LONDON – Australia skipper Aaron Finch said David Warner was “shaken up” after he hit a net bowler on the head with a powerful drive during a practice session on Saturday.
Warner was middling the ball in the nets at The Oval ahead of the World Cup match against India on Sunday, and one of his drives felled the paceman.
The batsman rushed to the aid of the bowler, who lay flat on the practice pitch as Australia stopped their session
“Dave was obviously pretty shaken up. The young guy seems to be in pretty good spirits at the moment,” Finch said after the session finished.
“He's obviously been taken off to hospital and will continue to be assessed just to make sure that everything is okay... Yeah, it was tough to watch.”
The Australian physio attended to the bowler, identified as Jaykishan Plaha, who was taken off on a stretcher to a medical room at the ground.
One of Plaha's fellow net bowlers told AFP the injured player was conscious, and the session subsequently resumed.
International Cricket Council venue manager Michael Gibson told reporters: “The net bowler has been taken to hospital as a precautionary measure because it was a head injury.
“He was conscious and smiling as he was taken off.”
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Five-time champions Australia have won both their games at the World Cup as they seek to defend their crown.
On the issue of more protection on grounds around the world for net bowlers, Finch said, “It’s quite rare that somebody gets hit, it’s really unfortunate. Our own medical staff and the paramedics on the ground did a great job.”
Australian cricket was plunged into mourning in 2014, when Test batsman Phillip Hughes died after being hit on the base of the skull during a domestic match.
Warner was playing in that match, between New South Wales and South Australia.