Australian players tested a new helmet safety attachment – designed in the aftermath of the Phillip Hughes tragedy – on Thursday although they will not be obliged to wear it in matches, Cricket Australia said.

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Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell and George Bailey all wore the new Masuri StemGuard clip-on, made of honeycomb plastic and foam, while they batted in the nets at Bellerive Oval ahead of the World Cup match against Scotland on Saturday.

Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara has already used the device at the World Cup while Ireland all-rounder John Mooney has designed his own version.

“Masuri has worked very hard to bring this guard to market in a very short period of time and we appreciate and commend that,” Cricket Australia Executive General Manager of Team Performance Pat Howard told cricket.au.com

“The players have now been given the guards to trial at training before deciding whether they wear them in match conditions.

“It is very much a personal decision which we will respect.”

Australian batsman Hughes died on November 27 last year, two days after being hit on the head by a Sean Abbott bouncer in a first-class match in Sydney.