The England veteran appears likely to wear a new helmet for Essex
Captain Cook set for helmet switch
England captain Alastair Cook looks set to comply with new safety regulations and ditch his old helmet when playing country cricket for Essex this week.
Cook wore his old helmet when compiling a century against Gloucestershire last week, but the 31-year-old could have been reported to the ECB’s disciplinary committee if he continued to defy new regulations and wear the model that has an adjustable grille and a large gap between peak and grille.
The opener wore the new helmet during a net session ahead of Essex's county clash against Sussex at Hove on Sunday and looks likely to conform to regulations before England's first Test against Sri Lanka starting on May 19.
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Cook's Essex teammate Ravi Bopara admitted the new design of helmet was difficult for batsmen to get used to.
"It is tough to start using those helmets - you do lose the ball for that less than a split-second, and that makes a whole load of difference to a lot of players," Bopara told Sky Sports.
"I understand where Cookie's coming from. But when it comes to the guidelines and safety, we all have to be aware of that."
Cook needs a further 36 runs to become the first Englishman to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket.