Australian Umpire Bruce Oxenford is the propagator of a potentially revolutionary protective equipment for umpires. During the ICC Champions Trophy 2017, he has been wearing an arm protector shaped like a semi-circle near his fist and continued into a two-dimensional version of a pipe near his forearm. He was seen doing so in the ODI series against India and New Zealand in 2016 as well.
The equipment seemed to be made out of hard translucent fibre-plastic. Surprisingly, this was not even the first time such equipment was used, Bruce Oxenford had used the same equipment to protect his hand during the warm-up game between the West Indies and Australia before the T20 World Cup this year.
The advent of T20 cricket has revolutionised that game. Shorter spells for bowlers, smaller boundaries for batsmen. There is less impetus on technique and more on the kind of impact a player can make. What has also changed is the equipment used during the game.
The bats have become broader and better. A leading edge, a top edge or mishit carrying over the fence is a common sight in cricket. The wickets light up once the bells are taken off them, making things as clear as day. While the experiment with the cricket ball goes on, red to white, and white to pink.
The only thing that has stayed constant is the umpire (except probably the fact that we can hear what they are saying to the third umpire). With the batsmen almost perpetually looking to hit the ball out of the park, straight back over the bowler is a perfect place to aim.
That makes it dangerous for umpires, who lack the kind of gear the players use to guard themselves. So trust the ICC to come up with something soon. Bruce Oxenford might have just managed lead them in the right direction.
With players like MS Dhoni battering the ball straight down the ground as only he can, I don't blame Brucey. Cheers to more of such inventions.
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