Ahmed Shehzad was floored by a bouncer from Corey Anderson and suffered an unfortunate dismissal in the first Test in Abu Dhabi. Pakistan opener Shehzad was diagnosed with a broken skull when he was taken for a CT scan.
Shehzad was cruising towards a double-hundred when a short-ball from the kiwi all-rounder hit the right temple area of his helmet. The bouncer dropped the right-hander on the ground.
The Pakistan opener was taken to the hospital soon after and was confirmed a depressed fracture of the zygomatic arch – just above the right jaw. It is uncertain whether Shehzad will bat in the second innings, if needed to be.
“The specialist surgeon has confirmed minor fracture and has advised 48 hours of close monitoring,” Pakistan team manager Moin Khan said. “In case the pain doesn’t subside then the surgeon may opt for decompression.”
Shehzad also dropped his bat on the wicket as the ball hit him on the helmet, which led to an unfortunate dismissal. Anderson and wicketkeeper BJ Watling celebrated the wicket but soon realised the discomfort felt by the Pakistan batsman.
It was one of the rare joyful moments for the Black Caps as only two wickets fell in the day. Shehzad’s dismissal came just before the lunch interval on the second day of the match.
“The wicket was the first I saw and you celebrate – we’d been out there a long time and wickets were hard to come by – but his health was the next concern,” Anderson said.
“I heard he came back to the ground, which is pleasing, you never want to see anyone get hurt,” he added. “I’ve seen plenty of people in that position before and it’s not a nice feeling. Credit to him, it was an unbelievable innings.”
