Clarke embraced new helmet after Rogers blow

Michael Clarke says seeing Chris Rogers cop a blow on the helmet during the second Test hastened his decision to adopt the new helmet design that was developed following the passing of Phillip Hughes last year.

British company Masuri designed a clip-on foam guard for the back of its helmets following the death of Hughes, who passed away two days after he was struck on the neck during a Sheffield Shield game last November.

Clarke had willingly trialled the new foam guard attached to Masuri's latest helmet - the Vision Series - over the past six months. But he initially struggled to get used to the new design, which has a higher grille in addition to the foam guard, and used his old helmet as recently as the first Ashes Test in Cardiff.

The skipper sat down with Bupa Support Team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris on the night of the first day of the Lord's Test to better understand the intricacies of the new design.

Kountouris explained the old helmet left players vulnerable to injury and highlighted the recent cases of Stuart Broad (head wound) and Craig Kieswetter (career-ending eye injury).

And Clarke's mind was made up the following morning when Rogers - who was not wearing a Vision Series but whose helmet sported a clip-on foam guard - was struck in the exact same spot as Hughes.

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Rogers is struck on the helmet at Lord's // Getty

"(Kountouris) has done a study on it and he showed me where Broad got hit and Kieswetter and where Bucky (Rogers) got hit ... and then next morning Bucky came out and got hit right on the same spot (as Hughes) and that made my mind up for me,” Clarke said.

"I got rid of my old helmet there and then and made up my mind I am using the new one."

Clarke said he took time to adjust to the new design because all his protective equipment has remained the same for the length of his career.

"My gear hasn't changed for my whole career. My pads are the same, gloves are the same, so you are used to what you are used to," he said.

"Because I wear my collar up I can feel it there, it is more of a feel thing, like anything it is just about making that change.

"The grille sits a little bit higher than my old Masuri so it’s taken a little bit of time to get used to seeing the ball and having the grille in my peripheral vision."

Rogers, who experienced dizzy spells in the days following the blow at Lord's, this week preached the merits of the 'StemGuard'.

"It certainly cushioned the blow. It's hard to know what would have happened if I wasn't wearing it," Rogers said.

Watch: Rogers speaks about his dizzy spell at Lord's

Cricket Australia recommends its players wear the Masuri Vision Series helmet, but they are not mandatory.

In May, CA announced they had commissioned an independent review into the events that culminated in Hughes's death last year.

Quick Single: CA commissions independent report

The findings of the review, chaired by Melbourne-based barrister Mr David Curtain QC, are expected to be delivered prior to the start of the 2015-16 Australian season.

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