5 balls that shook the cricketing world
Sean Abbott once again came into spotlight, not because of his wickets, certainly not because of his batting but because of a bouncer which struck the batsman right on the helmet.
This time Australian cricketer Will Pucovski was at the receiving end. The incident happened in a Sheffield shield match between Victoria and New South Wales at Melbourne’s Junction Oval. The incident happened in the 19th over of Victoria’s second innings when Pucovski got hit on his helmet while trying to duck Abbott’s bouncer. Abbott rushed to the aid of Pucovski who was treated for a concussion and withdrawn from the remainder of the match.
This is not a first time when something like this has ever happened. Instances like this have been occurring on and off the field since the birth of cricket. Earlier, such occurrences were common as protective equipment were uncustomary. There have been several instances in the past where the outcomes have been more tragic.
Here’s the list of 5 such incidents in the history of cricket.
1. Philip J Hughes, 25 (Australia, 2014)
This infamous incident occurred in the second session of the Sheffield Shield match between South Australia and New South Wales at the SCG on November 25, 2014.
The Australian batsman was struck right on the head by a bouncer bowled by Sean Abbott. Although Hughes was wearing a helmet, the ball struck an area just below his left ear. He crumbled before receiving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and was taken to St. Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney.
Two days later he was pronounced dead due to subarachnoid haemorrhage.