Cricket Australia makes neck guards mandatory for batters at all levels, to impose sanctions if not followed

Australian cricketers at all levels are now supposed to wear neck guards while facing medium and pace bowling as per new guidelines laid by Cricket Australia ahead of the upcoming season. All CA-bound players on the international and the domestic circuit, including veterans David Warner, Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja, who opposed its use earlier, will now have to wear it from October 1.Besides, CA will impose sanctions if players decide against using helmets with neck protectors attached to it.

As the name suggests, the neck gears or the neck protectors, introduced in 2015 in the wake of Philip Hughes' death, are fixed or fitted to the rear of batting helmets. The players, however, are not required to wear it while facing spinners or, for wicketkeepers and close-in fielders.

Smith and Warner are said to have worn it before but opposed its regular use owing to discomfort while batting and rotating their necks. Warner, who was present when Hughes was hit on the back of the head while batting, stated he would not wear these protectors irrespective.

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"I do not and will not wear them," Warner wrote in the New South Wales coroner's inquest into Hughes' death.

"When I turn my head...wearing a StemGuard, it impedes my neck and restricts the movement of my neck when I turn around to face bowlers. I have tried a StemGuard, and it digs into my neck. It is uncomfortable and is a distraction."

"With safety, the helmets are getting heavier. As a player, it is what you feel comfortable with. I go with being able to see better, and being able to move my neck," he added.

Smith, who was taken off the field for a concussion after being hit by Jofra Archer bouncer during the Lord's Test in 2019, wore a neck protector during the fourth Test in Old Trafford.

"I've tried them before, and I tried them the other day when I was batting [in the nets], and I reckon my heart rate went up about 30 or 40 straight away," Smith said. "I just feel claustrophobic. I compare it to being stuck in an MRI scan machine."

"They're probably going to become mandatory, so I'm going to have to get used to them. I'm sure the more I wear them, the more I practice with them, my heart rate will come down, and everything will be okay."

Meanwhile, the English Cricket Board (ECB) first made it compulsory for each batter to use the neck protectors on October 22.

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