Dubai: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced new regulations for helmet safety during international matches.

The new regulation does not make it compulsory to wear a helmet when batting, but when a batsman elects to wear a helmet it must be compliant with its strict safety regulations.

The regulations will be enforced in international cricket from February 1.

An official warning will be issued after each of the first two matches in which a non-compliant helmet is worn, and if there is a third breach of the regulations the player will be suspended for a match.

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The regulations were introduced following strong recommendation by the ICC Cricket Committee in their recent meeting in June 2016.

The ICC General Manager Cricket Geoff Allardice said on Sunday that the aim is to get all players to wear the safest helmets available.

"Our number one priority is to have all batsmen wearing the safest helmets available rather than to see players getting sanctioned," Allardice said.

"It has been pleasing to see that the vast majority of international players have been wearing compliant helmets since January 1, but some teams have requested more time to assist them in implementing the new regulation before the sanctioning process commences.

"As such, the extension was granted to enable all teams and players to comply, and after this time the regulations will be strictly enforced," he added.