Cricket concussion: 'We need a consistent, worldwide policy'

I was training in Dominica before our first Test in the West Indies in 2015, by facing local bowlers in the middle. One delivery hit me on the side of the helmet, but it was not the fastest delivery I had ever faced, so I thought I was fine. I carried on practising.

The next day, the team doctor, Peter Brukner, asked me how I was feeling. I said: "A little tired, to be honest – feel OK, just a little bit tired." And he pulled over me over and said: "Sorry, mate, I'm going to have to rule you out for this next Test. You're done. You're showing symptoms. You're out."

I was, like, "Hang on!" and then other people heard about it, and they are probably thinking "maybe I don't say I'm tired, maybe I just pretend I'm fine".

The symptoms did not leave me for two weeks. That was a real worry. And then you start to wonder about whether these symptoms are going to be long-standing, whether it is going to affect you in later life.

One of the international sides who toured here did not have a team doctor. So, how was Peter, the Australia team doctor, going to rule out one of their players? There needs to be a policy worldwide. There has to be a consistency around it. And whatever the rule is, then everyone adheres to it. There are so many good arguments to say we should have concussion subs. Absolutely. But how does that work at times, too? What happens if you do not have the substitute you want at the ground?

Concussion is such a hard one to define. It is not like it is a broken leg, or something like that. So, there has to be more understanding and awareness around it.

They are trying to get the right safety precautions in place, and they have just got to keep improving the helmet technology. And with batters hitting the ball harder, it is only a matter of time before more bowlers – like Luke Fletcher – are hit on the follow through.

We have got to try to ensure the game is safe, but without compromising the game itself – which is hard to do.