8 months ago
ICC Urged to Protect Umpires from Hard Hitters
Umpires in cricket are getting hurt by powerful hits from batsmen.
Recently, umpire Rohan Pandit was hit twice in India's white-ball series against South Africa and New Zealand.
One hit was by Sanju Samson, and the other by Hardik Pandya.
These incidents show that umpires are at risk.
Some umpires use guards or change their positions to stay safe.
The ICC needs to take action to protect umpires, like making helmets mandatory and ensuring umpires are fit and agile.
Cricket is a sport, and umpires should not be in danger while doing their job.
Umpire Rohan Pandit was hit by balls from Sanju Samson and Hardik Pandya in recent matches.
Previous incidents include Rohit Sharma's drive hitting umpire Chris Gaffaney in 2025.
Some umpires use protective gear like hand-held guards or abdomen guards.
Helmets were provided but not mandatory during the 2016 World T20.
Umpires need to be fit, agile, and flexible to avoid injuries from hard hits.
- Who
- Umpires like Rohan Pandit, Chris Gaffaney, and other cricket officials
- What
- Injuries and near-misses from hard-hit cricket balls
- Where
- During international cricket matches in India and other locations
- When
- Recent incidents in 2025 and 2026, with historical context from 2016 and 2025
- Why
- Due to the high velocity of balls hit by powerful batsmen, posing risks to umpires
Key facts
- Incidents
- Two recent incidents involving umpire Rohan Pandit hit by balls from Sanju Samson and Hardik Pandya
- Previous Incidents
- Rohit Sharma's drive hit umpire Chris Gaffaney in 2025
- Umpire Protections
- Some umpires use hand-held guards or abdomen guards
- Helmets
- Helmets were provided but not mandatory during the 2016 World T20
- Umpire Fitness
- Umpires need agility, flexibility, and reflexes to avoid injuries
- Notable Umpire
- Anil Chaudhary, a former umpire, never got hit during his career
- Hard Hitters
- Players like MS Dhoni, Andre Russell, and Chris Gayle pose higher risks
- ICC Action
- ICC needs to consider mandatory protective gear and fitness standards for umpires
Quotes
Anil Chaudhary
Former international umpire with over 100 international games officiated
“Gym fitness wouldn’t work. Dole banana (building muscles) wouldn’t help. It makes your body stiff. One needs to be flexible, and one needs to do more running. The ICC should judge umpires based on their agility, flexibility and reflexes.”
indianexpress.com
“It is like fielding less than 20-yards away from the batsman. One needs to be very focused, fit and have great agility.”
indianexpress.com
Virat Kohli
Indian cricketer and former captain of the Indian national team
“Don’t move sideways, go down. If the ball hits your helmet and comes towards me, I will be dead.”
indianexpress.com
