Oxenford, from Queensland, has worn the device on his left arm in this week's one-day series between England and Sri Lanka.

The device, weighing one kilogram, is made of polycarbonate and has a shield, which can be used if a ball is blasted back in his direction.

The England and Wales Cricket Board said if the ball was to rebound off the guard and be caught by a fielder, the batsman would be given out.

Oxenford, 56, took matters into his own hands after fellow Australian umpire John Ward was hospitalised when struck in the head during a match in India. He has had players hit cricket balls at the guard to ensure it works.

Richard Kettleborough (shin) and Marais Erasmus (shoulder) are elite umpires who were hurt, but not seriously, from misdirected shots.

Umpires were provided with helmets during the World Twenty20 in India this year but they were not used.

The safety of umpires, and fielders close to the bat, has become a major discussion point among cricket officials and players. A recent ICC committee meeting discussed the possibility of limiting the depth of bats, with the "sweet spot" now broader than ever before, over fears of more fielders and umpires being hurt.

The committee, having received a research paper on the issue from the sport's lawmaker, the Marylebone Cricket Club, discussed whether a "bat gauge" could be introduced to measure the allowable dimensions of the bat.

Increased weight training by players and the power hitting required for T20 cricket have combined to have umpires increasingly in the firing line.

Former Australian umpire Daryl Harper has called for special lightweight helmets to be devised for umpires.

The death of Phillip Hughes in 2014 prompted a rethink of the game's safety, especially the issue of helmet design. But ongoing research by Adelaide historian Tom Gara has found there have been more than 160 deaths in Australia from the late-1800s to the mid-1950s in cricket, which predominantly involve a ball.