Sri Lanka are currently playing the second and final Test against Australia at the Manuka Oval in Canberra. On the second day of the match heart-stopping incident happened.
Sri Lankan opener Dimuth Karunaratne was hit by a dangerous bouncer from Aussie pacer Pat Cummins. The incident happened in the 31st over of the game when the visitors were looking comfortable at 82/0.
Karunaratne was batting on 46 when a 142.5 kph bouncer came storming towards him. The bouncer was directed at an uncomfortable height and kept following the batsman.
Dimuth tried to duck and get out of the way, but unfortunately he couldn’t. As a result the ball hit on the body. At first it seemed that the ball might have hit his shoulder. But replays later confirmed that it had hit him on the back of his neck.
As a result the batsman fell on the ground grimacing in pain. The whole Australian team was left worried as they were often reminded of their own Phil Hughes, who died due to a similar incident.
Dimuth’s batting partner, the Australian players and Cricket Australia’s medical team were the first to attend to the situation. After 15 minutes of medical checkup, Karunaratne was placed on the gurney that was placed in the medicab. Later he was transferred to a nearby hospital.
Here is the video of the incident:
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Karunaratne’s recent condition
Everyone was anxiously waiting for Karunaratne’s health update from the hospital. Recently Sri Lankan coach Chandika Hathurusingha confirmed that that the batsman was “in good spirits” and in “no danger”.
Hathurusingha, in the press conference, after the end of the day’s play said:
It was a bit scary at the start the way he fell back, but he was okay throughout, he was talking to the umpires and the physio. It hit on the back of the neck so he is being assessed.
Talking about the game, the day belonged to the hosts Australia. They declared their innings on 534 for 5, courtesy to centuries from Joe Burns, Travis Head and Kurtis Patterson.
Sri Lanka started their innings nicely with Karunaratne (46*) and Lahiru Thirimanne (41) providing a solid start. However after Karunaratne was retired hurt, they lost three quick wickets and ended the day on 123 for 3. They currently trail the Aussies by 411 runs.