Although cricket is not a contact sport, like football and rugby, injuries on the field are common. While an internal injury – pulled hamstring, strain, dehydration – is something that a player has control over and can improve by training harder, the on-field injuries are almost impossible to avoid.
A ball hitting the close-in fielder, or a bouncer taking off the head of a batter, a bowler getting hit by a powerful shot from the batsman. There is little time for a player to react to such situations, even with quick reflexes, and consequently, they suffer some really bad injuries.
Here, we look at 5 such horrific injuries sustained by a player on the field:
Kusal Perera
In the third test match against the West Indies at Bridgetown in 2018, Kusal Perera suffered a dangerous injury when he crashed into an advertising board near the boundary line while attempting a catch.
Tailender Shannon Gabriel slogged off-spinner Dilruwan Perera and sent the ball down the ground. Perera, positioned at long-on, leapt to take the catch and even got hold of the ball, however, his momentum took him beyond the boundary and landed chest first on the advertising board.
He immediately sought medical assistance as all the Sri Lankan players rushed towards him. The medical team attended him and soon had him carried off in a stretcher. Perera didn’t take part in play for the rest of the day. Thankfully, he was cleared of any serious injury.
Craig Kieswetter
England’s wicket-keeper batsman Craig Kieswetter had a cruel ending to his career as a player due to sustaining an on-field injury. Batting for Somerset against Northamptonshire in 2014, Kieswetter was hit in the front of his helmet by a bouncer from David Willey.
Though the impact of the blow was mitigated by the helmet, the ball went through the grille breaking his nose, fracturing his cheekbone, and worse of all damaging his eye socket.
Hoping for recovery and playing again, Kieswetter went to play domestic T20 cricket in South Africa but struggled with the after-effects of the eye injury. The injury forced him into retirement in June 2015, aged 28.
Moises Henriques and Rory Burns
Australian all-rounder Moises Henriques and England batsman Rory Burns suffered a calamitous accident when both collided with each other while looking to take a catch of batsman Steffan Piolet in a T20 Blast match, both playing for Surrey against Sussex in 2015.
Burns was at deep cover position and Henriques ran back from point to a catch on the offside. Both the players ran for the catch with the full pace without realising that the other one was within touching distance and collided with their heads horribly.
Both immediately went down, left unconscious and other players and the medical teams rushed in. Henriques sustained a broken jaw and underwent dental surgery while Burns sustained injuries on both face and neck.
Mark Boucher
South Africa’s greatest wicket-keeper Mark Boucher suffered a freak injury in a warm-up game on the 2012 England tour against Somerset forcing him to retire with a record 998 international dismissals as a wicket-keeper.
Batsman Gemaal Hussain was bowled by a googly from Imran Tahir that hit the stumps and a dislodged bail, unfortunately, struck Boucher in the left eye.
He was diagnosed with a lacerated eyeball and underwent surgery for it, but couldn’t play the game at the higher level again. Boucher is currently the coach of the South African team.
This is the saddest accident to happen on a cricket field – as the world was left shocked when it was learned that 25-year-old Phillip Hughes had died because of the injury he sustained by being hit by a bouncer.
During a Sheffield Shield match in 2014, batting for South Australia versus New South Wales, Hughes was struck by the bouncer, while batting on 63, from Sean Abbott on the left rear side of the head, below the helmet.
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