Of cricketers and freak injuries

To make matters worse, Pietersen also suffered a hit on his left hand during England’s training drills just before the match after fielding coach Richard Hustler failed to collect a throw.

Pietersen didn’t see the throw coming in, and the ball thudded on to his hand. That hit might not have played a part in him getting benched, but here’s a look at some freak injuries cricketers suffered. 

Glenn McGrath: The legendary Australian pacer trod over a stray ball during a warm-up rugby game just ahead of the second Test at Edgbaston in 2005 and wasn’t the same bowler for the rest of the series. Australia were leading 1-0 after their win at the Lord’s, where McGrath took his 500th Test wicket. But McGrath’s freak injury changed the course, as England won the Ashes 2-1.

Yuvraj Singh: The dashing left-hander suffered a serious knee injury while playing a warm-up kho-kho game in Mohali just ahead of India’s Champions Trophy match against Australia in 2006. The injury kept him away from action for months, also reducing his athleticism on the field.

Steve Waugh/ Jason Gillespie: The Australian skipper ran back from square-leg, and the pacer ran in from mid-wicket boundary to catch Mahela Jayawardene’s skier at Kandy in 1999. A sickening collision followed resulting in a broken nose for Waugh while Gillespie was left with a broken leg.

Brian Lara: On any other day, the jaunt would have resulted in a single, but on that fateful day at Kandy, West Indian batsman Brian Lara’s scamper for a single ended in a painful collision with Marvan Atapattu. Lara dislocated his left elbow, and missed a few matches in 2001.

Terry Alderman: The Aussie started his career as a genuine fast bowler, and in 1981 he had to convert himself into a medium-pace, swing bowler. That unnatural evolution was the result of an injured right shoulder while tackling a male streaker in rugby style during the Perth Test against England in 1982.

Ian Greig: Perhaps, the freak injury expert. The Sussex cricketer returned home after making 42 on the first day of a county game, and injured his ankle after an 18-foot fall while trying to break into his own house after he broke the key in the front door lock. On a later day, Greig went to hospital for an x-ray after a Pakistan bowler hit on his finger during a practice match, and the x-ray revealed fracture. But he also required two stitches after he hit his head on the x-ray machine while getting up from his chair.