Alastair Cook strides out to bat at Chelmsford wearing his old helmet

England are wary of being dragged into an unwanted power struggle with Alastair Cook ahead of the summer Test series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan after he ignored new regulations by wearing an old-style helmet that fails to conform to new safety standards.

Nevertheless, Cook's insistence that he must be the ultimate judge of his own safety puts the ECB in a delicate position as it seeks to enforce the adoption of a modern helmet design across the whole of the first-class game.

All eyes will be on Essex's next Championship game against Sussex at Hove, beginning on Sunday and, as long as England's captain remains true to the old design, it is likely that the rebellion will be extended to more batsmen possessing similar misgivings.

Cook ignored the stipulation during Essex's opening Championship match against Gloucestershire at Chelmsford - preferring to stick an Essex badge over his old England helmet, which dates back to the 2013 design and does not comply with the latest British Safety Standard BS7928:13.

Jonathan Trott has become the latest batsman to demonstrate the virtues of vision over armour as he made his first half-century since July in Championship cricket.
Trott, who endured a tough return to domestic cricket after announcing his international retirement in May 2015, resisted an impressive Middlesex attack with some assurance to keep Warwickshire's head above water on day two of this match. And, despite facing Steven Finn charging in from the Pavilion End, he did so in an old-style batting helmet that no longer complies with British Safety Standards or ECB stipulations.