New South Wales opener Daniel Hughes suffers concussion
Daniel Hughes, the 23-old New South Wales opener was forced to retire from the ongoing Matador Cup semi-final after he was hit on the grill of his helmet by a Peter Siddle bouncer. Hughes, collapsed and both the batsmen and the bowler were visibly taken aback by the incident. The left-hander subsequently failed the concussion test.
According to the new rules for the tournament, a substitute can be allowed for a concussion and thus Nick Larkin can bat if required in the run-chase as a concussion sub. There was a hush all around the stadium as the crowd feared a repeat of the Phil Hughes-incident. Incidentally, Phil Hughes death inquest hogged headlines all through the previous week.
Hughes collapsed to his knees as soon as he was hit on the head, and Dr John Orchard rushed out to the field to assist the batsmen. Incidentally, Orchard incidentally was ithe doctor who had treated Phillip Hughes, and has been instrumental in carving out this concussion rule and he wasted no time in taking Hughes into the shed even as he suffered a cut just above his nose. Later, it was informed that he had fallen a concussion test and thus will be unavailable for the finals on Sunday if the Blues make it.
The bowler Siddle was visibly taken aback by the incident and was given assistance at the boundary ropes by teammate John Hastings and assistant coach Andrew McDonald.
Earlier in 2015 Daniel Hughes was taken to hospital when he was dealt a major blow on the back of a neck during a grade game in Sydney. He was treated but there was no major concern.
“I was OK thankfully but it was quite a scary moment,” said Hughes, who at the time was rushed to hospital amid concerns over swelling on his neck.
“Luckily for me it just hit me in the jaw and it more concussed me than anything. A few people around the ground were a bit scared for me but the guys there took the precaution and took me to the hospital to get checked out”.