MCC says batsmen need helmets against all bowling

The MCC have called for batsmen to wear helmets against all types of bowlers because of concussion fears. Headgear is normally worn against fast or medium pace bowlers, but there are concerns batsmen could be at risk even when facing spin.

At present, the wearing of helmets is a matter for individual boards. It has been compulsory for all England players in domestic and international cricket since 2016. But similar measures are not in place in most countries, including India.

However, John Stephenson, the head of cricket at Marylebone Cricket Club, is calling for that to change and the sight of players such as India captain Virat Kohli going to the crease wearing a cap could be

consigned to history. “There’s all sorts of different ways you can be concussed,” Stephenson told The Daily Telegraph. “And that’s a shining example of how the ICC [International Cricket Council] probably should even look at that – mandatory wearing of helmets in all international cricket by all sides.

“The weird thing is you would have noticed Kohli will go in with a cap on whenever he wants,” added Stephenson, who also sits on the

MCC’S world cricket committee and the ICC’S committee. “England players have to wear helmets the whole time, they can’t wear caps.

“It’s something I’ve been talking to ICC about that you need to be a bit firmer with that because even when you’re sweeping on a sandpit, if you’ve got a cap on you can get hit on the head. So that’s an area which is a bit inconsistent.”

For helmets to become mandatory for all batsmen in Test cricket would need the ICC to agree

on the requirement in consultation with member boards.

Stephenson’s comments come as the MCC begin a global consultation on whether the laws on shortpitched bowling are still fit for purpose. The laws permit bouncers up to head height, with deliveries that go higher considered a no ball, although the prospect of bouncers being eliminated from the game seems unlikely. The final proposal and recommendations for a possible law change will be decided by the MCC committee in December and, if passed, would come into effect on Oct 1 2022.

Stephenson also suggested that umpires could be more proactive in protecting tail-enders under the existing laws. Umpires can stop bouncers being bowled if they judge that “taking into consideration the skill of the striker, by their speed, length, height and direction they are likely to inflict physical injury on him/her”. The law is designed to protect lower-order batsmen, but umpires have resisted enforcing it at Test level, notably when England’s tail-enders were subjected to a barrage of bouncers during the 2017-18 Ashes series.

“You very rarely see an umpire intervene when [Pat] Cummins is peppering the lower order, it just seems like all’s fair in love at that level,” Stephenson said. “The ICC can empower the umpires to intervene a lot more.”

Stephenson said cricket had made significant steps to improve player safety since the death of Phillip Hughes in 2014, with concussion substitutes and improved helmet safety among the changes.