3 cricketers who suffered a freak injury in 2022
Injury and cricket aren't averse to one another. Given the physical demands of the sport across formats, it's not hard to understand why wear and tear takes a toll on a cricketer's body.
While niggles and external injuries on the field are inevitable, there have also been bizarre instances that have prematurely halted a player's progress. They tend to come out of absolutely nowhere - a case in point being Jofra Archer dropping a fish tank and hurting a tendon in his right hand last year.
The year 2022, too, has seen a few such bizarre cases. While some cricketers have got away with a short period on the sidelines, others have had to stay away for considerably longer swathes of time.
Here's a look at three cricket players who suffered a freak injury this year.
#1 Jonny Bairstow
Jonny Bairstow rode a purple patch during the English home summer, belting four centuries across three Tests against New Zealand and India. Just hours after being named in their T20 World Cup squad, though, he suffered a freak injury on a golf course that saw him being ruled out of the tournament.
He recently took to social media to update the status of his injury and revealed that he suffered a broken fibula in three places while also dislocating his ankle. He further mentioned that he damaged his syndesmosis joint and lateral ligament, 'along with a couple more bits'.
This has meant that he will be out of action for the rest of the calendar year. Bairstow's injury opened the doors for Alex Hales to return to the England set-up after an exile of over three years.
#2 Mitchell Starc
A close look at why Mitch Starc required six stitches in his finger #SLvAUS https://t.co/5Q1KuQjsB0
When Australia toured Sri Lanka in June earlier this year, Mitchell Starc suffered a freak injury in the opening T20I. As he sent the ball down, a spike in his boot cut the index finger of his bowling arm on his follow through.
It is an extremely rare cause of injury that has seldom been seen on the cricket field. Starc was forced to sit out the remainder of the T20I series and didn't play the ODIs that followed either, before returning for the two-match Test rubber.
#3 Josh Inglis
BREAKING 
🚨 BREAKING 🚨
Australia’s keeper-batter Josh Inglis suffered a hand injury after a golf club snapped while in his grip.
He has been ruled out of the T20 World Cup ❌
#T20WorldCup #CricketTwitter #Australia https://t.co/KDnCQ2FinW
Josh Inglis' T20 World Cup dreams were shattered after a bizarre injury while playing golf just days before Australia's Super 12 opener against New Zealand. The wicketkeeper-batter's golf club snapped and left a cut on his hand, resulting in his campaign coming to a premature end.
Inglis took part in the warm-up fixture against India with Matthew Wade rested. While he was unlikely to start in Australia's first XI, he has been impressive in domestic cricket for a couple of seasons now. He made his international debut against Sri Lanka earlier this year, even though he was part of the 15-member squad that clinched the T20 World Cup in the UAE last year.
Inglis has now been replaced in the squad by fellow Western Australian and all-rounder Cameron Green.
Also read: 3 Australian players who might be playing their last T20 World Cup