Ayrtek vs Masuri - The battle of helmets after Stuart Broad injury

Stuart Broad was hit by a bouncer that sneaked past his helmet in the fourth Test match vs India at Old Trafford.

England cricketer Stuart Broad has turned back to the conventional helmet following the nasty nose injury, he suffered wearing an innovative AdiPower PremierTek helmet from Ayrtek Cricket.

In the 98th over of the England innings bowled by Varun Aaron, a bouncer sneaked past his helmet, i.e between the helmet’s peak and the lower protective grill to hit him on the nose. The 28-year-old was forced to retire hurt and did not take any part further in the match.

Ayrtek, the manufacturers of the unique brand of helmets, once claimed that their model is better in saving a batsman from suffering these type of injuries. But as the batsman took his eyes of the ball and turned his face, the ball was able to penetrate the gap through sideway to cause the injury.

Explaining on the same, Ayrtek claimed that this was the first time their technology failed at the time of need in six years of their service.

Stuart Broad injury press release (from Ayrtek)

“Most importantly we would firstly like to wish Stuart a speedy recovery from his injury.

At Ayrtek, player safety is our number one priority. Any incident of this nature happening to a player, particularly when wearing our product, is something we take extremely seriously. We will be investigating the incident by gathering as much information as possible and working closely with the ECB medical team to asses the likely cause.

In 6 years of manufacturing cricket helmets, this is the first injury of this type to have happened to a player wearing an Ayrtek helmet. All of our helmets undergo rigorous safety testing in accordance to BSI standards” read the statement.

Masuri joins the safety debate

In the interesting turn of events, the leading helmet manufacturer Masuri too joined the debate over the safety of the model and have pointed out their conventional model is the one that is widely used by the cricketers. The have added that their product is ready for the ICC’s safety test.

“Seven current England players – (Sam) Robson, (Ian) Bell, (Joe) Root, (Jos) Buttler, (Chirs) Jordan, (Ben) Stokes, (James) Anderson - choose to wear Masuri’s new Vision Series helmet, which has been designed and developed to meet revised ICC safety standards,” Masuri have mentioned in their press release.

Further explaining on these type of injuries that seem to happen more often in the modern times, Masuri Managing Director Sam Miller said: “The ICC created a new safety standard, published in December 2013, concentrating on helmet improvements aimed at reducing the injury suffered by Stuart Broad.

“It is important to understand that the old 1998 safety standard does not require helmets to protect players from that type of injury”.

Stuart Broad with his new helmet in England nets

Meanwhile the Nottingham pacer was spotted in the England team nets with a familiar brand of helmet. It seems he has had enough of the other model.

Masuri has also stated that their products have been in use after meeting the latest standards of the ICC and all foolproof. It is also informed that they have released their product after careful testing and is a trusted quality.

“Masuri has invested heavily in developing and producing the UK-made Vision Series range of helmets so they achieve the ICC’s new standard.

“We had the Vision Series range rigorously tested by the experts at Loughborough University – the same institution chosen by the ICC to help and advise on the key elements of the new safety standard.

“That is why seven of the England Test team at Old Trafford chose to wear Masuri. They feel our Vision Series offers the best protection. It is a great endorsement for our helmet.

Batsmen should chose what they need

They have sent out a reminder that the batsmen should protect themselves with their helmets as they are already updated for the above specified criteria.

“Masuri does not sponsor specific players. We believe that when it comes to something as important as head protection, players should be free to choose the best helmet.

“Accredited Test Houses are just coming online now to test helmets to the new standard. Masuri’s Vision Series was ready before the Test Houses – so we’re ahead of the curve! And you can see that most of the England team have already made up their minds.

“Everyone at Masuri wishes Stuart Broad a speedy recovery. We look forward to seeing him back in action for England soon,” the stament further read.

More protective and safer versions are on the expected lines after this patterend injuries.