The blow to the back of Dimuth Karunaratne’s neck brought back memories of the fatal hit suffered by Phillip Hughes a little over four years ago. Pat Cummins’ snorter got the Sri Lankan opener in roughly the same area, but luckily there is now extra protection in that region, and the impact was somewhat softened as the ball came after just glancing the shoulder. The delivery was not a bouncer, but Karunaratne tried to duck under it and the ball followed him on the angle, not rising as much as he would have expected. The good news was that Karunaratne was constantly talking as the medical professionals of both teams attended to him. He stayed down after the blow but never lost consciousness. However, the current protocol regarding concussion and head injuries mandated that he be taken off the ground. He was taken off in a stretcher after preliminary medical care on the ground. Karunaratne’s departure understandably had an adverse impact on his team. He was having a good opening partnership with Lahiru Thirimanne, but after the blow, Sri Lanka lost a few quick wickets to hand Australia the advantage.
