Section 8: Safety Considerations
Following the death of Phillip Hughes (2014), helmet standards for batters facing fast bowling were upgraded to British Standard BS7928:2013 — neck-protector ("Stem Guard") strongly recommended. ICC requires: certified match-day medical team (team physician + ambulance + medical center), concussion-substitute system (2019-onwards: like-for-like replacement if on-field concussion); player removal for SCAT-5 evaluation. Helmets mandatory for batters facing fast bowling, wicket-keepers standing up to stumps, and close-in fielders within 8 yards of the bat. Weather + light: match referee + umpires authorize stoppage for poor light, rain, or lightning. DLS (Duckworth-Lewis-Stern) method recalculates targets in rain-shortened games. Heat-stress protocols at hot venues. AED on-site at every ICC-sanctioned match.