate that certain shots are dangerous, such as sweeping with a 45-degree bat or dinked sweep shots. But forcing everyone from village green to premier league level to use a British Safety Standard helmet should never be necessary.

Perhaps equipment manufacturers have missed a gap here. There should be scope for offering a relatively inexpensive grille attachment that could be strapped over the head and protect the face while allowing the cricketer to wear a cap or sun hat. This would suit wicketkeepers especially and help batsmen cope with spicy pitches.

The ECB can set up any number of safety groups, but the quality of pitches remains an issue that has not been properly addressed. The death of a Sri Lankan club cricketer in July highlighted this aspect of safety. Bavalan Pathmanathan, a 24 year-old Sri Lankan playing in the British Tamils Cricket League at Long Ditton in Surrey, was struck on the chest and died.

The quality of park cricket pitches seems to have deteriorated, usually through  local council neglect, and one result has been an increased risk of injury, especially in ethnic leagues that might attract high-level club players. A campaign to persuade councils, perhaps via the Government, to maintain cricket facilities properly should be considered.

There is no room for complacency over pitch quality at first class level. A trend back to 'result strips' is detectable – hence the ECB experiment of awarding the toss to visiting teams in the 2016 championship.

Recently in November a first class strip in India, a byword for mild pitches, was described as extremely dangerous after Odisha had been skittled for 37 by Bengal in a low-scoring Ranji Trophy match at Kalyani, near Calcutta, where Bengal Cricket Academy were hosting their first four-day match.

The score was one of the lowest in the competition's history as Bengal wrapped up victory in only one and a half days. Spinners dominated most of the time as Bengal scored only 142 and 135, but fast bowler Ashoke Dinda exploited an uneven surface to take 7-19, including a hat-trick, shooting out Odisha in only 19.2 overs. The Odisha captain Natraj Behera claimed that it was “an absolutely dangerous pitch”.

In the same month the West Indies cricket authorities were investigating the state of the Dominica pitch in Roseau after a torrid match between Windward Islands and Leeward Islands in the four-day championship, now known as the Professional Cricket League. The Leewards captain Steve Liburd declared at 24-7 before lunch on the first day on a sporty Windsor Park strip, though his ploy did not prevent Windwards from winning a low-scoring game.

Sporty surfaces are unlikely to appear in first class county cricket, but it was at Taunton, of all places, in 2014 that Craig Kieswetter was hit on the grille by a David Willey short delivery on a normal pitch. The ball squeezed through to break his cheekbone and nose. The England and Somerset wicketkeeper suffered double vision for a while and never quite recovered, retiring in 2015. Again at Taunton, a flying bail seriously damaged the left eye of the South Africa wicketkeeper Mark Boucher in 2012 and ended his career. He was standing up to the wicket and not wearing face protection.

The right protective equipment remains an important part of the game. As part of their safety drive the ECB said that all helmets would have to meet the latest British Safety Standard, with more than 20 such helmets from seven different manufacturers available.

At first class and all youth levels these helmets will have to be worn by batsmen against all types of bowling – not just fast – and by fielders stationed within eight yards of the bat, apart from gully and slip on the off side. Helmets should be replaced after they have received a significant impact.

The ECB said they would place greater emphasis on injury surveillance and research into safety after a joint review of safety guidance with the Professional Cricketers’ Association. There will be a focus on reducing the risk of head and facial injuries. A new working group aims to improve emergency care standards at first class, county second XI and training venues.

The ECB chief medical officer Dr Nick Peirce said: “We can see from our injury surveillance that cricket is not a dangerous sport in comparison to many other leisure activities. However, as we have seen in recent times, the cricket ball can cause significant injury and it is extremely important that players take the appropriate precautions when batting, keeping wicket or fielding close to the stumps. The latest cricket helmets have made significant strides in providing protection against potentially catastrophic injury, and we would strongly advise all players to make sure their helmet conforms to the latest British Safety Standard.”

Accidents can happen, but good pitch preparation at club level reduces the risk, especially at public grounds.

List of British Safety Standard helmets: www.ecb.co.uk/helmets