Learning from Phil Hughes' accident? ICC to introduce 'concussion substitutes' during Ashes series

In hopes of making the sport more safe for the players, the International Cricket Council (ICC) hopes to introduce substitutes for a concussion during the Ashes series next month before making it official across all formats for the game.

Implementing concussion substitutes has definitely been one of the major tasks of the ICC since the sad and tragic death of Aussie cricketer Phil Hughes, who was hit on the head by an ugly bouncer during the Sheffield Shield match in November 2014.

According to numerous reports, this safety guideline rule is likely to be approved and implemented quickly during the ICC annual conference in London, in hopes of all matches being played during the World Test Championship, beginning with the Ashes series, having the same kind of safety protocols in place.

Phil Hughes' unfortunate death initiated an urge among the ICC officials to work on raising awareness regarding the short-term and long-term effects of a concussion.

During 2017, ICC already started concussion substitutes in the domestic cricket.

The Cricket Australia (CA) also introduced concussion substitutes in their domestic one-day cups and the BBL and Women's BBL for the 2016-17 season for both men and women. 

But CA had to wait till May 2017 for the International Cricket Council's approval before implementing it during the Sheffield Shield the following year and maintain the competition's first-class status.