Head Injury & Concussion

In May 2021 the ECB issued the following Guidance:

The following advice replaces all previous ECB ACO guidance and is intended

to sit alongside any concussion training set for umpires (whether online or in person).

Concussion is a serious and on occasion potentially life-threatening condition. It can be caused by a relatively innocuous blow to the head. Umpires are among those consistently present at matches who have a Duty of Care to the players.

Umpires are (in general) not qualiﬁed to determine whether anyone is suffering from a concussion, but they do have an ongoing general duty of care to players during a match. The discharge of this duty will be different in every circumstance but generally, the umpire should be deemed to be acting reasonably if they follow the steps outlined below.

Although the most likely cause of concussion is by a direct blow to the head caused by being hit by the ball, players may also suffer concussion from a blow to the head through collisions with each other, running into walls/fences around the boundary, or hitting their head on the ground. Therefore, where a blow to the head occurs, however mild, the umpires shall proceed with the following steps:

Either umpire shall immediately call and signal dead ball irrespective of the state of play. Runs completed, plus the run in progress, if the batsman have crossed, shall be allowed.
In the event of what is felt to be a serious / signiﬁcant injury to a player, such as the player is rendered unconscious or is bleeding signiﬁcantly or upon reasonable inspection by the umpire, exhibits any symptoms which give the umpire cause for signiﬁcant concern, umpires should ask the host ground authority to call for emergency medical support (most likely an ambulance) and should discourage the player from moving or being moved until medical assistance arrives.
If the umpire(s) determine that they do not have immediate and signiﬁcant concern that requires ground authority to call for emergency medical support, the umpires shall ask the Responsible Adult from the injured player’s team to immediately assess whether the player is ﬁt to continue. The umpires are not required to take part in this assessment.
If the Responsible Adult advises the player can continue, unless the umpire has concerns about the player continuing, the umpires shall recommence play. If the umpire(s) have any concerns about the player prior to play continuing or as play continues (either where the player has stayed on the ﬁeld or returned), the umpire(s) should repeat Steps 1 to 3.
If the Responsible Adult advises the player can continue but subsequently either umpire has further concern about them, they shall repeat Steps 1 and 3 . If the Responsible Adult continues to advise that the player is ﬁt to continue and the umpire(s) continue to have any concerns about the player, the umpires shall leave the ﬁeld of play and refuse to umpire the match. They shall report the issue to the authority responsible for the game.

MCC are aware of the inconsistencies between the Laws and the Guidance. They say in Tom Smith’s Cricket Umpiring & Scoring (2022 Edition) at page 292 that: “Any guidance from the local Governing Body on head strikes must, of course, be followed and should take precedence.”

This guidance available on the ECB website has not changed since it was written in 2021.

It has since become apparent that clarity is required on the application of Law in the case of a head strike in the recreational game. This is provided below and will also be made available to County Boards/Foundations and Leagues.

If the ball strikes a player on the head, irrespective of whether they are wearing a helmet, then a dead ball should be called immediately. Either umpire can do this.
The dead ball should be called, irrespective of the apparent signiﬁcance of the force with which the ball strikes the player e.g. even if it is what might ordinarily deemed a ‘slight, glancing deﬂection’.
1. Irrespective of when a dead ball is called (an umpire might, on occasion, not call it immediately):No runs may be scored from the moment the head strike occurs e.g. if, after a strike to the batter’s head, the batters ‘complete’ a run before dead ball is called, then that run does not count.
2. Neither batter can be dismissed following a head strike e.g. if the ball strikes a ﬁelder’s head, having been hit by a batter, and is then caught, then the batter is not out.

Please note that the above would apply if a collision of heads would take place with ﬁelders as well as head strikes from a delivery.

We would advise umpires, particularly during the early part of the season, to ensure that captains are clear as to how this area of the Law will be applied.

For full ECB Head Injury & Concussion Guidelines click here

RECREATIONAL CRICKET
CONCUSSION GUIDELINES

This document is intended to provide information for clubs, players, parents, coaches and umpires on how to recognise, manage and return to play from concussion in cricket.
Read the full document here>>

ECB CONCUSSION EDUCATION

Concussion awareness is increasing in all sports from recreational to professional levels. Cricket is no different. This module is designed for both the professional and recreational game. It can take up to 30 minutes to complete with a short assessment at the end.
Complete the module here >>