Injuries are an inevitable part of the game in cricket or in any other sport. If we talk only about cricket, we have seen broken jaws and bones as a result of getting hit by the ball on several occasions or colliding with each other. No cricket lover can ever forget the sad demise of our beloved Phil Hughes who collapsed on the field after getting hit by a bouncer.
But sometimes, there is something that keeps players going even after getting serious injuries. The Cricket Lounge’s Somya Sharma lists 5 cricketers who braved injuries to resume playing for their team.
1) Wahab Riaz came out to bat at no. 11 in the second innings with a broken arm
While batting in the first innings of the second Test against Sri Lanka (2015), Wahab Riaz was struck on his finger by a delivery from Dushmantha Chameera and suffered a hairline fracture on his left arm which is supposed to be his bowling arm too. But, Wahab braved this serious injury and bowled 11 overs after that. Later, when Sri Lanka needed just one wicket to win the match, Wahab Riaz came out to bat with his broken arm and scored 6 runs from 11 balls.
Check out the video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqmJU9PYnAw
2) Gary Kirsten walked in to bat with a barely recognisable face and scored 46 runs
In a Test match between Pakistan and South Africa in 2003, Gary Kirsten was seriously injured after getting hit by a Shoaib Akhtar bouncer on his face. Kirsten went down immediately and was retired hurt on 53. An X-ray scan also revealed that he had a broken nose. But, when South Africa were struggling on 146 for 4 in the second innings, Gary Kirsten walked out to bat with a broken nose and scored 46 runs.
Check out the video here:
3) Anil Kumble came out with a bandage around his face and neck and dismissed Brian Lara
While batting against West Indies in a Test match against West Indies in 2002, Anil Kumble was hit on the jaw by a Marvin Dillon boucer. The impact of the injury was so severe that Kumble’s jaw was fractured and he was asked to leave for Bengaluru for a surgery. But Anil ‘The Fighter’ Kumble refused to give up came out with a bandage around his face and neck, bowled 14 overs, 5 of which were maidens and also picked up the wicket of Brian Lara.
Check out the video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKpG5S6-RSI
4) Malcolm Marshall came out to bat out and hung around to make sure that Gomes got his century, with a broken thumb
In a Test match between England and West Indies at Headingly in 1984, Malcolm Marshall broke his thumb into pieces on the first day of the Test match. England thought they have huge advantage in the game because they won’t have to Marshall’s lethal fast bowling. But, to the surprise of everyone, Marshall not only took the field when England came out to bat, but also opened the bowling for West Indies. He finished with outstanding figures of 53/7.
Check out the video here:
5) Graeme Smith came out to bat with a fracture on his hand
In a Test match between Australia and South Africa in 2009, Graeme Smith was hit by a thunderbolt from Mitchell Johnson that broke his left hand. But when South Africa 9 down and Australia needed just one wicket to win the match, Smith came out to bat with a fracture on his hand and batted his heart out in the middle. With injections and painkillers, he hung around in pain.
Check out the video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dk_XgnIsM04
