Bruce Oxenford's 'Ox Block' for safety of umpires

Australian umpire Bruce Oxenford introduced the unique protection shield named “Ox Block” and believes that all umpires will be equipped with this protection in the near future.

Umpires have always been in the firing line and he got the idea when his countryman John Ward was injured while umpiring in a Ranji Trophy 2015-16 match. Ward was hospitalized but fortunately didn’t suffer any serious injury after being hit by a stroke from Barinder Sran.

“I was lying in my hotel bed in Delhi earlier this year when I came up with this idea,” Oxenford told the Daily Mail.

“My fellow umpire John Ward was on duty in India and had just been hit on the head and badly injured. He was in a bad way. We’d been talking for a long time about how we’re in the firing line and the ball is coming back harder and faster all the time.”

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Ward’s injury forced Australian official Gerard Abood to become the first official to wear a helmet in a match when he donned in the Big Bash League. Ward also opted to wear a helmet in the big bash league. He also became the first umpire to wear a helmet in an international match during the fourth ODI between Australia and India in Canberra.

“There’s been a talk of helmets but I don’t really want to wear one because I think it will restrict my peripheral vision and hearing and also I don’t think I’m going to get hit in the face,” Oxenford said.

“The natural thing is to throw your hands up in front of your face and turn your head away when the ball comes at you but then I thought, ‘What if there’s something like an extended arm guard which would act as a shield?’

“I felt I could make it work. I would be able to do everything I need to do and not get in the way of the bowler. I did a bit of research and looked at polycarbonate, which is basically like bulletproof glass. It’s extremely strong and you couldn’t break it with a sledgehammer.”

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“I had people throw cricket balls at me from close range and it stood up to the test. I don’t actually have to move it very far.

“The way I stand, it’s already protecting my chest and upper body and if the ball comes at you, it’s really just moving it up a little bit and it covers your face. More people get hit on the body than the head and more deaths have happened in cricket when people have been struck on the body, so this is multi-purpose,” he explained.

Oxford said that some of the fellow umpires and players are making jokes because of the price of the ‘Ox Block’. “It’s been very good even though a lot of umpires have taken the mickey out of me. Paul Reiffel called me Batfink and Joe Root said I look like Captain America, so I’ve had that sort of stuff, but it’s also been overwhelmingly positive,” he said.

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“A lot of guys have asked me if it will become commercially available and I’ve spoken with Gray-Nicolls about it already. I showed them the first prototype and they’re working on something similar.”

“A lot of guys have told me I should call it the Ox Block, which sounds alright to me.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if every umpire had one in a few years’ time. Personally, I just think it’s the sensible thing to do. All in, it cost me $120 to make as a one-off so it would be cheaper if they were made in bulk. I hope it is here to stay.”

The MCC, guardians of the Laws of cricket, have clarified that if a batsman’s shot is deflected off Oxenford’s shield and then caught by a fielder, the batsman would be given out.

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By contrast, the Laws of Cricket make it clear that if a ball hits the helmet of a fielder before being held, the batsman is not out and a dead ball is called.