Ban bouncers in junior cricket, says concussion specialist

London, January 25

Cricket authorities should consider banning bouncers in the junior game to limit the risk of concussion, Michael Turner, a head injury specialist, told The Telegraph.

Cricket’s lawmakers, the MCC, have begun a consultation process to discuss whether changes are needed for the short ball or bouncer, which rears up from the pitch towards the batsman’s head.

Discussions on player safety gathered steam after former Australia batsman Phillip Hughes died in 2014 having been hit on the head by a bouncer.

“You want to avoid concussing the adolescent brain while it’s still evolving,” Turner, medical director of the International Concussion and Head Injury Research Foundation, told the newspaper. “If stopping concussion means changing the rules to ensure that there are no short deliveries in junior cricket, this should be a serious consideration. Helmets are designed to prevent skull fracture. The way forward is to prevent concussion taking place — by changing the rules if necessary,” he added. — Reuters