NZ cricketer suffers sickening head injury after freak fielding accident

New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra suffered a sickening blow to the head after he appeared to misjudge a catch during his team’s ODI victory over Pakistan on Saturday.

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Glenn Phillips cracked a maiden century and Mitchell Santner grabbed three wickets to help New Zealand overpower Pakistan by 78 runs in the opening match of a tri-nations series in Lahore.

The 25-year-old was fielding at deep square leg when he seemed to lose sight of the ball against the Gaddafi Stadium floodlights as he shaped to take a catch to dismiss Khushdil Shah.

Blood poured from the head of a dazed Ravindra while the crowd looked on with concern.

After being treated, he left the field holding a bandage tight to his bloodied forehead.

“Ravindra was forced from the field after being struck in the forehead by the ball attempting a catch in the 38th over,” a New Zealand Cricket spokesman told Cricinfo.

“He sustained a laceration to the forehead which has been addressed and treated at the ground, but is otherwise well. He came through his first HIA (Head Injury Assessment) well and will continue to be monitored under HIA processes.”

Phillips hit 106 not out from 74 balls, with seven sixes and six fours to help the tourists post an impressive 330-6 in 50 overs before Santner’s 3-41 helped dismiss Pakistan for 252 in 47.5 overs.

South Africa are the third team in the series, a warm-up event for the Champions Trophy from February 19 to March 9 in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates.

Phillips also added the prized wicket of Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman who topscored with a 69-ball 84.

Fakhar and Babar Azam, promoted to open the innings, had given Pakistan a solid start of 52 before Michael Bracewell broke through with the wicket of Azam who made just 10.

Santner then exploited the slow Gaddafi Stadium pitch, dismissing Kamran Ghulam (18), skipper Mohammad Rizwan (three) and Khushdil Shah (15) to put Pakistan on the back foot.

Salman Agha (40) and Tayyab Tahir (30) added 53 for the fifth wicket but that wasn’t enough in a tough chase.

Pace bowler Matt Henry took 3-53 and Bracewell 2-41.

“Glenn’s knock and his partnership with Bracewell gave us the momentum,” said Santner, the New Zealand captain.

“We were looking at 280 or 300 at one stage but Glenn’s knock was icing on the cake.”

Rizwan said the defeat was hard to digest.

“When you lose, it’s a difficult day,” said Rizwan.

“The pitch was a bit difficult early on but (Kane) Williamson and (Daryl) Mitchell did well and then the way Phillips batted, no words to describe that.”

Phillips built on the good work by Mitchell (81) and Williamson (58) after New Zealand chose to bat.

Phillips added a quickfire 54 off just 47 balls with Bracewell for the sixth wicket. Bracewell scored 31 from 23 balls, with three sixes.

New Zealand plundered 123 runs in the last 10 overs, including 84 from the final five.

Phillips smashed a four and two sixes off pace bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi to reach his hundred off 72 balls, taking 25 in the 50th over.

Shaheen ended up with expensive figures of 3-88 from his 10 overs, although he gave Pakistan an early breakthrough by removing opener Will Young for four with the fourth ball of the match.

Spinner Abrar Ahmed had opener Rachin Ravindra caught and bowled for 25 but Williamson and Mitchell then added 95 off 112 balls to rebuild the innings.

Williamson hit seven boundaries in his 46th half century, playing in his first one-day international since November 2023, before edging Shaheen to wicketkeeper Rizwan.

Mitchell appeared well set for a hundred but miscued a shot off Abrar in the 38th over to be caught after hitting four sixes and two fours.

Pakistan were hit hard when pace bowler Haris Rauf walked off in the 37th over after suffering a side strain, having bowled 6.2 overs that included the wicket of Tom Latham for nought.