For 20 minutes an increasingly forlorn Chris Rogers stood, in the outfield of the Windsor Park National Stadium, being told why he would be ruled out of Australia's first Test against the West Indies starting on Wednesday.

At times the conversation, also involving team doctor Peter Brukner, Australian captain Michael Clarke and coach Darren Lehmann, appeared animated, almost as if Rogers was being berated for being late to training or missing the bus. As it turns out, the trio were simply trying to get across to the veteran opener why he couldn't be allowed to play this week.

In another time Rogers, on his final tour for Australia, would be suiting up against the West Indies, the blow he received to the helmet from a local net bowler on Sunday simply a bump in the road, even a badge of honour.

But with eyes now wide open about the possible consequences of being struck by a cricket ball since the death of Phillip Hughes - and with the sport promising to take the same hardline stance on concussions that the football codes have preached - he was never going to be allowed to play once he reported a headache and dizziness to Brukner.

"I think there's probably a few players that wouldn't have played as many Test matches as they did if that was the case long ago," Clarke said. "But I think there's obviously a lot of research done by the experts in all sports. You know, it is spoken about a lot — certainly when I spent some time at home before coming here — in the AFL and in the rugby league in particular.

"I think Chris is exactly like me. He wants to play, as I want him to play, but he also understands and respects that there is a lot more to it than just walking back out onto the field and playing again. As I'm sure the doc would have said, if he gets hit again who knows what the consequences are, and I don't think anybody wants to see that happen for the sake of missing one game. I think it takes courage for the doctor to make this decision."

The ruling out of Rogers brought back memories of Ricky Ponting's concern about a concussed Justin Langer during the third Test against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2006. Langer had been padded up and ready to complete Australia's run chase at No.11 but was not required as Brett Lee and Michael Kasprowicz sealed victory. Ponting would say afterwards that he would have been willing to declare and sacrifice the win if Langer had insisted on batting.

Cricket Australia adopted the more conservative Zurich guidelines on dealing with concussion during the summer, giving the touring doctor little choice but to side with caution. And with such outspoken player welfare advocates as Brukner, a former top medico at Liverpool Football Club, and CA's chief medical officer John Orchard calling the shots it should be little surprise the way the Rogers situation was dealt with.

During a summer in which Australia's view of player safety and of such weapons as the bouncer changed forever, Rogers had also suffered a blow to the head that left him shaken. He even contemplated his future after a ball hit him on the back of the helmet while he was fielding during a Test against India in Brisbane, only a matter of weeks after Hughes' passing.

There were other notable incidents last season: NSW batsman Ben Rohrer was knocked out by a bouncer in a Sheffield Shield game at the MCG, while fellow Blues squad member Daniel Hughes was rushed to hospital during a Sydney grade game.

There continues to be introspection about where cricket needs to play catch up, and there is every chance that an independent review into the circumstances around Hughes' death will make newly updated helmets on the market mandatory.

One of those would not have done Rogers any good. He was hit flush on the helmet above the temple. He'd played through the shot before the ball arrived. But in standing him down, Brukner has demonstrated emphatically that while a Test cap is one thing, a player's health and safety comes first.