Pakistani all-rounder Shoaib Malik was hit on the back of his head by a ball during the Pakistan versus New Zealand One-Day encounter at the Sheldon Park in Hamilton. Spectators and the players on the ground witnessed with dread as Malik fell on the ground.
The Pakistan Cricket Board said that a delayed concussion due to the hit prevented Malik from fielding in the second innings of the match.
The incident happened in the 32nd over of the first innings of the fourth ODI match. Malik, who was on 1, was hit by a throw from Colin Munro as he attempted to steal a single.
Ball hit on @realshoaibmalik head … threw by #Kiwi player #PAKvsNZ pic.twitter.com/2ZgwQ4AIFQ
— Kashif Baig (@kashif_baig) January 16, 2018
He was batting without a helmet because Kiwis had launched their spin-bowling attack.
The force of the impact was such that the ball ricocheted to the boundary after hitting him on the head.
Though Malik resumed batting after medical attention that lasted several minutes, he was caught out at a personal score of 6 off 8 deliveries.
Malik, the husband of Indian tennis star Sania Mirza, was assessed by the match doctor and Pakistan team physiotherapist VB Singh.
Singh said that Malik is now fine.
The incident brought back memories of the tragic incident of 25 November 2014 when Australian batsman Phillip Hughes was hit on the neck by a bouncer during a first-class cricket match. He died two days later having never regained consciousness.