It’s now over eight years since important new British standards in helmets were followed by the decision to ensure professional cricketers were required to wear helmets when batting in England and Wales.
Whilst wearing a form of helmet was already commonplace - against fast bowling in particular - the change in the ECB regulations to make this mandatory, along with the improved protection provided by new designs of helmets, signalled the importance placed on helmet safety and player welfare in both the men’s and the women’s game.
The data may show that cricket is not a dangerous sport, when compared to many other activities. Indeed the helmet changes over the last decade have all but eradicated serious facial injuries. However, we have seen over the years that the cricket ball has the capacity to cause significant injuries.
Furthermore, while we have seen many sports debating how to reduce the significant risks of concussion, we have also seen a sea-change in society’s appetite for these preventable head injuries and the potential long-term consequences. It is right that we should constantly push to have the highest standards in place.
Significant advances in the head and face protection - including the addition of neck protectors - are evidence that cricket helmets can continue to improve. It is also clear that across all sports, head protection needs to not just prevent catastrophic injury but also help reduce more minor traumatic brain injuries. It is welcome to see this innovation is continuing.
Today, the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) has announced that - working with helmet manufacturer Masuri and through a partnership with Vitality - all professional players in England and Wales are to be provided with a new helmet, using 3D printing technology to take customisation and fit of head protection to a new level.
Each player’s head is scanned to create a custom fit, with a number of England players already having worn these helmets in the Ashes this summer, and through The Hundred as well.
We welcome the continuing focus on innovation around player safety - that marries with our own activities - including dedicated cross-sport research communities, safety in cricket officers and safety committees, PhDs dedicated to improving head protection and concussion for both men's and women’s cricket, and analysis of all helmet strikes across the game. We look forward to understanding more about the potential benefits of this latest technology.
Nothing can be more important than doing everything possible to ensure the short- and long-term safety of players when they take to the cricket pitch, and we will continue to work with the PCA and other partners to ensure that together we are learning and doing everything we can do to achieve this. Cricket’s ambition for the safety profile of its sport and concussion reduction remain ambitious.
That’s also why earlier this year we welcomed the first UK-wide concussion guidelines for grassroots sport - published by the Government and the Sport and Recreation Alliance - to help players, coaches, parents, schools, National Governing Bodies and sports administrators to identify, manage and prevent the issue.
The key points for cricket in these guidelines, relate to the minimum timescale now recommended for graded return to school, work and sport, the importance of asymptomatic gentle exercise early on and careful resumption of education as well as return to sport. Whilst cricket does not have the likelihood of further concussion seen in some activities, they can still occur and it is important that there is sufficient recovery time before the risk of a further event.
Whether in the professional or the recreational game, we must ensure we can do everything we reasonably can to protect players against the short and long term consequences of head injury and concussion, and we’ll continue researching and working with partners across sport and medicine to constantly learn and develop the protections we have in place.