Ford Trophy 2019-20: Canterbury all-rounder Andrew Ellis wears a helmet for protection after getting hit on head last year

He was hit on the head while bowling last year in February.

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Andrew Ellis
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Andrew Ellis. (Photo Source: Instagram)

Getting hit by the ball is the biggest fear on the cricketing field for any player. However, the fear is more for the batsmen or fielders fielding close in, but seldom the bowlers are coming in the line of fire. However, there have been many instances of bowlers being hit thanks to the slam-bang cricket of the modern era and powerfully big bats.

The worst place to hit can only be the head and that can be extremely dangerous given that the powerfully built batsmen can do a lot of damage with a leather ball being hit at tremendous speed. One such instance was seen in February 2018 in New Zealand when Canterbury team’s bowler Andrew Ellis was hit on his head by Auckland’s Jeet Raval and the powerful hit took the ball for a six.

Andrew Ellis protects himself this time

Andrew Ellis had to leave the match after taking a concussion test but made a comeback later to continue in the game. But that reignited the debate for letting bowlers use protection as well given how hard the ball is hit, especially in the T20 format of the game. This led to Ellis wearing a protective helmet while playing for Canterbury against Central Stags in the ongoing Ford Trophy, New Zealand domestic One-Day tournament.

37-year-old Ellis who has played 15 one-day internationals and five Twenty20 internationals for New Zealand was quoted by stuff.co.nz saying, “For guys like me who tend to bowl at the death and try to bowl yorkers, it’s probably a prudent move. I think it’s a wider discussion for New Zealand Cricket and the Players Association to be proactive about things.”

Meanwhile, Andrew Ellis is not the first one to get something to protect himself from the ball. Otago bowler Warren Barnes was the first to protect his face and head in a match against Canterbury Kings in New Zealand’s Super Smash league way back in 2017. Nottingham’s Luke Fletcher was also hit on his head in a match against Birmingham and was taken straight to the hospital and received treatment.

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