Australia put new helmet safety guard to test

Australian players Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell and George Bailey sported the new Masuri StemGuard helmet at training in Hobart on Thursday. Designed and developed following the Phil Hughes tragedy last year, the new helmet attachment protects the back of the neck and head. (ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Full Coverage)

In the photo above, Australian batsman Steve Smith is testing the new head gear in the nets at Bellerive Oval ahead of the World Cup match against Scotland on Saturday. Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka was the first player to use the device in the ongoing World Cup while Ireland’s all-rounder John Mooney, who is also an electrician has come up with his own design. (ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Points Table)

“Masuri has worked very hard to bring this guard to market in a very short period of time and we appreciate and commend that,” said Cricket Australia Executive General Manager of Team Performance Pat Howard to cricket.au.com. “The players have now been given the guards to trial at training before deciding whether they wear them in match conditions. “It is very much a personal decision which we will respect,” he added.