Is cricket safe? Death of Phil Hughes raises questions about equipment

While the batsman was wearing a helmet, the ball appears to have struck a relatively unprotected part of his skull.

He died Thursday afternoon (late Wednesday night Eastern time) in a Sydney hospital after failing to recover from an induced coma.

The incident has been described as a freak accident, when an aggressive bowling delivery, known as a 'bouncer,' hit Hughes on the left side of his head, leading to internal hemorrhaging in his brain.



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Aggressive delivery

The tactic is an aggressive and intimidatory one, says Philip Larkins, former president of Sports Medicine Australia, but not illegal. In Hughes' case, it was an unfortunate coincidence of timing, his skill -- many batsmen would not attempt to hit a ball of this type -- and the placement of the ball as he twisted his body to make contact.

'This delivery is famous for hurting batsmen, if the batsman gets hit it's usually going to be in the shoulder or head region, given the height of the way the ball is delivered, but I've never heard of such a serious outcome that's been reported,' Larkins told CNN.

Review due

Given the tragedy, he says it is likely that there will be reviews of the equipment, particularly the helmets that batmen wear.

'I think there's a lesson to be learned where there's a bad outcome in sport. You need to look at the circumstances and ask, is there some way we can prevent this outcome in the future?'

However, he added that the sport has been 'very much on the front foot in establishing protective equipment' from the head down.

Sam Miller, managing director of Masuri Cricket Helmets, told CNN that the region of the head that Hughes was hit in is 'relatively unprotected.' It is thought that the ball struck underneath the back of the helmet, differentiating it from the majority of recent injuries, which are focused at the front of the head.

'It's important that we continue to improve safety,' he said.

Prior to Hughes' death, former ICC president Jagmohan Dalmiya had called for a review of cricketer's safety equipment.

Quoted in CNN affiliate IBN, Dalmiya said: 'I feel that the safety factor of the modern day cricket gears and equipment needs to be evaluated in order to assess whether there is any further scope of improvement for better protection of the players.'

Risk assumed

However, there is a consensus that it is impossible to legislate for every freak accident. Sportspeople need to recognize that they are partaking in potentially dangerous activities, sports medical practitioners say.

'Cricket balls move at speeds up to 160 kph (100 mph) so it's a high speed projectile,' Australian Institute of Sport Chief Medical Officer David Hughes told CNN. 'In any sport where there is a high speed projectile, or where bodies are moving at high speed, or where there are high impact collisions, there is an inherent risk of serious injury.'

While helmets and other protective gear are widely used at all levels of cricket, especially in rich countries like Australia, their use is not mandated by the sport's governing bodies.

Prior to Tuesday's tragedy, AIS's Hughes says that there were no major advocates for changes to safety provisions in the sport.

'If you compare it to other sports, (cricket has) a very favorable safety profile,' he said.

Major changes unlikely

Experts believe that, despite recent events, it is unlikely that making the use of safety equipment mandatory, or implementing major rule changes -- that may outlaw aggressive bowling deliveries such as bouncers, for example -- will happen.

'You can't completely eliminate (these slight chances of injury) unless you significantly alter the game,' says Hughes.

'But given that serious life-threatening injuries are rare, I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that significant changes to the game are required.

'Head trauma virtually doesn't feature in high level cricket so I wouldn't be advocating any radical changes in the short term.'

Ambulance provision

The New South Wales ambulance service has been under fire for a perceived slow response time to the incident.

Emergency services reportedly arrived 15 minutes after a first emergency call was placed.

Despite immediate on-field care from two doctors, who were able to provide respiratory assistance and make an initial diagnosis, the time it took for Hughes to arrive at Sydney's St. Vincent's Hospital was 'crucial.'

Despite this, Larkins says that the cost of keeping ambulances on-site at high-profile sport events would be a prohibiting factor.

'Even in AFL football we don't have a full ambulance at the stadium because of the cost of it. They say they can get one there in five minutes, which is why it's unusual for the ambulance in this case to have taken so long.'

Risk assumed Prior to Hughes' death, former ICC president Jagmohan Dalmiya had called for a review of cricketer's safety equipment.

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