Jonathan Trott has become the second English cricketer to defy new safety regulations after the Warwickshire batsman was seen wearing an unapproved helmet at Lord’s on Monday.
Trott, who made an unbeaten 62 on the second day against Middlesex, follows his former England captain Alastair Cook in using an old-style helmet while batting despite changes made to the rules over the winter.
Cook, who scored a century for Essex last week wearing a 2013 edition Gray‑Nicolls helmet in the win against Gloucestershire, has since acquiesced to the new regulations, which stipulate that protective headgear can no longer have an adjustable grille.
But the left-hander’s displeasure at this switch will likely not have improved after his first outing in an approved helmet, batting for Essex at Hove on Monday morning. Cook was caught at slip after five balls.
The changes have been introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board to counter the possibility of balls squeezing between grille and peak, and causing injuries such as the shattered eye-socket suffered by Craig Kieswetter in 2014 that forced him to retire last year with impaired vision.
They also state also that international and county batsmen must wear a helmet at all times, even when playing the spinners, and wicketkeepers must wear one standing up to the wicket. Close fielders are similarly obliged to have their heads protected.
Players cannot be barred from playing in non-compliant headgear but could find themselves reported to the ECB’s disciplinary committee and face possible sanctions.
