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 This has been the most tragic week for the game in my cricketing lifetime.
The passing of Philip Hughes has shocked and stunned both the International Cricket community and affected even those who do not consider themselves followers of the game.
The outpouring of support, emotion and tribute that followed the awful news has been incredible. The #putoutyourbatsout tribute to Philip has spread around the world. I have been in tears on viewing each one that is posted on Twitter or Facebook. It demonstrates that we are involved in an amazing game, played by fantastic people from all corners of the world.
Some pupils at Millfield School led their own spontaneous tributes last Saturday morning. Each of the boys and girls who laid their bats on the picket fence outside of the Wilson Pavilion were emotionally connected with a person that they had never met.
Today it's time to talk about the wider implications.
There has been significant debate about the design of batting helmets in recent days. Medical experts have informed us that this was a freak accident. There have only ever been 100 reported cases of this type of injury. Only one of those was caused a cricket ball. Dr Tony Grabs, Head of Trauma at St Vincent Hospital, Sydney where Philip does called the incident "very rare, very freakish".
My initial reaction on hearing that was that we don't need to change the design of helmets. There was enough evidence to suggest that this kind of incident is unlikely to happen again.
However, two days on and with lots and lots of reflection time, I have changed my view. I started to think about the different circumstances where a helmet is used in the modern game:
- Batsman facing a short pitched ball
- Sweep shot top edge
- Pull top edge
- Ramp shot in limited over cricket. Offside and leg side
- Wicket keeper standing up
- Short leg
- Silly point
- Poor and unpredictable pitches
Helmets are largely designed to withstand impact coming directly into the face/eyeline. Whilst the Craig Kieswetter and Stuart Broad injuries last summer were very nasty, the combination of grill and peak of the helmet took enough pace off of the ball to prevent devastating injury.
When you look at the list above, there are a number of roles for the helmet.The ball isn't always coming into the eye line. There can be deflections off edges for both batter and keeper which mean that often unprotected areas of the head and neck can be exposed to the ball.
I'm thinking of some of the ramp positions that batters get themselves into, which turns the body. Contact from the ramp shot changes the ball flight. Some batters have an instinctive reaction of turning their head away from the shot at the the point of contact.
Also think of the wicket keeper, standing up to the stumps, who is directly behind the ramp shot trying to cover the original line of the incoming ball.
We can now see so many potential challenges to the present helmet design. So many potential opportunities for deflections or poor technique to expose unguarded areas of the head and neck.
This throws back 3 sets of questions for me.
Helmet design
- Should helmets that cover all vulnerable areas of the head and neck be the industry standard?
- Do we need specialist helmets for each specialist position? Presently we use a batting helmet for all disciplines.
- In Ice Hockey, players have outfield and goal tender specific helmets. why shouldn't cricket follow suit?
Coaching
- Should we be more attentive when coaching specialist skills: wicket keeping, short leg and silly point techniques, ramps and sweeps).
- I fielded in both short leg and silly point positions without receiving coaching to hone my evasion technique. The only real practice I had was in match play. This would never happen for a front row position in Rugby, why is it OK for cricket?
Helmets: Consumer considerations
We now know that the helmet that Philip was wearing was not the latest model from that particular manufacturer. Obviously, it passed the safety standards for helmets within the game yet it's dimensions and construction were different to the manufacturers updated model.
The model Philip was wearing is known for its comfort and lightness. Many players chose to wear them because of the perceived batting performance gains over a longer innings.
This said, there is every chance that even the most up to date model would not have changed the awful outcome.
However, many players prioritise spending their money on securing the latest top of the range bat over getting the best possible protection for their heads.
I hope now that extra thought and consideration goes into buying the best helmet that you can afford.
It is also vital to ensure that the helmet fits well. If the helmet sits loosely on the head then it is likely to offer less stability if it is struck.
Graeme Smith would always have his chin strap the rubber cup on his chin strap perfectly placed and tightly bound to optimise the safety of the batting helmet on his head. Some mocked him as they thought it didn't look cool.
There will be changes in and around cricket helmets over the coming weeks, months and years as a result of Philip Hughes tragic passing just two days before his 26th birthday.
Will those changes come in their design or a shift in our perceptions? I hope both.
Rest in Peace Philip Hughes.
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