The new season of the World Test Championship has begun, and with it, the impact of the ICC's new rules is also becoming visible on the field. During a test match between South Africa and Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe's opening batsman, Brian Bennett, was hit on the head by the ball.
Sports News: With the start of the new season of the World Test Championship (WTC), the International Cricket Council (ICC) has implemented several new rules, one of which has become a problem for Zimbabwe's young batsman, Brian Bennett. In the test match against South Africa, Bennett suffered a concussion (mild head injury) after being hit on the head by the ball. The team management took precautionary measures and retired him hurt, and Prince Masvaure was brought in as a substitute.
This incident occurred in the sixth over of Zimbabwe's first innings when Brian Bennett attempted a pull shot off a short ball from South African fast bowler, Quena Mfaka, but the ball hit his helmet directly. Bennett immediately dropped to his knees after being hit, after which the physio rushed onto the field and provided him with initial treatment.
After a few minutes, Bennett felt better and resumed batting. He also played three balls in the 7th over, but as the 8th over began, he felt uncomfortable and immediately left the field. Later, the Zimbabwe Cricket Board issued a statement saying that the medical staff's examination revealed symptoms of concussion, due to which Bennett had to return to the pavilion.
ICC's New Concussion Rule Creates Headaches
The ICC has made significant changes to the concussion protocol from the World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle. According to the new rule, if a player has to leave the field due to concussion and a replacement player is brought in, that player cannot play any format of cricket for at least 7 days. This means that Brian Bennett will now be out of the field for the next 7 days, even if he feels fit.
Earlier, under the old rules, a player suffering from concussion could return in the very next match after passing a fitness test, but now this will not be the case. The purpose of this is to take players' safety and head injuries seriously. However, Zimbabwe is currently suffering the consequences of this because their opening batsman, Bennett, was in good form and was trying to give the team a solid start by scoring 19 runs in 28 balls.
Brian Bennett's exit weakened Zimbabwe's batting, and the pressure increased on Prince Masvaure. Masvaure had to come onto the field suddenly, who may not have been mentally prepared, which also affected the team's rhythm.
Deep Impact on the Team
This rule proved to be no less than a punishment for Zimbabwe because the team management was confident that Bennett would recover quickly and play in the next test. But after the 7-day ban, not only his availability in the current test but also in the next match became doubtful. Cricket experts believe that although the new concussion rules are better for the players' health, the team combination can be disrupted when an important player has to sit out for a long time suddenly.
The Zimbabwe Cricket Board also called it challenging and said that they respect the ICC's guidelines, but the flexibility of such rules should be considered in the future so that the player's return can be determined based on their fitness.
