'We should have concussion subs' – Haddin

Interview by Daniel Brettig11-May-2016Cricket Australia released David Curtain QC’s report into the death of Phillip Hughes and cricket safety today. Did you go back and look at the summary of events on the day Phillip was hit, or concentrate on the recommendations?I’ve been over that and didn’t want to go back into it too much. But I think the recommendations are a step in the right direction. Tighter helmet standards have already been implemented in first-class cricket and this formalises everything now, so we have a line where everyone knows where things should be at.The report discusses the issue of concussion substitutes in particular and injury substitutes in general. It’s something CA are going to take to the ICC.One thing I think about it is if you look at all sports, we’re seeing the long-term effects concussion has had on athletes. We need to keep moving with the time there and finding solutions to improve the game. I can understand CA want the replacement rule coming in and I’m not 100% sure on that.Do you want to see a line drawn between replacing a player who is concussed and a player who has suffered some other kind of injury?I’m 100% with that. I think concussion and head trauma is different because we’ve seen the long-term effects that has on athletes not only in cricket but all over the world. Studies have shown the impact it can have on people’s lives, so I’m all for trying to better that and make a safer playing field for everyone, but if someone tears a hamstring or breaks a finger, that’s just part of the game.A theme of the report seems to be the balancing act between making cricket as safe as possible and preserving the game as we know it?With things like hamstrings or broken fingers or rolled ankles or a sore back, that’s still part of the game and I don’t think a substitute should be there for that, but I do take my hat off that we’re trying to do something about the concussion rule. If we can protect the head and the brain as best we can, that’s a great thing.Can you foresee a time when we have concussion substitutes in Test cricket?I think that’s something that’ll be talked about. Discussions will be strong around it due to all the study that’s been done on head knocks. Maybe there is a time for that to happen – CA already want that to happen in first-class cricket and we’ll see where it goes from there. One question to consider is who makes the decision on the concussion, the team doctor or an independent doctor.Do you think the players all accept that you can’t play cricket without some risk inherent in it because of the hard ball?Absolutely. I don’t think these findings are about that. I think there’s risk in playing all sport and we’re just trying to move forward with the times and make it as safe as possible. There’s always going to be some sort of risk and fear playing a competitive sport with a hard ball, and that’s also one of the beauties of the sport: the courage people have to show to play it.We’ve seen recently with Alastair Cook in England that there’s always some tension between safety standards and player comfort/confidence?The debate between player comfort and safety issues is always going to be there, but at least now you’ve got a line in the sand that says ‘you have to have your helmet at these standards to play’. If your helmet’s not safe, now this has been handed down and everyone knows, it’s up to manufacturers to have the equipment up to standard.Some of the other issues discussed include protection for the umpires, wicketkeepers and coaches in training sessions. Your thoughts on that?I think the umpire’s safety is an interesting one. From being a wicketkeeper and looking straight down the wicket, I’ve lost count of how many near misses there have been. You’d see Andrew Symonds drive one and the umpire just get out of the way. There’s scope definitely for that and we’ve already seen some umpires wearing protection.Was there ever a time when you were hit before they formalised the process around concussion where you thought you should have gone off the field?I got hit a good one by Dale Steyn a few years ago, but my helmet was good, it dented the helmet and we changed it over. But I never got into a situation where I needed to go off the field – I never felt unsafe. There are times when you feel intimidated by the bowling, but I never felt unsafe.