Any sport has its share of injuries, and cricket is no exception. Although players occasionally get injuries while playing, over the years, a few injuries have happened in the most peculiar situations.
For instance, Mark Boucher had a corneal laceration after being struck in the eye by a falling bail, forcing him to retire from cricket. We examine some of the most unusual injuries in cricket history that have prevented players from playing.
Just before the 2006–07 season began, Australia's top batsman Matthew Hayden broke his finger and was forced to miss time from cricket.
The brawny Aussie decided one day to take a casual jog to stay in shape. Sadly, though, a neighborhood dog attacked him when it noticed him running. His flesh was penetrated by the dog's bite, resulting in a five-centimeter wound in his ankle that required emergency medical attention.
"It was a vicious attack," Hayden had said. "I was just out for a leisurely run. You are always a bit shocked by that sort of thing, but I was more disappointed than anything. It just hasn't been my week."
But Hayden recovered after a few months and went back to play for Australia and score truckloads of runs.
Among the list's most serious incidents was this one. After the 1986 tour came to a close, Trevor Franklin, a batsman for New Zealand, was run over by a motorized luggage trolley in London. He'd also damaged his thumb while on tour.
The Kiwi batter sustained multiple leg fractures as a result of the incident. He was forced to give up cricket for a year and a half, and he never was able to run at full speed again. He went on to score an incredible hundred at Lord's four years after the setback.
However, his injuries did not go away. He ended up breaking his forearm in 1991 while taking on England's David Lawrence. Throughout an eight-year career, Franklin averaged 23.00 and scored 828 runs from 21 games.
Following several hours of deliberations and bargaining in a London hotel, the 1998–1999 West Indies tour to South Africa was approved. A disagreement over compensation appeared to have led to the series' cancellation at one point.
While cutting bread, Jimmy Adams, a veteran cricket player from the West Indies, cut through several tendons in his right hand while traveling to Johannesburg.
When Dr. Ali Bacher arrived in response to a need for medical assistance, he saw Adams unconscious and leaking blood from his hand.
Adams was unable to continue the tour due to the accident. In 2000, Mark Boucher suffered a similar injury after cutting his hand while attempting to carve steak.
More than his cricket, Chris Old was known for his injuries. However, he was a very good fast bowler who could also be useful at the bat in the lower order.
In addition, he was one of Ian Botham's uncelebrated batting companions during England's incredible comeback victory over Australia at Headingley in 1981. Surprisingly, though, Old once had to miss a Test match due to a broken rib sustained from sneezing.
His injury troubles were ridiculed even by his teammates, and as a result, the first bowling machine at Lord's was dubbed Chris Old because it broke down frequently.
Michael Vaughan was the inspirational leader of England in 2005. Many thought that this team had what it took to defeat Australia in the Ashes and reclaim the Urn for the first time in nearly two decades.
But in the first Test at Lord's, Glenn McGrath had other ideas. He even claimed his 500th Test wicket while going through the English batting order.
However, the path of the Ashes that year was altered by a wayward cricket ball on the outfield at Edgbaston. Touch rugby was being played by the Australian team as a warm-up when McGrath, who was also participating in the drill, trod on the errant ball.
He missed the remainder of the series after rupturing many ligaments in his right ankle. After winning the Test match, England proceeded to win the Urn.
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