Cook helmet stance gives ECB headache

Alastair Cook strides out to bat at Chelmsford wearing his old, non-compliant England helmet © Getty Images

England are wary of being dragged into an unwanted power struggle with Alastair Cook ahead of the summer Test series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan after he ignored new regulations by wearing an old-style helmet that fails to conform to new safety standards.

Nevertheless, Cook’s insistence that he must be the judge of his own safety puts the ECB in a delicate position as it seeks to enforce the adoption of a modern helmet design across the whole of the first-class game.

All eyes will be on Essex’s next Championship game against Sussex at Hove, beginning on Sunday and, while England’s captain remains true to the old design it is likely that the rebellion will be extended to more batsmen possessing similar misgivings.

Cook ignored the stipulation during Essex’s opening Championship match against Gloucestershire at Chelmsford – preferring to stick an Essex badge over his old England helmet, which dates back to the 2013 design and does not comply with the latest British Safety Standard BS7928:13.

The new design of helmets have a narrower gap between the peak and grille and are not adjustable on each side.

Although Cook has yet to explain his reluctance to use the new helmet publically, he received immediate sympathy from his Essex and England team-mate Ravi Bopara, who was critical of the inflexibility of the new design.

Bopara told Sky Sports News: “I understand where Cookie’s coming from. Because of the safety aspect, with everything that has happened… we are told we have to wear the helmets that meet the standard guidelines.

“But it is difficult for players to change helmets like that, because you [get] so used to wearing a certain helmet which you’re comfortable with – and you have your visor as wide as you want it.

“But the problem with the new helmets is you can’t move the visors – you’ve just got to look at the hole that’s there. Sometimes, that bar that goes across can get in the way.”

Cook, far from being blasé about his safety, has had serious conversations with England colleagues about the risk versus reward benefits of the new designs. Although no batsman can ever regard themselves as safe from injury, he has been one of the most decisive players of the short ball in world cricket. Anything that disturbed that split-second judgment – such as the suspicion that he was losing the ball in flight – would be bound to have a detrimental effect.

Cook therefore finds himself – however unintentionally – as a potential poster boy for personal liberty and, assuming he prefers not to confirm, the ECB is in the unfortunate position of either having to call him before a disciplinary committee, or respecting his wishes and seeing their new policy immediately undermined by England’s Test captain.

Such concerns affect players of all standards and the fact that helmets are mass produced in a limited number of sizes while the human face comes in many different forms does seem to be an argument for an adjustable grille even without taking personal preference into account.

ECB officials contacted Cook on Thursday to remind him of the new regulations after they were beset by enquiries about his decision.

An ECB spokesman told the Times on Friday: “These regulations were drawn up after extensive consultation with the Professional Cricketers’ Association, and all the England players were given a further reminder of the importance of this issue earlier this week.”

The umpires at Chelmsford, Geoff Evans and Michael Gough, were aware that Cook was using what is now, to all intents and purposes, an illegal helmet, but despite reports to the contrary they are not empowered to enforce the new regulations by banishing him from the field.

They can only insist that a helmet of some type is always worn against all styles of bowling. If a player wears a non-compliant helmet, they can report the matter to the ECB or even refer the case to the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC).

The ECB imposed new helmet regulations last November amid growing concern for player safety after a number of high-profile incidents, including a blow to the eye that ended Craig Kieswetter‘s career and a broken nose for the England fast bowler Stuart Broad in a Test against India.

The ECB’s published regulations on helmets read: “It shall be the joint responsibility of each relevant participating cricketer and the first-class county, team owner or club (as applicable) for which he/she plays to ensure that he/she wears compliant headgear at all times when undertaking any regulated activity in any match.

“Notwithstanding the umpire powers pursuant to Regulation 4, in the event that a relevant participating cricketer is alleged to be in breach of Regulation 3 or fails to act immediately on an umpire’s instruction to wear a head protector or face mask (as applicable) pursuant to Regulation 4, the relevant participating cricketer and his/her first-class county, team or club (as applicable) may be referred to the CDC for disciplinary proceedings in accordance with the CDC regulations.”

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Source: ESPN Crickinfo