'Rattled' players back concussion substitutes

Victoria skipper Matthew Wade says fast bowler Peter Siddle was "definitely rattled" after a delivery he bowled struck NSW batsman Daniel Hughes on the helmet during Friday's Matador BBQ's One-Day Cup clash in Sydney.

Blues opener Hughes was on 23 when he attempted to pull a delivery from Siddle and was struck on the left side of his helmet.

The 27-year-old left the field accompanied by NSW's medical staff, retired hurt and was later diagnosed with concussion, which ruled him out of the rest of the match.

Wade and Blues batsman Nic Maddinson, who replaced Hughes at the crease, said the mood of the match definitely changed in the moments after the incident.

Siddle was understandably visibly shaken, but continued his over after some comforting words from teammates. He spent the next over chatting to Bushrangers coach Andrew McDonald and injured teammate John Hastings on the boundary line.

"He was definitely rattled," Wade said of Siddle.

"For that over and probably the one after, he was struggling for 10 or 15 minutes.

"I played in the game (last year) where (England captain) Eoin Morgan got hit and it was the same thing. The players were rattled for half-an-hour, probably, and then you start to just get back into the game slowly but surely.

"It's not a nice situation after what everyone's been through."

The incident came almost two years after Phillip Hughes died from injuries sustained when he was struck by a ball during a Sheffield Shield match at the SCG.

Following recommendations made in the Curtain Report – the independent investigation commissioned by Cricket Australia following the tragic death of Hughes – CA implemented its new Concussion and Head Trauma Policy for the 2015-16 season.

Part of the policy was the introduction of concussion substitutes, which allows a team to replace a player who has been diagnosed with concussion and, under the new policy, forced to sit out the rest of the match.

In an Australian cricket first, the Blues named batsman Nick Larkin as Hughes's replacement for the rest of the match at Drummoyne Oval, with the playing conditions stipulating that a concussion substitute must be a like-for-like player who can bat, bowl and field as if they were part of the starting XI.

Both Wade and Maddinson praised the new rule and its smooth introduction during the game.

"If the opportunity is there for a sub to come in, I think everyone within Cricket Australia, players especially, will be pretty keen on the idea," Maddinson said. "I think it's a great move.

"I know when (Daniel) Hughesy got hit it was probably 30 seconds to a minute after before someone realised that's our option. So if he was struggling a little bit, he should come off."

Maddinson was also struck on the helmet during his match-sealing innings of 86, but continued on after being assessed on the ground by NSW's medical team.

While he was able to shake off the blow out in the middle, the left-hander conceded the hit had an effect.

"It's probably more now where I'm feeling the blow a little bit more," he said.

"I don't feel dizzy or anything. I actually felt OK at the time and I think I knew there was still a job to go.

"So there was no real option for me to come off, I didn't think."