Australian umpire John Ward wears a helmet during the 4th ODI between Australia and India at Canberra

Ward, as a precautionary measure, was seen wearing a helmet on the field.

Cricket fraternity has witnessed some fatal on the field and it’s not a bad idea to be safe. Some instances and accidents at times get lethal and safety of the players including the working staff is also a priority. And in an attempt to achieve so, cricket equipments have undergone several changes.

The umpires at the crease are at equal risk as when a ball is struck by the batsman with brutal power. They hardly have any time to react and are often seen getting hit resulting into some serious damages. Australian umpire John Ward suffered a serious injury during a Ranji Trophy game between Punjab and Tamil Nadu in Dindigul last year. Barinder Sran clobbered a full delivery from DR Chandrasekar which hit Ward’s head as a result of which the latter was on the ground. Pick of the tweets: Australia vs India, 4th ODI at Canberra

Ward is also umpiring the ongoing fourth One-Day International (ODI) between Australia and India at Canberra and it seems that the unfortunate instance has affected him mentally. Ward, as a precautionary measure, was seen wearing a helmet on the field.

Umpire Ward is wearing a helmet after being struck in the head by a ball last year https://t.co/QhnH6vqneK #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/Bhp9xxujV8

— CODE Cricket (@codecricketau) January 20, 2016

Safety of these gentlemen’s is also of equal importance as they are without any protective gear. Most of the umpires are generally off their proactive age due to which their reflexes are much slower as compared to the cricketers on the field. Similar instances, where umpires donned helmets were also spotted in the ongoing Big Bash League (BBL).