Jaydev Unadkat The Telegraph picture

Ashok Dinda has endorsed Jaydev Unadkat and Ravichandran Ashwin’s appeal for protective gear for the bowlers.

An example of the dangers faced by bowlers was on view earlier this week when Ashok Dinda was struck on the forehead during a match simulation session in Bengal’s preparation for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy at Eden Gardens.

Following the incident, both Ashwin and Unadkat have called for some sort of safety mechanism for the bowlers as well.

“About time that a ‘face-mask’ for bowlers makes its way into all that has evolved in cricket. Its scary how this kind of incidents have become frequent in our game! Hope you good Dinda,” tweeted the Saurashtra pacer.

Ashwin supported his views. “Been saying it since 2011, these kind of incidences never used to happen in the pre T20 Era. Something has surely changed, wonder what it is,” tweeted the India off-spinner.

Dinda, too, felt that there is need to have some sort of protective equipment for the bowlers.

“Cricket is evolving and the bowlers also need some protection. It will be good if we can have face masks or something similar,” Dinda told The Telegraph on Thursday evening.

He said it could be because of the advent of T20 cricket. “It could be because of the T20 effect… No doubt that the batsmen are more aggressive in T20s and that has crept into other formats as well,” the Bengal pacer said.

“By the grace of god, nothing much happened (following the injury). But it’s always good to be safe rather than being sorry.”

The incident happened on Monday when Vivek Singh struck a low full toss from Dinda straight and, as the bowler attempted to stop the ball on his follow through, it ricocheted off his hand and struck his forehead. Dinda fell to the ground and was in pain.

The Bengal physio rushed to him. Dinda was back on his feet within a few minutes. He then completed the remaining two balls of his over before being taken to a private hospital for CT scan.

The scan reports didn’t show any damage, though Dinda didn’t attend practice for the next two days on doctor’s advice.

Following an array of unfortunate on-field incidents, including the tragic death of Australia opener Philip Hughes, the usage of helmets has been made mandatory for batsmen. The concussion tests for batsmen are immediately held if a batsman gets hit by a bouncer.

However, protective gears for bowlers and umpires are a rarity in international cricket even as the bats are getting bigger and thicker.

Perhaps, it’s time for the ICC to take a closer look at the issue.