On Day 3 of the first Ashes 2017-18 Test, the Gabba crowd witnessed something which has been a rare sight in the history of the tournament. Mitchell Starc bowled a feisty short of the length delivery to England skipper Joe Root which hit him right on the front of the helmet. The bouncer broke a part of Root’s helmet which got detached immediately. As Root took a nasty blow to his head, Starc rushed towards him on his follow through to check if he is not severely injured. The left-arm fast bowler placed his hand on Root’s shoulder to express his concern.
It was a nice gesture from Australian players. David Warner too walked up to him and asked if he is fit to bat or not. Australian skipper Steven Smith too seemed concerned as he came running from the slips position. Root got the medical attention as he got checked by England team’s medical personnel.
Here are the videos of the incident –
Brutal Thankfully Joe Root was given the all clear to continue batting #Ashes pic.twitter.com/zZsB3wTyXJ
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) November 25, 2017
After Day 3’s play Root did not come for the press conference. Stuart Broad gave an update on Root’s condition. Broad said,
It’s always worrying when you see someone get hit like that in the head like that but he has gone through all the concussion tests and the tests with the doctor. I think he has passed those tests so I’m sure he’ll be taking the field tomorrow all fine.
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In the press conference, Smith expressed his concern for the opposition skipper. He said,
It was a nasty blow. It’s never nice when the ball goes back down the wicket. For a bouncer that was where you’re supposed to bowl them I guess. But, it’s never nice to see anyone get hit like that.
ALSO READ: Mitchell Starc left bloodied after colliding with Shaun Marsh during 1st Ashes Test at Gabba — VIDEO
The Australian players always get concerned when a batsman gets struck on the helmet. After Phil Hughes unfortunate demise on the cricket field, they have always been careful with events like these. Especially Warner, who was present when he saw his friend Hughes collapse on the ground after getting hit for a bouncer.
