When Australian umpire John Ward was hit on the head after a flat shot from Brainder Sran in the Tamil Nadu – Punjab Ranji Trophy match in Dindigul, Pashchim Pathak, was the square-leg umpire. He immediately rushed to his injured colleague and called for medical help. Ward, here in India, on an umpires’ exchange programme, underwent scans and fortunately no serious injuries were detected. “I only had the time to turn my back on the ball and I was struck on my head. I suffered a concussion and was taken to a hospital. They took some scans and later it was detected that I had a small bleed in the brain. It was nothing serious, but it caused a bit of dizziness and nausea. I spent a couple of nights in the hospital. I must say I got a very good treatment,” recalled Ward in a chat with BCCI.TVHaving seen the frightening incident from close quarters, umpire Pathak decided it was time to act. With batsmen opting to play attacking cricket even in four-day games, umpires are now in the firing line. Pathak stunned the onlookers when he stepped out to officiate in a Vijay Hazare Trophy match in a helmet. “Ward’s incident was the trigger point. From what I saw, I felt it was time for umpires too to wear the helmet.”
Both Pathak and Ward echoed that Phil Hughes’ tragedy followed by the death of former Israel captain Hillel Oscar while officiating in a match, had prompted them to think about safety equipments. “The talk of umpires wearing a helmet was doing the rounds, but nobody actually wore. I wanted to give it a try. A day before the first Vijay Hazare trophy match, I stood in the nets wearing a helmet. I felt comfortable and decided to try it out in the game. In the first match (Kerala-Haryana), I stood for the full 100 overs and faced no discomfort. I officiated in three more matches after that and wore a helmet in all of them,” said Pathak.
The 39-year-old was worried whether his decision-making would be hampered because of the headgear. “I had some questions in my mind as to whether I will be able to watch the no-ball and whether my vision would be obstructed owing to the face protecting grille. But, I could watch the no-balls properly and my movement too was fine.”
Ward felt equipment manufacturers should come up with helmets that are specifically designed for the umpires. “I will be having discussions with the helmet manufacturers in Australia. We need to develop a product which is light weight and comfortable in hot conditions. I will be talking to manufacturers to see if we can devise a helmet that cricket umpires all over the world can use.”
Pathak too felt manufacturers have to come up with customized helmets. “That is definitely going to be a way ahead. In first-class matches, we stand four and five days, so helmet should not make your head feel heavy, it should not be an impediment.
I am open to trying out various protective gears to see which one is most comfortable. There is an option of a skull cap and a face protector, but it does not have protection at the back.”
The umpire from Mumbai felt it was only a matter of time before more officials were seen wearing helmets. “After they found out that I wore a helmet, many fellow umpires contacted me on social media and other platforms to know about my experience. I have got a lot of positive feedback. They have said they are going to stand in local matches with helmets to get used to the change. I think it is a great idea because so many matches are played simultaneously in maidan cricket and you can never know when you might get hit.”
Injury apart, Ward , who will be the fourth umpire in the Boxing Day Test between Australia and West Indies, said he absolutely loved his time in India. “I have fallen in love with India. It is a beautiful place. The food is good and I absolutely loved the hospitality and friendliness of the people. The concern that was shown after my injury was really touching.”
Asked if he found similarity in the standards of first-class cricket in Australia and India, Ward said, “The cricket is very similar to what I see in the Sheffield Shield. The facilities here are beautiful. However, the pitches are a lot drier. We have more bounce and a lot more grass and because of that you get more seam movement. That is why Australian teams pick just one spinner whereas in India you see three specialist spinners.”
Ward felt the umpires exchange programme must continue. “It is very valuable and worth continuing. The exchange programme takes you out of your comfort zone and introduces you to different surroundings.
“It is also feather in the cap for the hosting umpire to be entrusted with the job of umpiring in a game with the exchange umpire. Last year, I hosted S. Shamsuddin. In India my co-umpires were Nitin Menon (Karnataka-Delhi Ranji match) and Pathak did an excellent job.”
