Langer won't be surprised if neck guard becomes mandatory after Smith incident in second Ashes Test

Australia coach Justin Langer says he won't be surprised if wearing a neck guard on the helmet becomes mandatory in the future after star batsman Steve Smith was felled by a bouncer in the second Ashes Test against England at Lord's.

Smith was batting on 80 on the fourth day on Saturday when he was struck by a bouncer from fast bowler Jofra Archer, timed at 92.4 mph (148.7 kph) on the (unprotected) back of his neck.

He fell prostrate on the ground for a while, took time to regather himself and was initially withdrawn by the team doctor Richard Saw for precautionary concussion testing.

There was widespread surprise when Smith re-emerged less than a hour later at the fall of Peter Siddle's wicket but was finally out for 92 when he shouldered arms to a straight ball from Chris Woakes
Asked whether he thought neck guards should be made mandatory for the players, Langer said, "It might be my error but I didn't realise they weren't mandatory until today. At the moment the players have a choice, and I wouldn't be surprised if they become mandatory in the future."
"I'm sure after today it will get talked about again, I know they came in after the tragedy of Hughesy. So I'm sure it will get talked about, and he might rethink it now after seeing what happened today, but you would have to ask him that."