Melbourne Stars skipper Marcus Stoinis has described the moment he saw teammate and friend Hilton Cartwright lying on the Optus Stadium turf in “awful” scenes that rocked the BBL14 season opener.
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Stoinis was one of the first players to get to Cartwright’s side after an outfield dive went wrong in the Stars’ six-wicket loss to the Perth Scorchers on Sunday night.
Cartwright immediately clutched at his neck before the stretcher was brought out and the Stars’ allrounder was taken to hospital.
“We just got a quick update – they’ve ruled out concussion and that sort of thing but he’s going to hospital for some scans on his neck,” Stoinis told reporters post-match.
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“They are a bit worried.
“So fingers crossed he’s alright.”
The Stars skipper admits the moment left all players shaken, given Cartwright is a West Australian who plays alongside the local Scorchers talent.
“He’s a heartbeat of our team – but not only us, with Western Australia and the Scorchers, he’s a very well-respected guy,” Stoinis explained.
“Hopefully he’s alright.
“It did definitely put a dampener on the mood of the night – it’s just hard to switch that off.
“We ran there pretty quick to see him but there’s nothing you can really do.”
With fellow allrounder Glenn Maxwell sidelined with a hamstring issue, Stoinis hoped Cartwright could be considered for their next match.
“He’s very important to our team – he’s the heartbeat of that middle order, in the field he sets the tone,” he said.
“Hopefully we don’t miss him.”
Scorchers coach Adam Voges expressed his concern for Cartwright when speaking after his side’s win.
“We’ve all got genuine concern for Hilts – we all hope he’s OK,” he said.
“He’s a West Australian and much loved.
“We wish him the best and certainly hope it’s positive news.”
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Fox Cricket’s Mike Hussey led the well wishes immediately after Cartwright went down in the outfield.
“It doesn’t seem fair does it, the effort he put in. He must have sprinted nearly 40 metres and dived full stretch only to injure himself,” he said.
“You don’t want to be losing someone the calibre of Hilton Cartwright this early in the tournament – he is a crucial part of this team.”
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