Irani Cup 2019: Panic arouses as umpire CK Nandan gets injured on Day 4

As of now, a hat or cap is the only safety gear for umpires but it is important the property safety gears are made for them too.

Published - 15 Feb 2019, 16:39 IST | Updated - 15 Feb 2019, 16:39 IST

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Injuries in cricket are not just restricted to the players on the field. In the past, there have been instances of umpires getting injured and at times, when the ball is smashed out of the park, there have been instances of injury among the crowd too. On-field umpire CK Nandan was hit on the head by a throw from the long-off region in the 95th over of Rest of India’s second innings in the ongoing Irani Cup.

Hanuma Vihari, who scored a century in both the innings, pushed the ball towards the long-off region to take a single but Nandan turned his back towards the throw and the ball hit his head. He was seen in pain and was immediately attended by the physio after which he resumed umpiring.

In 2015, Australian John Ward, who was umpiring the Ranji trophy match between Tamil Nadu and Punjab suffered a head injury when he was hit by the ball by Punjab batsman Rajwinder Singh. The umpire fainted and was rushed to a hospital at Palani where he was under observation for a few days.

In 2014, umpire of Israel’s national cricket team died after being hit by a ball during a match in the southern port city of Ashdod. Hillel Awaskar, who, before becoming an umpire also captained Israel at the 1982 and 1997 Associate members’ trophy, was struck on the head and was treated at the ground before being rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

In recent times there has been increasing concern regarding the safety of umpires, especially in the case of an umpire standing at the bowler’s end, as many batsmen in the modern era do ferocious hitting. As of now, a hat or cap is the only safety gear for umpires but it is important the property safety gears are made for them too.