Sangakkara sports new helmet with neck safety feature

Sydney, March 9 (IANS) Not only did Sri Lanka's ace batsman Kumar Sangakkara score a brilliant ton against Australia on Sunday, but he also took a step forward in ensuring player-safety, as for the first time he wore the Masuri helmet with the new safety attachment for the beck of the head and neck.

British manufacturer Masuri earlier this month unveiled the StemGuard - made of honeycomb plastic and foam. It offers additional protection to the exposed back of the head and neck.

On November 27, 2014, Australia batsman Phillip Hughes, 25, was hit on the back of his head by a bouncer during a domestic match. He succumbed three days later in a hospital.

Masuri has been providing StemGuards to the world cricket governing body (ICC) so that players can try it out. But left-hander Sangakkara became the first player to wear one when he took to the Sydney Cricket Ground for the run chase against Australia.

Masuri managing director Sam Miller said in a release: "Kumar Sangakkara is making a statement on player safety by becoming the first player to wear a StemGuard."

Cricket Australia (CA) high performance chief Pat Howard recently backed the use of the StemGuard saying "It's got impact protection and comes down (the side of the head)."

"The International Cricket Council Member Cricket Boards recently agreed that the new British Safety Standard should be the de facto international standard for helmets," Masuri said in a release.