Fielder, umpire and spectator safety: what the rules cover.

Close fielders and wicketkeepers

Helmet rules for the fielding side differ by body:

• ICC (from 1 June 2023). Helmets are mandatory in international cricket for wicketkeepers standing up to the stumps and for fielders close to the batter in front of the wicket, as well as for batters facing fast bowlers.
• Cricket Australia (from the 2019-20 season). In CA, state and pathway competitions, players must wear BS 7928:2013 helmets when keeping wicket up to the stumps and fielding close to the batter. CA strongly recommends helmets for these positions in community cricket.
• NZC (2024-25 policy). For its international and Major Association domestic players, a helmet is mandatory when keeping up to the stumps or fielding within 7 metres of the stumps, excluding behind the wicket on the off side.
• ECB (Head Protector Regulations 2022). In the matches the 2022 regulations covered (including England teams, first-class county competitions, the women's regional competitions, second XI competitions, county and regional academy matches and The Hundred), compliant headgear was mandatory, unless the ECB agreed otherwise, when keeping wicket standing up and when fielding closer than 8 yards from the batter's position on a middle-stump line (except behind square on the off side), as well as when batting against all types of bowling. In the domestic matches covered, umpires were not to let a match continue while a player refused to wear it. This is the 2022 rule; later editions are not summarised here.
• The Curtain review (May 2016) recommended helmets for close-in fielders other than slips, and head and eye protection for wicketkeepers standing up.

Junior fielders face minimum distances from the bat under the ECB's 2025 regulations and Cricket Ireland's 2020 directives; under the ECB's rules those distances apply even when the fielder wears protective equipment. They are set out on junior cricket rules.

BSI notes a limit of the helmet standard itself: close fielders and wicketkeepers may wear BS 7928 head protectors, but the test protocol is designed around the ball impacts a batter faces.

What the Laws say (2017 Code 4th Edition, 2026)

The MCC's Laws of Cricket, 2017 Code 4th Edition (2026), in force from 1 October 2026, touch on safety in several places:

• Law 41.6 and 41.7, dangerous bowling. When judging whether short-pitched bowling or a full toss is dangerous, the umpire disregards any protective equipment the striker is wearing. The 2019 edition of the Code had reworked Law 41.7 on high full-pitched deliveries to give umpires more say on whether one is dangerous, and defined the waist in the Laws for the first time at umpires' request.
• Law 22.1.3, the high bouncer. Changed in 2026: a bouncer that passes over head height is now a Wide in the Laws, not a No ball. The MCC says this matches almost all professional cricket.
• Law 28.3, helmets on the field. Fielding-side helmets not in use may be put only on the ground behind the wicketkeeper, in line with both sets of stumps. A ball in play that hits one becomes dead, and 5 penalty runs go to the batting side unless certain other Laws apply.
• Law 29.2.1.4 and Appendix A.2.3, a falling helmet. The wicket can be broken fairly by part of the striker's clothing or equipment becoming detached, but that detached equipment does not include the striker's protective helmet or any part of it as defined in Appendix A.2.3, which counts faceguards, grilles and neck guards as part of the helmet. The 3rd Edition (2022) has the same wording.
• Law 2.5.3 and Law 41.17.6, equipment. The umpires must ensure no player uses equipment other than that permitted. New in 2026, if either umpire judges an item to be unfair or illegal they must act on it; the MCC says the aim is to stop further use where possible and report it in all cases.

Separately from the Laws, the ECB covered the same point in its own competitions: from the 2021 season its playing conditions stopped a dislodged helmet or neck guard from causing a hit-wicket dismissal, giving player safety and encouraging the use of stem guards as its reasons (ESPNcricinfo, 31 March 2021).

Playing conditions on dangerous bowling were the subject of the first of the NSW coroner's four recommendations in 2016: that Cricket Australia review the Sheffield Shield conditions to remove anomalies and give umpires more guidance on applying them.

Umpires

• The ECB's recreational concussion guidelines note that umpires can also suffer concussion, for example from collisions or blows to the head.
• AFP reported that the Curtain review recommended considering protective headwear for umpires. That point comes from a single news agency report and is unconfirmed.
• The NSW coroner's fourth recommendation was that umpire training be reviewed so umpires can make sure medical help is summoned effectively and quickly.
• The ECB's professional concussion guidelines say umpires and coaches are not expected to diagnose concussion, but must call medical staff on to the field for any helmet strike or welfare concern. Among the circumstances in which the ICC says team medical staff should go on to the field after head trauma is a player calling for a new helmet.
• In New Zealand matches without medical staff, NZC's concussion policy gives the umpires the decision to remove a player.

Practice and nets

Several bodies extend helmet rules to practice. The Curtain review's batting recommendation covered nets as well as matches, and Reuters reported that Cricket Australia's resulting rules applied in games and practice. The ECB's 2025 recreational regulations require under-18s to wear a helmet with faceguard or grille when batting against a hard ball in practice as well as matches. NZC's 2024-25 policy says helmets must be worn when batting in the nets.

Spectators and venues

No governing-body rule specific to spectators being struck by the ball, such as netting at grounds, was found in the research for this site, so this page does not describe one.

One change for venues is on record. After the death of Phillip Hughes, the Sydney Cricket and Sports Ground Trust required hirers of its venues to complete a Player and Official Emergency Medical Plan with a daily medical briefing, as the NSW coroner recorded in November 2016. The coroner's third recommendation asked the Trust and Cricket NSW to review how that daily briefing is carried out.