Call for cricket to act on safety after Steve Smith felled

There is a growing chorus calling for the wearing of neck guards to be compulsory at cricket’s top level.

Steve Smith lies on the Lord’s pitch after being hit in the neck by a bouncer from England’s Jofra Archer. Picture: AFP

The former doctor of the Australian men’s cricket team has joined a growing chorus calling for neck guards to become mandatory for batsmen at the sport’s top level.

It comes after Australian batsman Steve Smith was felled by a vicious 148km/h bouncer during the second Ashes Test at Lord’s on Saturday night, Australian time.

Smith collapsed to the ground after the ball, bowled by Jofra Archer, smacked into the side of his neck in scenes reminiscent of the delivery that killed Australian batsman Phillip Hughes during a Sheffield Shield match in 2014. Smith has delayed concussion and looks likely to miss the third Test in Leeds starting on Thursday.

An inquest into Hughes’s death recommended players wear specially designed neck guards — marketed as StemGuards — which can be fitted on to helmets. Many batsmen, Smith included, continue to forgo the guards.

Doctor Peter Brukner told The Australian that during his time with the national team — across 51­Tests between 2012 and 2017 — he spoke with batsmen who gave him a variety of reasons for not wanting to wear the neck guards, ranging from feeling uncomfortable to superstition.

“I find it disappointing that a number of our top players don’t wear them,” Dr Brukner said.

“Ironically, even some of the players who were there when Phil was hit don’t wear them, which ­astonishes me. I think it should be (mandatory). It’s a rare event but for a relatively simple adjustment, if we can eliminate even one death, then it’s worthwhile.”

Royal Prince Alfred Hospital head of neuropathy Michael Buckland backed the call, saying that, from a medical perspective, the neck guards should be worn by all batsmen. “I don’t know how many warnings you need,” Professor Buckland said.

Questions have also been raised as to whether Smith, who passed a concussion test after he was struck by the Archer delivery, should have been allowed back onto the pitch to continue his innings.

The National Football League in the US has led the way in tackling concussion after recognising the effects of repeated knocks for athletes, with the most serious consequences not appearing until players were well into retirement. In Australia, the National Rugby League has taken giant steps in recent years to protect its players, prompting other sports, including cricket, to follow suit.

Within the next few months, all batting helmets produced for the Australian market will be required to have a neck guard fitted. But Cricket Australia is yet to make the protective padding compulsory for players.

Dr Brukner said the sport’s new concussion substitution policy, introduced domestically in 2016 and extended to international matches this month, was a significant development. “We’ve come a long way in the past few years,” he said. “Players are very aware that if they get hit they will be assessed and they may well be removed from the ground.”

At the end of Saturday’s play, Australian coach Justin Langer said it was probably only a matter of time before neck guards became mandatory. “He (Smith) just doesn’t feel right (wearing a stem guard),” Langer said.

“I know they came in after the tragedy of Hughesy. He might rethink it now after seeing what happened today. At the moment, the players have a choice and I wouldn’t be surprised if they become mandatory in the future.”

Langer suffered several concussions in his career, including an incident in South Africa in 2006 when he was rushed to hospital after being hit in the head.

Langer said Smith was allowed back on the pitch after he passed two concussion tests: “He wouldn’t have gone out there unless we thought (he was OK).”