Pakistan wicket-keeper batter Azam Khan suffered a horrific blow to the head while wicketkeeping for his side Galle Gladiators against the Kandy Falcons in the ongoing Lanka Premier League (LPL). The nasty blow led to him being stretchered off the field in the 16th over of the Falcons' batting innings, bowled by the pacer Nuwan Pradeep.
The incident took place in the 16th over of Falcons’ innings. Pradeep bowled a delivery which was wide down the leg side. Azam moved towards his left to stop the ball and get his body behind the ball, however, since it was a slower ball, it bounced more than Azam's expectations. Due to awkward bounce the ball made contact with Azam’s head as he was not wearing a helmet.
Azam was in agonishing pain and Gladiators rushed towards the young wicketkeeper. The dugout looked increasingly concerned as the tension started to bind the game. Azam's father Moin Khan who is the head coach of the LPL franchise looked relatively composed before he too got helped him get stretchered off the field. From the stadium he was driven straight to the hospital for scans.
Gladiators’ put out a tweet as well praying for the quick recovery of the 24-year-old.
"Prayers for @MAzamKhan45's speedy recovery !! He took a blow on his head while keeping
wickets!! He's been taken for medical care, Prayers for you Gladiator."
A franchise spokesperson was quoted as saying by geosuper.tv that “Azam’s scans were alright and he was doing fine a few hours later.”
Despite Gladiators being left without their star wicketkeeper just before slog overs, they managed to shrug off the incident and defended the target of 153 runs and defeated the Falcons by 12 runs. The blow has rendered Azam unfit to play in Galdiators’ next game.
Earlier Azam scored just a single before getting dismissed by in-form West Indies all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite. So far, Azam has had a forgettable season. He is yet to register a double-digit score for Gladiators. He has scored just 15 runs from four appearances.
