Bengaluru, March 9: Cricket hasn't been the same ever since the death of Phil Hughes, the young Australian cricketer who was killed after being hit by a delivery on his neck during a domestic match in Sydney last November.

World Cup Special; Phil Hughes passes away after suffering head injury

In the ongoing World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, Irish fast bowler John Mooney and Sri Lankan bastman Kumar Sangakkara have been seen wearing helmets with an extra protection for the neck.

While the former wore the protection in the match against Zimbabwe Hobart on Saturday, Sangkarra donned it during his century against Australia at Sydney on Sunday. Batsmen across the globe have been preferring helmets with additional protective features since the shocking death of Hughes who was hit by a bouncer.

Mooney calls the protective attachment, which he himself has designed a gorget, which is attached to the existing helmets. Mooney, 33, and his father-in-law were working on the new gear. Mooney told Irish Independent that his father-in-law is an architect and they together were designing an extra grille to be fixed at the back of the helmet to save the neck and the back of the head.

Only Mooney is allowed to wear the 'gorget' but once it gets the safety clearance, Mooney can market is invention so that more players can make use of it during matches. Sangakkara, 37, was also seen wearing a helmet with modified back panels during the match against Australia at Sydney.

Helmet manufacturer Masuri has brought many modifications in its newest version after the Hughes tragedy. Hughes was wearing a Masuri helmet at the time of getting injured. While there is an extra grill in the front to stop the ball from entering the gap between the visor and the cap, there is also a protection band at the back and neck too.

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