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Peter Nevill’s rotten run began with being dropped as Australia’s keeper for the third Test against South Africa at Adelaide last November.
Last week in the Big Bash, the Renegades keeper was dazed by a return that skidded off the edge of the pitch and creamed him. He passed a concussion test, but had a thumping headache.
The third was a freakish accident in another Big Bash clash two nights ago.
Strikers’ skipper Brad Hodge has just donned new batting gloves that were covered in powder. He hooked Renegade paceman Thisara Perera, but the bat slipped out of his hands.
Nevill, standing back, followed the flight of the ball and never saw Hodge’s bat hurtling towards his head where it landed with a sickening thud.
Nevill dropped like a stone, thankfully not suffering from a more serious injury. But he let the field with a badly swollen right hand side of his face. Subsequent scans have revealed he has burst blood vessels, however a fractured jaw hasn’t been ruled out.
Whatever the eventual outcome, Nevill has been ruled out of the rest of the Big Bash tournament.
He deserves a better run of luck in a season where concussions from short pitched deliveries have been common.
NSW opening batsman Daniel Hughes was concussed in a Matador Cup semi against the Vics, and took no further part.
Western Australian captain Adam Voges suffered the same fate against Tasmania in a Sheffield Shield game.
Australian opening batsman Matt Renshaw didn’t see out the third Test against Pakistan at the SCG with concussion when he was twice struck on the helmet, firstly batting and then wearing a full-blooded hook fielding at short leg.
And more recently at Basin Reserve, Bangladesh skipper Mushfigur Rahim was felled by a Tim Southee bouncer and lay motionless which brought back memories of Phil Hughes’ tragic death against NSW at the SCG in November 2014.
Rahim is concussed, but thankfully OK.
Why are so many good batsmen being struck?
The answer is simple. Far too many batsmen are taking their eye off the ball and ducking, knowing they have the helmet protection.
That’s still a very dangerous ploy.
In pre-helmet days, batsmen always eyed off short-pitched deliveries from the moment the ball left the bowler’s hand until it safely passed by.
I can only recall two incidents where watching the ball still resulted in being struck.
The first was England’s fiery paceman John Snow felling Australian leggie Terry Jenner with a brute of a delivery in the seventh Ashes Test at the SCG in 1971, Ian Chappell’s first as skipper.
That set up a wave of indignation from the packed house that erupted when England captain Ray Illingworth foolishly sent Snow to the fine leg fence at the end of the over.
Spectators in the area tried to grapple with Snow, which prompted Illingworth to take his team from the field to thunderous booing.
Warned if he didn’t return England would forfeit the Test, Illingworth led his side back onto the field. The booing increased.
Jenner was probably concussed, but nobody gave that a thought, and he batted on.
Rick McCosker was probably concussed as well in the 1977 Centenary Test at the MCG when he wore a Bob Willis bouncer he tried to hook and missed, the ball breaking the Australian opening batsman’s jaw.
McCosker came out to bat again in the second dig to sustained applause with his face swathed in bandages, only to cop a Willis bouncer first ball.
One thing is for sure, bouncers will never be outlawed. It’s the responsibility of the batsman to compete as safely as possible.
Currently, two bouncers an over are allowed in Test cricket. If batsmen keep watching the ball all the way, there will be far fewer painful incidents.